The strange things we cook!

Steve found this recipe in a Sam's Club catalog, of all places. He called and said that he wanted to make it and I admit that I was less than enthusiastic. Turns out, it was fabulous.

Chocolate Beef Stout Stew
Serves 4

3 TBS vegetable oil
2 ½ pounds beef bottom round roast cut into 1” pieces (or equivalent amount of stew meat)
5 medium onions peeled and cut into quarters
1 carrot (we used 2, could use more if you want)
1 quart beef stock
3 bottles Guinness® stout
6 TBS tomato paste (we just used the whole can, small size)
3 sprigs fresh thyme (1 tsp dried)
1 bay leaf
½ pound mushrooms, quartered
½ lb unsalted butter (Use only 1 stick. I can’t figure out where they thought all this butter was going)
½ cup flour
Salt and pepper
Chopped fresh parsley
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Heat 3 TBS oil in large sauté pan over high heat. When oil is hot, add beef, 3 onions, and carrot. Sauté until well browned; remove from pan, drain off fat.

Add meat and sautéed vegetables to a 1 gallon roasting pan or Dutch oven. Add stock, stout, tomato paste, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil on top of the stove.

Cover and transfer to preheated oven. Cook 1 ½ hours or until meat is tender.

In a separate roasting pan (or pie plate) season the remaining onions with salt and pepper and dot with 1 TBS butter. Roast onions for 45 minutes.

Remove stew from oven and use a slotted spoon to remove beef to bowl. Then strain the liquid into a container and discard the vegetables and herbs (We did not throw away the vegetable. We added them back in with the meat).

Over a medium high heat in a roasting pan (we used the same one we had just taken the meat out of), melt ¼ cup of butter and whisk in flour to make a roux. Whisk in a quart of the reserved liquid in and simmer 3 – 4 minutes to thicken. Add the meat (and reserved vegetables) and stir in chocolate until melted.

In a sauce pan, sauté mushrooms in 1 TBS butter and add to stew with parsley.

Serve over garlic mashed potatoes and garnish with roasted onions.