Nothing says comfort food quite like a hearty Irish stew. This one is nice and classic: beef, carrots, onions, potatoes and a can of Irish stout (Guinness is the obvious choice, but maybe try a local one). It’s also an excellent vehicle for our Winter Stewing Blend, which gives this stew a nice, deep base flavour of herbs, garlic and pepper.
To go with it, Cheddar Nigella Beer Bread takes advantage of the perfect pairing for nigella seeds: cheddar cheese. There’s something about the toasted onion flavour of nigella that works perfectly with the sharpness of old cheddar. Use Irish Cheddar if you can find it.
Ingredients for Stew:
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 kg stewing beef
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 onion, diced medium
5 stalks celery, chopped bite size
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped bite size
6 largish baby potatoes, chopped bite size
2 Tbsp Silk Road Winter Stewing Blend
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds
6 cups beef stock
1 can of Irish stout (440 ml or 500 ml can will work fine)
kosher salt and pepper to taste
1½ cups frozen peas
Instructions for Stew:
Ingredients for Beer Bread:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp granulated sugar (optional)
2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp whole nigella seeds
1 cup grated old cheddar cheese
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 can of Irish stout (440 ml or 2 scant cups)
Instructions for Beer Bread:
What size is the 1 bottle or can of Irish stout? There are a few different sizes, 11.2 oz/ 330 ml seems to be the popular in Ireland, 12 oz/355 ml seems to be the standard here. and a can of Guinness is 440 ml in our liquor stores. Not sure it will make much difference in the stew but the bread may be another story.
Very nice recipe. Full of great flavour, and will make again. I recommend slightly reducing the quantity of beef to approx 800g.
Didn’t care for the bread…so I wouldn’t recommend that.
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Longtime fan. If you’re looking to hire warehouse or anything at all. I will forward my resume.
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The Silk Road
March 16, 2021
Hi John – Thanks for noticing this. We’ve updated the recipes to be more precise about the volumes of stout to add.