Beef shin and carrot stew
Instructions:
- 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
- 1/ 4 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 1/ 2 inch cubes
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 can (14.9 ounces) stout, such as Guinness
- 1 1/ 2 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought beef stock
- 1 strip (2 inches long) orange zest
- 1 1/ 2 pounds small boiling potatoes, peeled, if desired
- 1 pound Thumbelina carrots, scrubbed (or other carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/ 2 -inch pieces)
- Coarsely chopped fresh curly-leaf parsley, for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 375ï€ F. Generously season the beef with salt and pepper. Dredge the beef in the flour; shake off excess.
- Wrap the parsley, thyme, allspice, and peppercorns in cheesecloth, and tie with kitchen twine to form a bouquet garni.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven or large ovenproof saucepan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the beef, 3 to 4 minutes per side, adding more oil (up to 2 tablespoons) as needed. Transfer the beef to a bowl.
- Add 1 tablespoon oil to the fat in the pot. Stir in the leeks, celery, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the stout; cook, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Return the beef to the pot. Add the stock, bouquet garni, zest, and enough water to cover. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over mediumhigh heat. Cover the pot; transfer it to the oven. Braise the beef 2 hours.
- Add the potatoes and carrots. Cover the pot; braise 1 hour more. Discard the bouquet garni. Garnish the stew with parsley.