Farmhouse Beef Stew

January 4, 2018 by Irish American Mom 26 Comments

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When the weather turns cold, a good farmhouse beef stew is on the menu in our house. This very easy winter dinner is perfect for warming up when temperatures fall.

Since the mercury has dropped so low in many parts of the eastern United States this week, I thought it would be the perfect time to share my farmhouse beef stew recipe.

Hearty Beef Stew
Ingredients for Farmhouse Beef Stew
Directions for Irish Farmhouse Beef Stew
Recipe Card for Irish Beef Stew

Hearty Beef Stew

This is not a spiced up stew, but a more traditional recipe that featured frequently on the menu of my Irish childhood.

In the past I have shared my Guinness Beef stew, but I rarely had such a rich stew as a child. That would have been an expensive luxury few Irish homes could afford back in the 1970's. So this stew is made with no red wine, beer or Guinness.

Another Irish stew, primarily made in the capital city, is Dublin Coddle. This is a stew made from Irish sausage, rashers or bacon, onion and potatoes. But today let's examine my Irish Farmhouse Beef Stew more closely.

The vegetables I use are carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic and mushrooms. But other vegetables like parsnips, or diced rutabaga can be used, or towards the end of cooking a few peas can be added for a splash of green color.

The herbs are simple - thyme and bay leaves.

The flavors are subtle, typically Irish and definitely not hot and spicy like many stews from other countries and cuisines.

A bowl of meat and potato stew on a cutting board beside a plate with buttered slices of wholewheat bread and an uncut farl of brown soda bread

The perfect accompaniment to Irish stew is Irish brown bread, of course. I like a hunk of buttered bread with my stew when potatoes are included in the stew. Otherwise I love to eat stew with mashed potatoes.

I suppose this really is an old fashioned beef stew, but let's face it, I'm starting to be a bit old fashioned myself these days and I still love this taste of my Irish childhood.

A bowl of stew with meat and vegetables beside a pot of stew

Now traditional Irish stew is usually made with lamb or mutton, but many Irish cooks use beef for a delicious cold day meal bursting with fork-tender vegetables and luscious beef. This is what I call real comfort food.

We Irish really know how to make great stews. Our rural forebears were experts at one-pot cooking when a bastible hung over an open fire and a complete meal was cooked slowly throughout the day.

I love to savor a stew on cold evenings, especially after being outdoors for a hill walk or after an Irish soft day.

And so, without further ado, here's my recipe for a good farmhouse beef stew, Irish style.

Beef pieces, beef broth, carrots, onions, potatoes, mushrooms, herbs and spices on a table

Ingredients for Farmhouse Beef Stew

Here's a list of what you'll need. You'll find exact quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post.

stewing beef
vegetable or canola oil
garlic (minced)
small onions
carrots
baby potatoes
mushrooms
beef stock
tomato paste
worcestershire sauce
sugar
fresh thyme or dried thyme
bay leaves
corn starch
chopped fresh parsley to garnish

Directions for Irish Farmhouse Beef Stew

Start by preparing the vegetables. I like to leave the skins on the baby potatoes.

They're nutritious and very tender when cooked slowly. If you are using bigger potatoes with thicker skins, then peel them first before cutting them in to smaller pieces.

Carrots cut in chunks on a chopping board

Next I peel and cut the carrots. I used 4 medium sized carrots for this stew. I like to cut them on a diagonal about 1 inch in length.

I peel the onions and cut them in eighths.

My husband doesn't like onions and when they're left in pretty big pieces it's easy to spot them and remove them from his portion.

Peel and mince the garlic.

Clean the mushrooms too. I use small button mushrooms for this stew. They absorb the flavors without losing their texture.

Beef pieces browning in butter in a large saucepan

Heat half the oil in a large stewing pot and add about one third of the beef. Brown it on all sides. Make sure you don't overcrowd the pot with beef pieces. They need a little space for the oil to seal them.

Make sure the beef is well browned since the browning residue at the bottom of the pot is what will add some color to the beef broth.

Remove the first batch and repeat until all the beef is browned. Set the browned beef to the side.

Onions cooking in melted butter in a saucepan

Add the rest of the oil to the pot and loosen the beef residue with a spatula. Add the garlic and onions and toss in the oil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

chopped potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan

Next add the carrots and potatoes and toss them with the onions and garlic to coat them in oil.

Cook for a further 2 minutes over medium heat.

Return the beef to the vegetables in the pot.

Next add the beef stock, together with the tomato paste, sugar and worcestershire sauce. Stir gently to mix.

herbs in a pot of stew with meat, potatoes and carrots

Add the thyme and bay leaves. These will be retrieved at the end of cooking, before serving.

Set the heat at low and let the stew simmer slowly.

Halved mushrooms being added to a pot of stew

After about 1 hour, add the button mushrooms.

I halved some of the bigger mushrooms to keep them all about the same size.

Continue to simmer over low heat for another 2 hours.

Adding a cornstarch slurry to a pot of stew

Once the stew is cooked it's time to thicken the broth. I like to use corn starch (or cornflour as we call it in Ireland).

Mix the corn starch with cold water and blend it completely so there are no lumps. Add this slurry to the stew and stir. Let it cook for a further 10 minutes over a slightly higher heat so the corn starch can complete its thickening magic.

Never make a corn starch slurry with hot liquid - it will become lumpy.

Many stews are thickened using a flour based roux, or by coating the beef with seasoned flour before browning. I prefer to use corn starch for this particular stew. The beef is just lovely without the extra floury coating.

Once the stew has thickened you're ready to start plating.

A bowl of stew beside a pot of stew and two slices of brown whole wheat soda bread

Remove and discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves before serving.

Sprinkle some chopped parsley on top to add a little splash of color and extra flavor. And don't forget a hearty, rustic bread on the side.

A bowl of stew with a spoon beside a plate of buttered soda bread

This is a stew best served in a bowl with a spoon and a fork. The fork can be used to mash the potatoes into the juices, but a spoon is definitely required to slurp up all the lovely, heart warming broth.

Recipe Card for Irish Beef Stew

Here's the printable recipe card.

Farmhouse Beef Stew

An Irish farmhouse beef stew with onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes and mushrooms, with thyme and bay leaves as herbs.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Irish

Keyword: Beef Stew, Farmhouse Stew, Irish Stew

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 2 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 526kcal

Ingredients

2 pounds stewing beef
3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
6 cloves garlic minced
1 large onion or 2 small onions
3 large carrots
2 pounds baby potatoes
8 ounces button mushrooms
6 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
6 sprigs of fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons of dried thyme
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons corn starch
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley to garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Peel and cut the carrots into 1 inch cubes. Wash the potatoes, and clean the button mushrooms.
Peel and cut the onions into eighths.
Mince the garlic cloves.
Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat half the oil in a large stewing pot. Add one third of the beef and brown on all sides. Remove from pot and repeat with the remaining two batches of beef. Set the beef to the side.
Add the remainder of the oil to the pot. Add the onions and garlic and sweat for 2 minutes.
Add the carrots and potatoes and toss with the onions to coat in oil. Sweat for a further 2 minutes.
Return the beef to the vegetables in the pot.
Add the beef broth, the tomato paste, sugar and worcestershire sauce. Add the thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce to a low heat and simmer for one hour.
Add the mushrooms. Simmer for an additional hour.
Make a slurry by blending the cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of cold water. Stir into the stew. Increase the heat to medium and simmer for a further 10 minutes to thicken the broth. Remove the thyme and bay leaves before serving.
Serve in bowls with a side of rustic bread.

Nutrition Facts

Farmhouse Beef Stew

Amount Per Serving (250 g)

Calories 526 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 5g

Cholesterol 60mg20%

Sodium 671mg29%

Potassium 1453mg42%

Carbohydrates 43g14%

Fiber 6g25%

Sugar 8g9%

Protein 43g86%

Vitamin A 6095IU122%

Vitamin C 37mg45%

Calcium 65mg7%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.

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And there you have it - my simple farmhouse beef stew.