Irish Beef and Guinness Stew

In honor of St. Patricks day, here is a delicious Irish stew recipe!  We had it for dinner last night, and it was a great way to celebrate the holiday.  The Guinness beer really adds a great flavor - it turned out even better than I expected!

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs beef roast meat, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 12oz bottle of Guinness beer
4 cups of fat free beef broth
1-1.5 cups of peeled and chopped turnip
4 large peeled and chopped carrots
2 onions, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbs parsley flakes (I used dried, but fresh is probably better if you have it)
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbs butter, divided
3 Tbs canola oil, divided

DIRECTIONS:

1. Begin by combining beef broth and beer in a large soup pot.  Begin to heat it over medium-low heat.

2. Next melt 1 Tbs butter and heat 1 Tbs canola oil in a large skillet.  Dredge half the meat in flour and cook in skillet until well browned.  Repeat with the rest of the meat.  Once all the meat is cooked, add it to the broth and beer.

3. Heat the last 1 Tbs canola oil in the skillet and cook the onions over medium heat until they begin to look transparent.  Then add them to the soup pot.

4. Add the vegetables, salt, pepper and parsley to the soup pot.

5. Bring soup to a boil, stirring frequently.  Then cover and simmer for about an hour. Enjoy!!

NOTE: I was lazy and did not make the bread bowl in the picture from scratch.  But if you are interested in how to make the lazy man's bread bowl, here's what you do:

• Buy a little loaf of bread at the store
• Cut off the top
• Scoop out most of the bread inside, leaving about an inch to 1.5 inches of bread on the edges
• Brush olive oil onto the inside of the bowl
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes
• That is all! :)