:D

Towards the lead up to winter I was excited about cooking hearty meals to suit the cold weather. Now was the time to buy a slow cooker.

Personally I detest cooking meat in my apartment, so much so I tend to favour vegetarian dishes (yep).

Stews, soups, curries, desserts and so much more, the possibilities of what you can cook in these things is huge. Preparation is so easy as well, just prepare the ingredients, throw into the dish, set it to low heat and come back 6-8 hours later (or overnight) and you have a delicious meal waiting for you.

Slow cookers are cheap, averaging around $80 or so, so I picked one up this weekend.

The first thing i'm trying is a Beef Stout Stew with good old Guinness.

I searched for quite some time looking for recipes that looked appealing but had a hard time finding the perfect one. Yes, this is the first time i've ever made a stew but had a feeling of what I wanted in it.

In the end I took notes from several recipes and combined them into my own custom creation.

After 6 hours it was time to see if it was cooked, it was perfect. The meat was just about to fall apart, the potatoes and carrots soft but still holding their shape. The sauce that was formed was delicious as well. Why I haven't made a stew before I don't know, I think i'm going to enjoy cooking a lot more with this thing.

I'm really pleased with this stew, adding more spices and vegetables is definitely high on the list for next time, probably a few less potatoes as well. However as the recipe stands its already great. These stews will be a weekly dish for sure for some time to come.

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Beef Stout Stew

Ingredients:

• 1kg Lean cubed Beef (chuck or blade)
• 15g Plain Flour
• 300g chopped Onion (2)
• 250g chopped Carrot (2)
• 500g halved small Potatoes (10)
• 3 cloves Garlic (crushed)
• 30g Tomato Paste
• 440ml Irish Stout Beer (1 can Guinness)
• 1 Bay Leaf
• Salt & Black Pepper
• Cayenne Pepper
• Vegetable Oil
• Thyme

Equipment:

• Slow Cooker

Directions:

1. Place the beef in a plastic bag (if not already) and toss well with 1 tablespoon oil.
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, dash of salt, teaspoon pepper and cayenne pepper.
3. Add mixture to plastic bag, tossing the meat again well, set aside.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in pan over a high heat, adding onion and garlic, stir until slightly golden brown.
5. Add meat to pan and stir frequently until brown on all sides.
6. Stir 3 tablespoons water into tomato paste and mix, adding to pan. Add a sprig of thyme (or a teaspoon dried).
7. Turn off heat and pour in entire can of beer, stirring well.
8. Add carrots, potatoes and bay leaf into bottom of slow cooker.
9. Slowly pour the meat, onion and beer mixture into slow cooker making sure it covers the vegetables evenly and not stacked in the middle of the slow cooker.
10. Add a little cracked pepper and salt on top and place lid on.
11. Set slow cooker to low heat and let sit for 6 hours.