Beef Shin and Carrot Stew

beef and carrot shin stew
Servings:
6

Our hearty Beef Shin and Carrot Stew has some Irish roots—it gets its depth of flavor from stout, and is a perfect dish to serve to warm up a March afternoon when the passing season's chill lingers.

Ingredients

  • 6 beef shins (10 to 12 ounces each)

  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

  • All-purpose flour, for dredging

  • 3 sprigs fresh parsley

  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme

  • 7 whole allspice

  • 10 whole black peppercorns

  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 4 leeks, white and pale-green parts only, coarsely chopped and rinsed well

  • 3 celery stalks, cut into ½-inch cubes

  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 1 can (14.9 ounces) stout, such as Guinness

  • 1 ½ cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought beef stock

  • 1 strip (2 inches long) orange zest

  • 1 ½ pounds small boiling potatoes, peeled, if desired

  • 1 pound Thumbelina carrots, scrubbed (or other carrots, peeled and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces)

  • Coarsely chopped fresh curly-leaf parsley, for garnish

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously season beef with salt and pepper. Dredge beef in flour; shake off excess.

  2. Wrap parsley, thyme, allspice, and peppercorns in cheesecloth, and tie with kitchen twine to form a bouquet garni.

  3. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven or large ovenproof saucepan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown beef, 3 to 4 minutes per side, adding more oil (up to 2 tablespoons) as needed. Transfer beef to a bowl.

  4. Add 1 tablespoon oil to fat in pot. Stir in leeks, celery, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add stout; cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot.

  5. Return beef to pot. Add stock, bouquet garni, zest, and enough water to cover. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover pot; transfer to oven. Braise beef 2 hours.

  6. Add potatoes and carrots. Cover pot; braise 1 hour more. Discard the bouquet garni. Garnish stew with parsley.

Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, March 2005

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