Recipe: Beef and Guinness stew

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Comfort food is all about soothing, familiar tastes and smells as well as the memories that accompany them.

Serves 6-8

1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
1.5kg beef blade or chuck steak, cut into 3-4cm pieces
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
50g sachet tomato paste
1 tbs plain flour
1 cup (250ml) red wine
440ml can Guinness
3 cups (750ml) beef stock
1 dried bay leaf
200g bacon, cut into strips
12 (300g) small shallots, peeled
150g button mushrooms
1.5kg equal-sized desiree or king edward potatoes, peeled, halved
100g butter, chopped
1 cup (250ml) pouring cream or milk
Chopped flat-leaf parsley and steamed green beans, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 160˚C. Heat 1 tbs oil in a casserole dish over high heat, then cook beef, in 2 batches, turning until browned. Remove and set aside. Add 1 tbs oil to dish and cook celery, carrots and onion for 8 minutes. Stir in paste then flour. Cook for 1 minute. Add wine and Guinness then simmer until reduced by 1/2. Add stock and simmer until reduced by 1/2. Return beef to pan with bay leaf and bring to a simmer.
2. Cover dish with a lid. Transfer to oven and cook for 2 hours or until meat is tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove meat and keep warm. Heat remaining oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add bacon and shallots and cook, stirring, for 8 minutes or until shallots are softened. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until soft. Add bacon mixture to cooking liquid and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes or until thickened. Return beef to dish and reheat. 
3. Meanwhile, steam potatoes, in a steamer over a pan of simmering water for 25 minutes or until tender. Drain water from pan. Add butter and cream and heat until boiling. Add potatoes and, using electric beaters (or a potato masher or ricer), beat until smooth. Serve stew, scattered with parsley on potatoes, with beans.

Meat for stews: Lean, prime cuts of meat are unsuitable for stewing as they dry out. Instead, choose cheaper, secondary cuts, which contain connective tissues that are broken down during slow-cooking, resulting in a meltingly soft texture. 

Recipes & food preparation: Sophia Young. Photography: Ben Dearnley. Styling: Michaela le Compte.