A deep, steady stew with beef, barley, carrots and ale.
I wrote this one after a day that started with good intentions and ended with me eating at the kitchen table in my gardening jumper. That is often how the better recipes arrive here.
Recipe Notes
- Prep: 25 minutes
- Cook: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Serves: 6
- Best season: Winter
Ingredients
- 800 g stewing beef, diced
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 onions, sliced
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery sticks, chopped
- 150 g pearl barley
- 500 ml beef stock
- 330 ml ale
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Toss the beef with flour, salt and pepper. Brown it in batches in a heavy pan.
- Soften the onions, carrots and celery in the same pan.
- Return the beef and add barley, stock, ale and bay leaves.
- Cover and simmer gently for 2 to 2 and a half hours, stirring now and then.
- Taste, season and serve with greens or bread.
From my cottage notebook
This is rain food. It sits on the stove and minds itself while I stack logs, answer messages and pretend I am not checking the pot every ten minutes.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.