Monday 25 February 2013

Beef braised in Guinness with whole wheat Pasta...


Apologies... I have been down with a bad flu. I don't think I have ever slept so much!  I am feeling a bit better today. A big thank you to my new 'joiners', very pleased you are here - so, on with the show...

Now, if the Guinness (or any dark beer) bit, is putting you off...  please try it, it really adds a depth of 'velvet' which goes so well with this. The next bit is the cut of meat : I always use the 'Hampe' in French or skirt steak (a long and flat piece of beef with long fibres of meat and a slight marbling of fat, that has great texture and taste).

For 4 :
700 g (1.5 lbs) skirt steak (or beef cut of choice - ground beef if you are in a hurry!)
330 ml (12 fl oz) can of Guinness
40 g (3 tablespoons) tomato purée
4 shallots (or 2 red onions)
2 finely grated carrots
1 litre (4 cups) of stock


Cut the long strip of meat into manageable sections (15 cm / 6 inches).   Then, for each one of these, you want to cut across (as in, across the grain) quite thinly - the meat will then be in strips, but will fall apart once cooked (see below). Chop the shallots.
In to a big pot, put some olive oil and brown the meat on a high heat; once just coloured, add in the shallots or onions and stir for a further four minutes reducing the heat, put in the tomato purée and cook for a minute; pour in the Guinness and cook for five minutes. Add in the carrots and stock, bring back to the boil and simmer for  around an hour and forty-five minutes (depending on the thickness of the cut beef, but the strips should be falling apart! - topping up with water if it gets too low)

Adding the Pasta should be done just before serving, as the beef can be cooked ahead of time.

I used a whole wheat pasta (Pennette Rigate) that I put straight into the same pot (enough for four) and let it take the juices of the meat (rather than precooking in water) - by cooking it this way, you will need to cook it a tiny bit longer as the juices are thicker so they take longer to rehydrate the pasta. I actually cooked as indicated on the packet, but let it stand for about six minutes off the heat with lid firmly on - if not about two or three minutes more (making sure the is enough liquid, add boiling water if it is drying out too quickly. Test before serving!)



30 comments:

  1. I tried add Guinness to a dark chocolate cake and didn't like that, sounds much better with the meat and pasta. Hope your feeling better soon.

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    Replies
    1. Hello Jill,
      Thank you, I am getting there! Guinness cake sounds different - might have to try that out of curiosity!!
      Ivan

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  2. Welcome back, Ivan! Glad you are feeling better. Thanks for sharing this yummy and hearty recipe with us. Tom and I are using more whole wheat pasta / products these days....including whole wheat pizza dough. And, thank you, again, for all the restaurant info :)
    Loi

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    Replies
    1. Hello Loi,
      Thank you, I also make whole wheat pizza, I think it actually tastes better! Happy the restaurant info was of use, have a wonderful trip.
      Ivan

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  3. Hi Ivan! Glad to see you are on the mend! I think Terry would love this ~ being of Irish extraction! And I bet dark stock won't matter! LOL!

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    Replies
    1. Hello Louise,
      Thank you, dark stock would be perfect!! Still mending, but happy. Hope your snow is melting!
      Ivan

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  4. Oh Ivan....it seems everyone has been sick! Glad you are back! This looks so good....I have been needing some new dinner recipes, as dinner has become a bit mundane.

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    Replies
    1. Hello,
      Thank you, very happy you like this. There is a lot of flu about here and it's lasting longer than normal! Hope you are doing good?
      Ivan

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  5. Yum! Looks very good Ivan. Welcome back by the way....glad you feeling a little better.
    A question....do you think brown rice pasta would work? Good idea about not pre-cooking the pasta. I would think that way one would have more control of it not getting overcooked and mushy.

    Can't wait ti try this.
    Jim

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    Replies
    1. Hello Jim,
      Thanks, yes, brown rice pasta would be wonderful. Even pulses could be use for something different, I have made it with split peas, cooked in the stock. Happy cooking!
      Ivan

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  6. Glad you're feeling better. The pasta looks great!!! :)

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  7. I'm glad to hear you're feeling a bit better; I hope you're a lot better soon.
    I think I'll just skip straight to the Guinness.

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    Replies
    1. Hello Terry,
      Thank you, getting there! Guinness is always good for medicinal needs...
      Hope the snow is melting!
      Ivan

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  8. Sounds good -- filling comfort food. Glad you're doing better, it's been a hard winter for many.

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    Replies
    1. Hello Emm,
      Thank you, it really was happy comfort food! Hope you are well.
      Ivan

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  9. Hi, glad you are feeling better, I just wondered if you had any recipes for horse meat,as it is very popular over here at the moment, well everyone seems to be eating it anyway, it won't be of much use to me being a veggie, but I was really put out to find that there were turnips in my carrot cake yesterday!! :-) loveonya px

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    Replies
    1. Hi Bro,
      Thanks, getting there (ish!!) I still prefer riding horses to cooking them (as you know!) there is as much being discovered over here also, very sad. Don't imagine you reading any of this news makes you want to join the carnivorous world any time soon... Hope you all doing OK.
      Iv x

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  10. Glad to hear you are feeling better - flu has been on the rampage here too.
    I wish I could dip a spoon into that pot of deliciousness right now, it looks so good. I have never thought of cooking pasta in with a one pot dish ... great idea. I have started putting a little square of very dark choc in with my braised beef or chilli - it really adds a deeper richness to the flavour.

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    Replies
    1. Hello Marina,
      Thank you so much, yes, there seems to be an awful lot about (hope your family have dodged it!). The chocolate idea sounds wonderful - I used to add some to a Mexican dish (but haven't made it it years!), I will have to try it next time. I bet it would make this dish taste richer/better too!
      Ivan

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  11. Hello Eure,

    This dish looks delicious..... Hearty and rich, and ideal for this still cold and damp weather! Enjoyed your previous posts on Paris.

    Have a nice day.

    Sophia

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    Replies
    1. Hello Sophia,

      Thank you for your kind words, happy you enjoyed the posts.

      Ivan

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  12. This sounds good, I've got to try it sometime.

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    Replies
    1. Hello Paula,
      Thank you, hope you enjoy it!
      All the best,
      Ivan

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  13. i am a big pasta lover. this makes
    me hungry already.

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    Replies
    1. Hello Coco,
      Thank you, I hope you get to make it to try!
      Best wishes,
      Ivan

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  14. This looks delicious and like it would stick to your ribs! I'll definitely be making this, I'm sure my husband would love it!
    Hope you're feeling better. The flu got me too and at this point, I'm sick of being sick :)

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    Replies
    1. Hello Sara Louise,
      I hope you are doing better, I am getting there, but this flu is never ending and we know so many people with it. Hope you enjoy this dish, it is really happy food!
      All the best,
      Ivan

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  15. Hello there Ivan! Sorry to hear you've been ill. This looks wonderful. Tonight for dinner we ate beef and Guinness stew. The recipe is similar to yours but with a can of chopped tomatoes and some celery in too. We ate ours with baked potatoes. I never thought to serve it with pasta but I will try, and I love the way you suggest cooking the pasta in the meat juices.

    Gillian x

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    Replies
    1. Hello Gillian,
      Still mending from the never-ending flu but a lot better! It's a good combination I love, classic for us Brits but my French friends are always surprised when I tell them why it is so beautifully dark! Have a good weekend!
      Ivan x

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