1 lb / 500 gr stewing beef, cut into 2/3 in / 1.75cm cubes
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/3 in / 0.8 cm slices
3 carrots, cut into 1/5 in / 5 cm thick slices (halve larger ones)
4 tablespoons flour
2 ½ cups beef broth, low sodium
1 ½ cups dry red wine or Guinness beer
1 ½ cups water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme, dried
1 cup frozen peas
2 potatoes, cut into 2/3 in / 1.5 cm cubes
Buttery mushrooms, optional:
1 tablespoon (0.5 oz / 15gr) butter or oil
6 oz / 200 gr small mushrooms, quartered or halved
Instructions
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over high heat. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brown aggressively in 2 or 3 batches, adding more oil if needed. Remove the browned beef into a bowl.
If pot looks dry, add a touch more oil. Add garlic and onion and cook for 2 min. Add the carrot and celery and cook for another 2 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Then stir in flour, then slowly pour in the beef broth while constantly stirring.
Add beer, water, tomato paste, bay leaves and thyme, stir well. Then add the beef back in. Cover and adjust the heat to medium low so it’s bubbling gently. Simmer 1 hr 15 min or until the beef is pretty tender.
Add potatoes and peas, simmer for a further 20 minutes without the lid. Then addcooked mushrooms and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
The soup is ready when the potatoes are cooked and beef is very tender. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with parsley and serve with crusty bread if desired
Buttery mushrooms, optional:
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until browned. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
