Beef stew is one of the best dishes to have on a cold winter day. It’s hearty, filling and warming from the inside.
In the stew I have here, I’ve used light beer as the cooking liquid, which gave the stew a unique, deep flavor. Inspired by the Hungarian Goulash soup, I’ve used a generous amount of aromatic and warming sweet and hot paprika, that added a wonderful color and flavor. To this I’ve added some caraway seeds and juniper berries, for an added interesting, earthy-resinous flavor.
To make the stew even heartier, potatoes were added in the last half hour of stewing, to keep them from overcooking and to add another layer of texture. Served with fresh, crusty bread, a bowl of this stew is a tasty whole meal in itself. Try it and enjoy.
Notes:
* For best results, I recommend using Hungarian paprika in this stew. The amount may seem large, but it adds wonderful color and body to the sauce. Don’t be tempted to use less.
* Caraway seeds are mostly known in the States as a flavoring for Rye bread. However, their warm and earthy flavor complements any meat stew. If you’re partial to their flavor, use a lesser amount in the first time you make the stew, and then adjust according to your taste.
* Though they resemble blueberries in their shape and color, juniper berries are actually not real berries, but a type of seed cone of the juniper bush. They are mainly known for flavoring Gin, but they are also used to flavor meat stews. They can be quite bitter, so use them in moderation.
Makes: 2-4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking/braising time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
2 Tbs oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1.3 lbs (600 grams) beef chuck, cut into large cubes
2 Tbs flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbs sweet paprika
1 tsp hot paprika
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs caraway seeds
4-5 juniper berries, crushed lightly
1 bottle (12oz/356ml) Pilsner beer
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
2 large potatoes, peeled, large diced
1. Heat the oil in a large flat pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, mix and fry for 2-3 minutes, until the onion softens and starts to brown. Coat the beef with the flour and add to the pot. Add the salt and sugar and let fry for 3-4 minutes, turning the beef cubes once.
2. Add the sweet and hot paprika, black pepper, caraway seeds and juniper berries. Add the beer and vinegar and tilt the pot gently. Bring to the boil. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
3. Lower the heat to simmer, and simmer for 1 hour, tilting the pot occasionally.
4. Add the potatoes, cover again and braise for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are soft, but still keep their shape. Uncover the pot, turn the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes longer. Serve hot.
Love this type of recipe… we are having warm weather all of a sudden, but next weekend should be “stew-type-weather” again…
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Thank you Sally, I’m glad you liked the recipe.
Here too the weather warmed up a bit, but as it’s still only mid-January, I’m afraid we’ll have a few more opportunities to have this warming stew… 🙂
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Looks yummy! By the way, I’m hosting a blog party! Its a great way to make your blog more public and meet many others. Check it out if you have time!
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Thank you Bernadine, I’m glad you liked the dish.
I’ll check out your blog party. 🙂
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I just popped over to look at my reader and there is the lovely beer stew you’ve made. It’s one of my favorite winter meals. Sounds perfect but I would have to add some carrots along with the potatoes of course. The paprika must give it some nice color 🙂
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Thank you Judi! I usually add carrots or peppers to such stews, but as I was cooking with beer, I didn’t want the added sweetness to mask the slight bitterness of the dish. I think it turned out better without it, but obviously it’s a matter of personal taste. 🙂
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Good point!
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I’ve never liked the taste of beer, but presume that taste is masked by the other ingredients and that only an ambience remains??
I have had a neighbor’s recipe for Beer Bread for 30+ years, but never have had the gumption to try it. It’s quick and easy, but there never seems to be such a thing as beer in the house, so it would require a special purchase at the grocery store. I’m pretty sure they have single bottles in the refrigerated case, so that might be an option. Since it was under thirty degrees here at eight o’clock this morning, sounds like it is definitely beef stew weather, even in Arizona !!!
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Beer is indeed an acquired taste, but as it comes in so many varied types, it could be that you just didn’t taste the right one for you. They do sell individual bottles of beer, so it’s easier to experiment with. In the stew I’ve used Pilsner, which is a light one both in color and flavor.
As for beer bread, I tried it a few times, with different types of beer, but can’t say I was a fan, I guess with that too, I still need to find the beer that will be the best for it for my taste. Meanwhile, when I need a quick bread, I stick to variations of Irish soda bread. 🙂
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Nothing beats a good stew Ronit and believe it or not as hot as it gets here the men still love a stew…I like the idea of adding Juniper berries and caraway seeds for a change and agree adding carrots would change the taste although I add carrots to all my stews I think ( or else) someone will moan…no guesses for who that will be…I will serve carrots as one of his veg…lol Nice sounding recipe..
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Thank you Carol, I’m glad you liked the dish.
I do love carrots in my stews as well, but sometimes it’s nice to break the habits.
The spices here really make the stew so much more interesting and work so well with the beer.
I can’t imagine having such a stew on a hot day, but of course it’s very individual. Isn’t it great with have the option to choose? 🙂
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Believe it or not Ronit most dishes eaten here are hot as well as hot with chilli..I found that very strange when I first lived here as the merest hint of sun in the Uk and the salad bowl came out..Not so here…But yes it is great to have an option 🙂
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I can see the logic of eating hot dishes as a way to induce sweating and cooling this way, but I guess one has to be accustomed to this from an early age. For me, summer will always be associated with fresh salads and cold dishes. It’s fascinating how we can react to the same condition in such different ways. It definitely makes the world more interesting! 🙂
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It certainly does Ronit…I hope you have a lovely week 🙂
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Reblogged this on redcrosse10999 and commented:
On occasion, I may also turn up a reprinted recipe from other WordPress Foodie Blogs that seem like they are keepers and/or necessary to a recipe list. Different ways of preparing a stew is always a good way to ensure that the usual mix of celery, potatoes, carrots, onions and beef chips are not suddenly tossed out of the home commissary — it is usually a sad thing to find out that you divested your own fortune of stew recipes on a sad and lonely wintery or cold summer’s evening.
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Thanks for liking the recipe and reblogging. However, I’d appreciate it if you would not reblog so many of my posts and produce some original posts yourself. Thank you.
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Yum love this you can’t beat beer in a stew! Especially in the snowy weather ❄️
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Thank you Emily, I totally agree! 🙂
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Yes.. of course fellow foodie! I’m learning a lot as I’m really plundering into my obsession! What beer did you use as I’ve found that certain beers can become bitter when cooked so you need to add sugar or something to help !! What beer did use for a tip ! Always good to share ! I’ve started to use lighter ales in my slow cooker beer recipes? I used dark beer recently and I had to really rescue it !! I think beer adds a great hearty depth and Unami that is different than wine ! 🍷🤣🍺 although love wine too !
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I’ve used Pilsner beer, as I mentioned in the ingredients. It’s a light beer both it color and flavor, so it’s not overly bitter, so all that was needed for a bit of balance was a teaspoon of sugar.
It is fun to experiment with different types of beer, or wine. It gives such wonderful flavor to the stew. 🙂
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Sounds delicious, love the idea of adding beer, I usually use red wine.😋😍
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Thank you Ursula, I’m glad you liked the dish. I too love and use wine in my stews, but this time I wanted less acidity in the stew and beer was the perfect choice for it. It adds such a nice, slightly bitter flavor, that worked so well with the spices. I’ll definitely use it more often from now on, and experiment with other types of beer. 🙂
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I like that idea!😋
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This dish looks great Ronit! I just bought some spicy and sweet Hungarian paprika and I love beef stew, so I’ll be looking forward to a nice hearty meal soon. 🙂
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Thank you Rini, I’m glad you liked the dish. I hope you’ll enjoy it. The Hungarian paprika is really the best in such dishes. 🙂
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This is a perfect stew to warm us up during these bone cold winter days! I would definitely enjoy it with some fresh bread to sop up all those delicious flavours! Yummy looking Ronit!
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Thank you Marisa, I’m glad you liked the stew. It is indeed the best food for the cold days. I made it during the last storm shut down. It made the whole experience almost enjoyable… 🙂
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This stew would be so Cuban, if it weren’t for caraway seeds and juniper berries! Looks and sounds absolutely tempting – thank you, Ronit!
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Thank you Dolly. With different seasoning it could indeed be Cuban, or Spanish, or Hungarian – or even Irish. Though in the last case I guess it’s without any seasonings! lol
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Dear Ronit, I suppose this is an internal joke specific to South Florida: Cubans cook everything in beer. In reality, though, they don’t, or not everything, but lots of things.
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Interesting! 🙂
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I do enjoy a stew on a cold-winter’s day! I love all the earthy spices you added to this.
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Thank you Kathryn, I’m glad you liked my version. The spices add such a unique flavor. It is indeed the perfect cold weather dish. Though deep down I hope we will not have another huge storm… 🙂
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That’s a blast from the past, Ronit. Your recipe is more interesting, but I do remember cooking meat with beer. Way back when, it was an exotic ingredient.
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Thank you Mary, I’m glad you liked the dish and that it brought back nice memories. I love experimenting with stew liquids. Usually I use wine, but with the spices I wanted to use, beer was a better choice. It’s worth revisiting! 🙂
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This looks perfect for a cold winter day. I never would have thought of putting juniper berries (or caraway seeds) in a beef stew, but now I’m curious.
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Thank you Sheryl, I’m glad you liked the dish. It is indeed perfect for a cold day.
Both caraway seeds and juniper berries are added to meat dishes in several cuisines, though I’m not sure they’re used together as I’ve done here, but it worked so well, I will definitely use this combination again. 🙂
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Looks nice and tasty 🙂
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Thank you Priyabrataa. 🙂
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This is just the kind of food I need and long for with this weather. The only time I ever use juniper berries is when I make sauerkraut or chou croute or whatever it’s called in English 😂. So interesting in the stew though. I’ll add it next time. Thanks Ronit.
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Thank you Myra. This kind of dish is really the best on a cold day. Juniper berries are indeed so great in choucroute garnie. (I havn’t made it in a while, so thanks for the reminder of this tasty dish!) They add so much to any meat stew. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the flavor. 🙂
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I’m looking forward to it 👍🏻☺
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Here in Northern Australia we are still in the midst of a hot and humid summer but you have reminded me that I used to make a beef and beer stew and like it very much. When we have our little spurt of winter I will be sure to resurrect my recipe and also add in some of the spices you have used here. What a great recipe!
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Thank you Marcellina, I’m glad you liked the recipe. The spices and the beer made for a wonderful unique flavor. I hope you’ll like it as much as I did. Enjoy your summer! 🙂
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I like the idea of adding junipers. I use them with pork and venison and they work really well.
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Thank you Conor, I’m glad you liked recipe. Juniper berries are indeed wonderful with venison or pork, and now I’ve found they are great with beef, especially when cooked with beer.
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Beautiful. I don’t know why I don’t make many stews. I know my husband would love them. May I ask about the vinegar at the end? What is its purpose?
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Thank you Mimi, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I love making stews in the winter. They don’t require much work, yet produce so much flavor and fill the kitchen with wonderful, warming aroma.
I’ve added the vinegar to add some acidity to the stew. If you use wine, or add tomatoes to it, you can omit the vinegar.
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Interesting. I guess how people add a squeeze of lemon?
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Yes, it’s for the same purpose. It’s a small addition, but it elevates the flavor dramatically.
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Making beef stew with beer sounds so delicious! Your photos are just great.
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Thank you Cecilia, I’m glad you liked the recipe and photos. 🙂
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Haven’t tried with juniper berries into but maybe we should give a try. Do you mean cumin seeds under caraway seeds?
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Thank you Ana, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I loved how the juniper berries flavor complemented the beer. It was a good match!
Caraway seeds are not the same as cumin seeds. They look a bit similar, but the caraway seeds are a bit darker, and have a different flavor and aroma. Hope you can find them. 🙂
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We usually use juniper berries for the venison stews 🙂 we cook the meat before we make the stew with the juniper berries and some other spices. Hope I will have the opportunity to post that recipe we cook it quite rarely. My second cousin husband makes amazing venison stew from boar ☺️
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I used to cook with venison more often when I was in Vermont, but now that it’s not as available, I’ve decided to try the juniper berries with beef instead, and it worked so well, especially when cooking with beer. I’m not sure it would be such a good match with red wine.
I’m sure the boar stew is delicious. This is also a type of meat that’s hard to find here…
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Nice combination of flavors!
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Thank you Diane, I’m glad you liked the recipe. This stew was the prefect dish to have on a very cold day! 🙂
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Looks soooo delicious!!! This is a ‘make you feel warm and cozy’ recipe!I will definitely try this one! Thank you for sharing!
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Thank you Kelly, I’m glad you liked the recipe. The stew is indeed “warm and cozy”. Best dish on a cold day. I hope you’ll enjoy it. 🙂
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That looks amazing. Cheers!
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Thank you Micky. 🙂
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Looks so delicious
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Thank you! 🙂
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Love Goulash and Pilsner too! juniper berries and caraway…. it will smell and taste gorgeous!
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Thank you! The spices added such nice aroma and flavor to this tasty stew. Highly recommended! 🙂
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I have never tried adding beer to my stew but after reading your recipe I sure will! 🙂
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Thank you Teti! I usually add wine, but wanted something different this time and it turned out so good. Worth trying. 🙂
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Love the beer 🍺
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Thank you Gloria, I’m glad to know. 🙂
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Reblogged this on Ajo Negro.
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I love making stew (for us goulash) with beer! 🙂 It is one of our favourite dishes, mainly my husband loves it. However, I have never tried to add juniper berries and I cannot imagine those flavors together, to be honest. It sounds interesting and I am very keen on trying it 🙂 Thank you for sharing! I love to get ideas for goulash variations!
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Thank you Vero, I’m glad you liked the stew. It is indeed inspired by the fabulous Hungarian Goulash.
Juniper berries add wonderful aroma to the stew. However, make sure to use very few, as otherwise they can be overpowering. I hope you’ll enjoy it. I’ll be happy to read your comments. 🙂
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Ah, Hungarian Goulash is delicious… 🙂 ❤ One of my thing!! I will give it a go and will let you know! 🙂 ❤
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