Serves four:
- 1 lb. lamb stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes. You could substitute beef stew meat
- 1cup all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups of onions, sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 cup Irish stout. You could substitute dark beer or omit
- 2 tbsp. balsamic or red vinegar
- 2 ½ cups of beef or chicken broth, low sodium
- Salt, pepper and Worcestershire to taste
Coat the meat with the flour and in small batches. Sift off extra flour.
Heat a wide, heavy bottom stew pot on medium-high heat and add half of the vegetable oil. Add only half of the meat and brown well. Repeat with the remaining meat.
In the same pan, add the onions and cook for about five minutes, until softened and a light golden brown.
Add the tomato paste, stirring in well to coat the onions and cook for about one minute until a rusty reddish brown color.
Add the stout or beer to the pan, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of pan.
Boil until the stout is reduced by half. Return the browned meat to the pan. Add the vinegar and beef broth. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer gently for 1-½ hours, or until tender.
Remove cover, season sauce to taste with salt, pepper and Worcestershire.
Serve with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
