Beef and Ale Stew

Bring beef cubes to room temperature. Sprinkle flour over cubes and stir until completely covered. Season well with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add dredged beef cubes and cook until browned on all sides. Remove browned beef and set aside. Turn heat down to medium. If necessary, add a little more olive oil and saute garlic, onion, carrots, mushrooms until caramelized and tender. Increase heat to medium high and pour in chicken stock, deglazing pan to get browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Remove pan from heat and carefully stir in ale. It will bubble and foam, so keep stirring. Once foam subsides a bit, add back the browned beef and any accumulated juices from the plate. Stir well. Stir in hoisin sauce. Taste sauce for seasonings—you may want to add a bit more hoisin sauce depending on your taste. Add bay leaf.

Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for one hour until beef is tender. Add potato chunks and frozen peas. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until potato chunks are tender but not mushy.

Remove bay leaf before serving.

We love it served with Cornmeal Yeast Rolls.

Note: if you prefer to not cook with alcohol, increase chicken stock or use vegetable stock. Be careful with seasoning with salt and pepper, as stock can be salty.