Irish Cooking from Cooking Light's Global Kitchen

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This is what happened when I handed my husband a copy of Dave Joachim's new cookbook, Global Kitchen. I asked him to pick a couple things that looked good to him. One of his selections was Beef and Guinness stew. Is it global? Technically, yes. In my house? No; it's a winter staple. However, this is what happens when you marry an apostrophe. And this is what happens when it's a Sunday in March and you're expecting (but gratefully don't get) more snow. (Side note: The other dish he picked was like a Filipino risotto, and I am angling to make shrimp fried rice. Stay tuned.) It's all good. A quick word about the book itself. It's a compendium of all the world's best and signature dishes and foods, rendered with creative twists and licenses taken, with an eye toward ingredients you can easily purchase at any supermarket. That's how full circle we've come these days. And it's a Cooking Light title, so you know it's going to offer a healthy balance for mind, body and spirit.

Without further ado, I'm reprinting the recipe here with permission, along with something you can make while the stew is, well, stewing: Brown Soda Bread. This dish is hearty, as you would expect, but also has a depth of flavor that the previous stew recipe I made did not.

Beef & Guinness Stew

Ingredients

• 3 T. canola oil, divided
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tsp. salt, divided
• 5 cups chopped onions (from about 3 onions)
• 1 T. tomato paste
• 4 cups fat free, lower-sodium beef broth
• 1 12-ounce bottle of Guinness Stout
• 1 T. raisins
• 1 tsp. caraway seeds
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups (1/2 inch thick) diagonal slices carrot (about 8 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups (1/2 inch thick) diagonal slices parsnip (about 8 ounces)
• 1 cup (1/2 inch) cubed peeled turnip (about 8 ounces)
• 2 T. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add  1 1/2 T. of oil to pan, swirl to coat. Place flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 tsp. salt; dredge beef in flour. Add half of beef to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove beef from pan with slotted spoon, and repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 T. oil and beef.
2. Add onion to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato paste; cook one minute, stirring frequently. Stir in broth and beer, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return meat to pan. Stir in remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, raisins, caraway seeds, and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer one hour, stirring occasionally. Uncover and bring to a boil. Cook 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrot, parsnip and turnip. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and bring to a boil; cook 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with parsley.

The Numbers: Serves 8; Hands-on time: 33 minutes; Total time: 3 hours, 3 minutes.

Beef & Guinness Stew. Photo by Iain Bagwell

During the hands-off part of the process, get your ingredients ready for Brown Soda Bread; this recipe comes to the book from Margaret M. Johnson, author of Flavors of Ireland.

Brown Soda Bread

• Cooking spray
• 11.25 ounces whole wheat flour (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 2.25 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup steel cut oats
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 1 T. wheat germ
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups low-fat buttermilk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line pan with parchment and coat that with cooking spray.
3. Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and next 6 ingredients (through salt). Combine buttermilk and egg; add to flour mixture. Stir until just combined.
4. Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 325 for about an hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Invert bread onto a wire rack; cool completely. Remove parchment; slice bread into 12 pieces. Serves 12.

Brown soda bread--my photo

Notes about the bread:

• I did not have buttermilk but made my own easily by adding a tsp. of apple cider vinegar; lemon juice also works well here, too.
• While I was at it with the wheat germ, I added 2 T. of ground flax just because it is right next to my wheat germ in the refrigerator and it seemed like a good idea.
• If you have a convection oven like I do, you know to drop the temp by 25 degrees and check it at least 5 minutes before any recipe says so. This one baked in my oven in a little under an hour.