Irish Stew

serve with mashed potatoes – 6 servings

·    2 pounds lean beef stew meat
·    3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
·    2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
·    freshly ground black pepper to taste
·    1 pinch cayenne pepper
·    2 large onions, chopped
·    1 clove garlic, crushed
·    2 tablespoons tomato paste
·    1 1/2 cups Irish stout beer (e.g., Guinness)
·    2 cups chopped carrot
·    1 sprig fresh thyme
·    1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish

DIRECTIONS
1.    Toss the beef cubes with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Dredge the beef in this to coat.

2.    Heat the remaining oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef, and brown on all sides. Add the onions, and garlic. Stir the tomato paste into a small amount of water to dilute; pour into the pan and stir to blend. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.

3.    Pour 1/2 cup of the beer into the pan, and as it begins to boil, scrape any bits of food from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. This adds a lot of flavor to the broth. Pour in the rest of the beer, and add the carrots and thyme. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley