So simple and rustic – Beef, Beer and Barley Stew uses a handful of ingredients and comes together quickly then is left to slowly simmer on the cooktop while you go about your business, just stopping now and then to give it a gentle stir. With its rich sauce spiked with beer, fresh rosemary, garlic, onion and tomato paste, I love to serve with stew at the weekends with crusty bread, some steamed green beans and red wine or beer.
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I first cooked this recipe on my Canadian tv show. The crew and I had been lucky enough to tour Big Rock Brewery which is in one of my favorite cities in the world, Calgary, Alberta. We got to spend time with the brew master, have a private beer tasting and take a tour of the brewery. The brew master also came to my studio and we filmed this recipe (and had further beer tastings). I used a traditional ale in the recipe but if a darker beer isn’t your gig then opt for a larger. After we’d finished filming this, we all sat around the studio with bowls of the steaming stew and glasses of chilled beer. Happy days.
I just came to the horrible realization I have almost no stews or braises on Fresh Hunger. There is this fabulous Tomato Fennel Seafood Stew if, like me, you’re a big seafood lover. I’ll definitely be adding more slow-simmer recipes over the coming months. A slow-cooked stew or braise, whether it’s simmering on the stovetop or cooking all day in the Crockpot, epitomizes cozy. For the weekends, I love to have a stew bubbling away making the house smell divine and dinner easy. Serve this with your favorite beer or a glass of a big red, such as an Aussie shiraz. Toodles, Lovoni xo
BEEF, BEER AND BARLEY STEW
Equipment
- pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 lbs beef chuck roast, cubed 900g
- Pinch of sea salt and pepper
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 3 x 12 floz/ 355ml cans dark beer or close to 1 liter/1 quart
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 lb skinny carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch 7.5cm lengths
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 cup pearl or pot barley I used pearl
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
- Crusty bread to serve, optional
Instructions
- Heat a little oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle with beef with salt and pepper. Brown the beef in 2 or 3 batches, taking care not to add too much at once to the pot or the beef won’t brown, for about 7 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add a little more oil between batches if necessary; remove browned beef from pot and set aside.
- Heat about 2 teaspoons of oil in the same pot. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until the onion is softened. Add the tomato paste and stir for 1 minute to cook the tomato paste (this is to help develop the flavor of the tomato paste and illuminate a raw taste).
- Add the beer. Bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes to cook the alcohol from the beer – this helps with the flavor.
- Return the beef to pot with the carrot, rosemary, barley, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to low (or medium low depending on your cooktop). Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours. It’s important to stir the stew regularly to prevent the barley sticking. Remove lid and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes or until the sauce is thickened and beef is tender. Add a splash more broth if you think the stew is too thick. Serve with warm, crusty bread, if desired.
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