I've never been a fan of stout beer but when doing some reading to find a dish to cook for dinner with friends I came across some stout stew and pie ideas. I love the flavours that wine brings to any dish so I thought I should definitely give stout a chance. The results were amazing. The beef filling and gravy were rich and flavourful and I think the addition of maple syrup really helped to offset the traditional bitterness that may otherwise come from stout.
I used my InstantPot again for this recipe. It really is the best way to get super tender, flavourful meat when you are otherwise short on time.
Time: 4 Hours
Serves: 8 People
Difficulty: Moderate
Ingredients
1.2kg Stewing Beef
2 Cups Flour
2 Tsp Salt
2 Tsp Pepper
2 Tsp Onion Powder
2 Tsp Dried Mixed Herbs
1 Medium Onion
3 Medium Carrots
1 Stick of Celery
4 Cloves Garlic
5 Sprigs Rosemary
6 Sprigs Thyme
2 Bay Leaves
1 Star Anise
250g Mushroom
6 Tbsp Tomato Paste
425ml Stout Beer
3 Cups Beef Stock
2 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 Cup Maple Syrup
400g Puff Pastry
1 Whole Egg
2 Tbsp Cornstarch (Optional)
Method
Mix the flour, salt, pepper, onion powder and dried herbs in a large bowl and add the pieces of beef and toss together so that they are well coated on all sides.
Turn the InstantPot Saute function to High, add cooking oil and brown the meat in batches.
Dice your onions, carrots and celery while the meat is browning. When the meat is done turn the saute function to medium and add the onion, carrot and celery along with the crushed garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes before adding the star anise, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme and fry until fragrant.
Chop the mushrooms and add to the InstantPot. Fry for 2 minutes before adding the tomato paste and frying for a further 2 minutes.
Deglaze the pot with Stout before adding the beef stock, maple syrup and Worcestershire sauce and returning the browned beef to the pot.
Close the lid of the pot and cook on Manual, High Pressure for 30 minutes. Once the time is done allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes before venting the pot.
Remove the meat from the pot and shred it into pieces before adding to a large casserole dish with the vegetables and most of the sauce from the pot
Roll out the puff pastry and lay it on the casserole dish and decorate the top if you would like, brush it with egg wash and bake in a 200 C oven for 40 minutes
Add the remaining sauce to a small pot and simmer until thickened into gravy, you may add a slurry (2 Tbsp cornflour + 1 Cup Water) to the pot to help thicken it up.
Happy Cooking!
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