It has been years since I’ve played a game that consumed all my waking thoughts like Baldur’s Gate 3 has. As of this writing, Jeff and I are currently wrapping up Act 2 (as always, I will spoil absolutely nothing). The story has both of us hooked and I am in love with all of the characters of the main party for their own reasons. For this current run, we have been focusing on the personal stories of Astarion and Shadowheart. Shadowheart was pretty low on my interest list but as we’ve gotten to see more of her, I’ve slowly warmed up to her a bit. Astarion, on the other hand, I was all in on from the moment he was introduced and have been really enjoying his character’s development as we’ve gotten deeper into the story. Even as we push onward, I already want to make several other campaigns to just pursue the companions’ romance stories. But if I do that, I’ll end up having like 5 different games at once. First goal is making it through the game then that madness can begin. Karlach, I promise, you are next.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is basically the only game I’ve been spending my free time with and I felt like I needed to get another recipe out to show my appreciation for it. Last week, we made a pretty easy recipe and a great way to start your day. Today, we are covering a great way to wrap up a long day of combat as you and your companions share a moment of rest around the campfire. The stout stew is an item that ended up in my pocket and I love the description for this item so much, “Food should not fit so snugly or warmly in the gut – it’s like a brothy hug!” Honestly, this is the perfect description of a stew I’ve ever read. A stew might seem like a lot of work, but honestly the pot puts in most of the effort. You just need to set it and forget it for a bit. It is the dish I highly recommend for beginner cooks to put together.
⅓ cup flour
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp dried thyme
3 lb beef chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes
canola oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
3 parsnips, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
⅓ cup dark brown sugar
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
3 ½ cups stout beer
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
3 bay leaves
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp water
Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and thyme in a medium bowl. Add the beef chuck and toss until well coated. Heat a large dutch oven medium heat and add one tablespoon of canola oil. Add a single layer of the beef, do not overcrowd the dutch oven. Brown all sides of the meat. Remove and transfer to a plate. Add additional canola oil if needed and continue this process until all the beef has been browned.
Add another tablespoon of canola oil to the dutch oven. Put in the onions and cook until softened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and another 2 minutes. Mix in the brown sugar and tomato paste until well combined with the onions.
Toss in the carrots and parsnips and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the beef back to the dutch oven and stir together. Mix in the beef broth, stout, and worcestershire sauce. Stir until the tomato paste has incorporated with the rest of the liquid. Add bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover with a lid, and simmer for two hours.
Add the potatoes, cover, and cook for another 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Remove the bay leaves from the dutch oven and add the cornstarch slurry. Mix until the sauce begins to thicken. Can be served as is or on top of a portion of cooked egg noodles.
Stout Stew
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup flour
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 3 lb beef chuck cut into 1 inch cubes
- canola oil
- 2 onions thinly sliced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 2 carrots peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 parsnips peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups beef broth
- 3 ½ cups stout beer
- 2 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 russet potatoes peeled and cut into large chunks
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp water
Instructions
- Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and thyme in a medium bowl. Add the beef chuck and toss until well coated. Heat a large dutch oven medium heat and add one tablespoon of canola oil. Add a single layer of the beef, do not overcrowd the dutch oven. Brown all sides of the meat. Remove and transfer to a plate. Add additional canola oil if needed and continue this process until all the beef has been browned.
- Add another tablespoon of canola oil to the dutch oven. Put in the onions and cook until softened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and another 2 minutes. Mix in the brown sugar and tomato paste until well combined with the onions.
- Toss in the carrots and parsnips and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the beef back to the dutch oven and stir together. Mix in the beef broth, stout, and worcestershire sauce. Stir until the tomato paste has incorporated with the rest of the liquid. Add bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover with a lid, and simmer for two hours.
- Add the potatoes, cover, and cook for another 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Remove the bay leaves from the dutch oven and add the cornstarch slurry. Mix until the sauce begins to thicken. Can be served as is or on top of a portion of cooked egg noodles.