Beef Stew

Beef Stew (1/23/11)

This is definitely a filling meal! Perfect for a snowy winter day. We had some friends over for dinner and I knew this was the perfect meal. I served this with thick slices of Beer Bread and it went over so well! No-one knew I used 2 cans of beer to make this meal--ha ha! I had the left over stew for lunch the next day and it was just as good, if not better than the day I made it. It had thickened up a lot and was even more of a stew than a soup like the day before.

Note: I took the pictures before I thickened up the stew, but when I served it, it was thicker than it appears!

I saw a post on Tidy Mom a few weeks ago about her Soup-a-Palooza.  It sounded like fun but I didn't know what to enter.  I knew this stew had gone over really well, so I figured it would be the perfect addition to her party!  After all, who can resist an invitation like this?  "Come join Soup-a-Palooza with TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by Bush’s Beans, Hip Hostess, Pillsbury and Westminster Crackers”

You will need:
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 pounds Stew Meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 can Beer, 12 Ounce
4 cups beef stock (you can also use 4 cups water and 4 beef bouillon cubes)
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
2 teaspoons Sugar
4 whole Carrots, diced in 1/2 inch pieces
6 whole New Potatoes, diced
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add meat to pan and brown.
3. Add onion and garlic to pan and cook until onions are tender.
4. Pour in beer, water, beef stock, tomato paste, salt, and sugar.
5. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours. The liquid will cook down, if it gets too thick, add up to 2 cups water to thin it out.
6. Add carrots and potatoes. Cook for 30 more minutes.
Adapted from: Pioneer Woman