How can you go wrong with a title like that!! For our February SI-DAF Board meeting, Pauline promised us chili (but what we got was better than expected) and then we ate most of her beautiful table decoration – a vase full of Cadbury’s mini-eggs:
Ingredients:
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs butter
2 lb stewing or braising beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
½ a red onion, chopped small (if you like onion then you can add more)
1 stick celery, sliced
2 or 3 carrots, sliced
2 or 3 slices bacon, chopped
1 Tbs flour
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs tomato puree
2 c beef stock (I use 3 sachets of oxo powder)
275 mL Guinness (not quite 1 can so you can enjoy the rest while cooking the beef)
¼ tsp herbs d’Provence
The method to Pauline’s goodness:
Heat oil and butter and fry beef until browned on all sides for 5 or 6 minutes. Fry in batches if necessary. Transfer beef to crock pot keeping any liquid in the frying pan.
Add the onion, carrots and celery to pan with juices and cook for about 5 minutes, then add the chopped bacon and cook for a further 3 or 4 minutes, stirring. Then sprinkle in the flour and sugar and mix until incorporated. Then over a medium to low heat gradually add the tomato paste, stock and Guiness and bring to the boil. Lastly add the herbs and salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer the whole mixture to the crockpot pouring over the beef, mix everything up and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until the beef is tender. If you need to add more liquid at any time during cooking then use the remainder of the Guiness or add more beef stock. Although I usually find there is sufficient liquid.
Pauline’s corollary: This recipe can be cooked in the oven by using a casserole dish with a lid in exactly the same way as above – oven needs to be at 160C or 325F and cook for approximately 2½ to 3 hours. Ideally, it should be served with lots of creamy mashed potato but it’s also good with rice (I prefer basmati rice), or big chunks of buttered French Bread. Will feed 4 people.
