Beer Braised Irish Stew and Colcannon

This is a yummy alternative to corned beef for St. Patty's Day and a wonderful anytime dish!

Ingredients

Irish Stew:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion

• 1 cup coarsely chopped carrot

• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle dark beer

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Colcannon:

• 3 slices bacon

• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

• 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage

• ¼ cup milk, warmed

• 2 tablespoons butter

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Directions

• Step 1

  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

• Step 2

  Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until very hot, and brown the meat in 2 batches, stirring to brown the cubes on all sides. Return all the meat to the Dutch oven, sprinkle with flour, and stir lightly to coat the meat with flour. Stir in onion, carrots, dark beer, bay leaves, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, and cover.

• Step 3

  Place the Dutch oven into the preheated oven, and cook for 45 minutes; uncover, stir the stew, and cook until the beef is very tender and the liquid is reduced by half, about 45 more minutes.

• Step 4

  Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Crumble the bacon and set aside.

• Step 5

  About 30 minutes before the stew is ready, make the colcannon: Place the potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for a minute or two.

• Step 6

  Place the cabbage into a microwave-safe bowl, and add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and microwave on High for about 2 1/2 minutes; uncover (watch out for steam) and stir the cabbage. Cover and microwave for about 2 1/2 more minutes, until the cabbage is slightly tender but not mushy. Drain excess liquid, and set the cabbage aside, covered.

• Step 7

  Place the potatoes into a large bowl, and add milk, butter, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Beat the potatoes with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Stir in the cabbage, crumbled bacon, and parsley until well combined.

• Step 8

  To serve, place a scoop of colcannon onto a plate, make a hollow, and fill with braised beef stew.

Boilermaker Tailgate Chili

This is the chili recipe for football games. I always prep and cook the chili the night before and then reheat the next day. This is a combination of many different tomato-based chili recipes. Good luck and enjoy.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef chuck

• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage

• 3 (15 ounce) cans chili beans, drained

• 1 (15 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce

• 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice

• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped

• 3 stalks celery, chopped

• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

• 2 peppers green chili peppers, seeded and chopped

• 1 tablespoon bacon bits

• 4 cubes beef bouillon

• ½ cup beer

• ¼ cup chili powder

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™)

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 teaspoon white sugar 

• 1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips such as Fritos®

• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

• Step 1

  Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.

• Step 2

  Pour in the chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, chili peppers, bacon bits, bouillon, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

• Step 3

  After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.

• Step 4

  To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips and shredded Cheddar cheese.

Quarantine Cooking: 5 Can Chili

The apocalypse is gonna be a gas with this simple 5 can chili. Raid your bunker for these ingredients. The recipe is so simple I’m not even going to list the instructions below. Just dump and heat to kill any … uh … pathogens.

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can prepared chili with beans

• 1 (14 ounce) can whole kernel corn

• 1 (10.75 ounce) can vegetable beef soup

• 1 (10.75 ounce) can tomato soup

• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers

Mushroom Lentil Barley Stew

This crock pot recipe is easy to assemble and needs no attention while it cooks. The flavors blend nicely to give it a wholesome earthy flavor that is unbelievably vegetarian. Serve with garlic bread.

Ingredients

• 2 quarts vegetable broth

• 2 cups sliced fresh button mushrooms

• 1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, torn into pieces

• 3/4 cup uncooked pearl barley

• 3/4 cup dry lentils

• 1/4 cup dried onion flakes

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 2 teaspoons dried summer savory

• 3 bay leaves

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

• salt to taste

Directions

1. In a slow cooker, mix the broth, button mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, barley, lentils, onion flakes, garlic, savory, bay leaves, basil, pepper, and salt.

2. Cover, and cook 4 to 6 hours on High or 10 to 12 hours on Low. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Rutabaga Stew

The rutabaga is a root vegetable that originated as a cross between the cabbage and the turnip. Rutabagas tend to be an underrated vegetable today. You just don’t see many recipes that utilize their amazing flavor. This soup is warm and earthy. Perfect for a cold day.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken, diced

• 4 rutabagas, peeled and diced

• 4 medium beets, peeled and diced

• 4 carrots, diced

• 3 stalks celery, diced

• 1 red onion, diced

• water, or to cover

Directions

1. Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir chicken in hot oil until completely browned, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Add rutabagas, beets, carrots, celery, and red onion to the pot. Pour enough water over the vegetable mixture to cover completely.

3. Reduce heat to low and cook at a simmer for at least 4 hours, adding water as needed to keep vegetable submerged.

Beef Barley Soup

Ingredients

• 1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast
• 1/2 cup barley
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
• 4 cups water
• 4 cubes beef bouillon cube
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (28 ounce) can chopped stewed tomatoes
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a slow cooker, cook chuck roast until very tender (usually 4 to 5 hours on High, but can vary with different slow cookers). Add barley and bay leaf during the last hour of cooking. Remove meat, and chop into bite-size pieces. Discard bay leaf. Set beef, broth, and barley aside.
2. Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Saute carrots, celery, onion, and frozen mixed vegetables until tender. Add water, beef bouillon cubes, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, chopped stewed tomatoes, and beef/barley mixture. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 to 20 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.