Beef and Guiness Base

Slowly soften the onion in a little oil in a frying pan over a low light until soft but not brown. Take out of the pan with a slotted spoon leaving as much oil behind as possible.

Trim any fat off the beef and cut into 1 inch/2.5 centimetre cubes. Dust the beef cubes with flour seasoned with salt and pepper.

Add a little more oil to the frying pan and add the beef in batches and quickly brown turning as required.

Put the onions and beef into an ovenproof pan. Pour the Guiness into the frying pan and reduce scraping up any bits from the pan using a wooden spatula. Add the stock and the tomato puree and stir in. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the Guiness/stock mixture over the beef. If you are doing Steak and Mushroom pie then just cover the beef. If you are doing Beef with Dumplings cover plus an inch/2.5 centimetres.

Put the steak pan covered in the oven and cook for around 1½ hours at 325°F/170°C/Reg3. Leave in the oven switched off to slowly cool for an hour or so. Adjust seasoning when cool. Note: this will taste even better if left over night.

Continue with the Steak and Mushroom Pie  Recipe   or Beef with Dumplings  Recipe   recipe as appropriate