Hearty, biscuit covered casserole for chilly nights.
Active Time
40m
Inactive Time
3h 20m
Total
4h 30m
Ingredients
Stew:
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large red onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 rib celery, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
3 lbs 2nd cut brisket or chuck, cut into bite sized pieces
salt & pepper
1/3 cup flour
1 sprig rosemary, stemmed and chopped
4 cups (2 cans) Guinness or other stout
8oz cheddar, grated
Pastry:
1.5 cups flour
2.25 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 stick very cold butter, diced
ice water
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten (optional)
Directions
In Dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp butter over medium-low heat. Saute onions for 8 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Remove from pot.
In a bowl or a paper bag, lightly coat the chopped meat with the 1/3 cup flour, and salt and pepper to taste.
Add olive oil to pot, and set heat to medium. In batches, sear meat on all sides until browned. Remove from pot.
Heat oven to 375
Turn heat to low. Add remaining 2 tbsp of butter, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms are brown and shrunk, about 15 minutes. While this is happening, gently scrape the bottom of the pot to get the fond off the bottom. Most of it should be loose by the end of this.
Add rosemary to pot, saute 1 minute.
Add the beef. Pour one can of Guinness into the pot. The beef should be mostly but not completely covered. If it isn't, pour some beer from second can into pot.
Bake for 90 minutes. Stir, and bake for another 45 minutes. Stir in half of the cheese.
Make the pastry. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Using the food processor, mix the butter in until the mixture has the texture of a coarse meal.
Add ice water to food processor a splash at a time, then mix again. Repeat until a firm dough forms. Form dough into a tight ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
When ready to put dough on stew, give stew a final stir. Roll out dough to thickness of a mouse pad. Carefully drape over the stew. Trim as appropriate, and cut small slashes in center with a knife.