Irish Beef Stew with Guinness
Cèad mìle fàilte!* My love for Ireland was so strong that I even wanted to learn Gaelic. Looking back, I’ve realized that I’m a person who constantly needs to have a visceral passion for something that takes you to read, study, dream, and commit… during my University years my deepest passion was Ireland.
I used to listen to U2, the Corrs, and the Chieftains. I even listened to unknown Irish folk bands, as long as the music had that special verve that made you get up from the chair and start dancing! I used to read W. B. Yeats’ poems and many Irish writers such as Roddy Doyle, Nuala O’ Faolain, Joseph O’Connor, Frank McCourt, Cecilia Ahern… I still have a soft spot for Cecilia Ahern’s novels and right now I feel an urgency to read again Pete McCarthy’s McCarthy’s Bar. If you haven’t read it yet, go searching for it and be ready to laugh to tears!
* It means a hundred thousand welcomes, and this is the only expression I have ever learnt in Gaelic!
I dreamed of endless green meadows, shamrocks and Leprechauns. I wanted to see the Cliffs of Moher, the Aran Islands, Dublin and the Irish sky. In 2002 I could eventually live my dream, it was really like grabbing the only shamrock on a rugby field full of clovers!
Tomorrow is St. Patrick’ day, so I decided to celebrate my old passion for Ireland with my first stew. Talking about first times, this is the first time I used a pressure cooker and this is the first time I cooked something with beer… The result is so delicious I will definitely keep on experimenting, both with a pressure cooker and beer!
Irish Beef Stew with Guinness
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share by EmailIngredients
- 1 red onion
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2 heaping tbsp plain flour
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- a pinch Cayenne pepper
- 800 g diced beef
- 4 medium carrots
- 1 celery stalk
- 400 g potatoes
- 1 bay leave
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 1 thyme sprig
- 250 ml Guinness
- 500 ml light vegetable stock
Instructions
- Finely slice the onion. Saute the onion in the pressure cooker with some tablespoons of olive oil for about 5 minutes, adding a dash of water to prevent the onion from browning too fast.
- Meanwhile, rub the beef with the olive oil and mix the flour with a pinch of salt, some freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of Cayenne pepper. Flour the beef cubes and toss them to remove the excess of flour. Put the meat into the pressure cooker and add a drop of olive oil if needed. Brown all the sides of the beef cubes for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
- Pour into the pressure cooker 250 ml of Guinness and let it simmer and evaporate for about 5 minutes. Now add the sliced celery and carrots and the diced potatoes, 1 pinch of salt, the bay leave, the thyme and the rosemary. Pour into 500 ml of vegetable stock, stir and put the lid on the cooker and bring to pressure. Cook for 30 minutes from this moment, then remove from the heat and let it cool down.
- When it is done, remove the lid and check the meat. If necessary, bring to the boil to reduce the meat juice, but for me it's perfect! Serve with some fresh thyme and a few slices of bread to clean the pot!
Notes
Unfortunately we already have our St. Patty’s Day meal plans, but that doesn’t mean I won’t make this later on 🙂 It sounds delicious!!
It looks so delicious! I love to cook with beer.
Cheers,
Rosa
Beautiful post – narrative and visuals.
In Puerto Rico, a lot of people make arroz con pollo (rice + chicken) using beer as part of the liquid. You might like to try that.
The photos are amazing ! It looks so tasty !
Caed mile failte is about all the Gaelic I know too! Learned that one in a two-week backpacking trip around Ireland many moons ago. I love the sentiment. Boy that was a fun trip.
This is such a gorgeous stew, I could eat it all in one go.
Amazing photos. The stew looks like it would really hit the spot.
I visited Ireland when I was 17, was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I keep telling my hubby we have to go, so he can enjoy the amazing country. Someday definitely:) We love making Lamb Stew on St. Patrick’s Day, so delicious! This looks so wonderful, and the pictures are beautiful:)
Take care,
Terra
I’m surprised a Tuscan Girl isn’t celebrating Italy’s 150th birthday today! However, what a great way to celebrate St. Patrick – and with a pressure cooker, too!
Beautiful photos and recipe, too!
L
hip pressure cooking
making pressure cooking hip, one recipe at a time!
I have never been to Ireland but I would love to go one day as my husbands grandfather was from there. I recently did a pressure cooker class so I am really looking forward to trying this. I may try it with lamb too.
Great recipe and photos!
It’s so nice to meet fellow contributors (Honest cooking) through their blogs, I love yours 🙂
Love your website. Your photography is beautiful! And recipes look delicious. I look forward to sharing with you!
As an Irish living in Italy there sure was a lot to celebrate this past week… Irish stew and chocolate chip cookies… a few of my staples when all around me are excellent Italian cooks.
I have never yet tried to do the stew with the Guinness, it costs so much here, I prefer to use wine.
Brava Giulia for the good idea , will try next time.
Looks and sounds great. You have inspired me to make a stew today. Both my husband and I have Irish blood. We love ireland, but prefer italian food at home…so I have added garlic to the onions, and now i am thinking why not mushrooms? Love their earthy flavour. Ireland has great earth, seems logical. Not sure if the stew is still Irish. I will not skimp on the guiness :-). Wish me luck!
Good luck! Ireland and Italy mixed together into the same recipe sounds like my ideal life!
Giulia, it was delicious! We all had seconds. I will make this one again. Even my pickey 9 year old loved it. I have never rubbed oil on the stewing meat before dredging it in the flour…the meat was so tender, cooked to perfection. Many thanks.
I don’t drink; therefore, I don’t know anything about beer. However my younger brother loves Guinness beer. I thought, why not try this and see how he likes it. Needless to say he loved it as well as the rest of the family. Thanks so much for posting this. . . it has become a family favorite that we will make all winter long.
Brittney, it’s such a pleasure to read your message! I do prefer cooking with Guinness too, even though it’s not bad at all! Happy to share some family life with you with my recipe!
Very lovely recipe, my husband and I enjoyed every drop.
This looks amazing! I love to drink Guinness, and I’ve made Guinness/chocolate cupcakes…
Is there a way to do this in a crock pot?!
Looks amazing! I may have missed it, so I apologize if so, what if no pressure cooker?
Hi Stacey, you can cook this beef stew also in a cast iron pot: follow the recipe till the point when you add the broth, then let it simmer gently for at least 2 hours adding extra broth if necessary.
Made this last night for dinner. Have been looking for more pressured cooker recipes to add to my repertoire. It was outstanding. Soft meat, creamy potatoes! The only thing I did differently is add some garlic. Will make again this winter.
Great recipe and photos! I am also a chef and I appreciate your recipe!
Hello – can you do this in a crock pot and if yes, what/how would you do so ??? I am NOT a talented cook as you are, so asking for help. I do not have a pressure cooker and with state affairs can’t find one to buy… Any tips greatly welcomed… thank you
Hello Katherine, I have never tried to cook this in a crock pot, I’m sorry. But I tried this recipe in a normal pot, it cooks in about 2 hours, on the lowest flame. Check it often!
Giulia – Thank you for taking time to reply… Super helpful as I can do that !!! 😉
My pleasure! Let me know how it will turn out! And stay safe!