Guinness Stew

It is ridiculous to think about making this hearty stew in the middle of the summer....unless of course, you live in foggy San Francisco!  It was FREEZING out yesterday evening once the fog rolled in so we decided to put on a pot of Phil's famous Guinness Stew.  To be fair, this is mostly a Jamie Oliver recipe that has been adapted to Phil's liking.

2-3 lb steak, chopped
2 onions chopped
7 sticks celery chopped
3 parsnips, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cans of Guinness
3, 14-oz cans of chopped tomatoes
2 tsp Chili powder
Handful of rosemary, thyme, bay leaves
Salt and pepper

Salt and pepper the steak chunks.  Sear the steak in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy-bottom pot, just until brown on all sides.  Remove the steak chunks and set aside.  In the same pot, add the veggies along with a dash of salt and pepper and saute until soft.  Add the steak back into the pot along with the Guinness, chopped tomatoes, chili powder and herbs.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2-4 hours (the longer the better)  Add more salt and pepper as desired. 

I usually serve this with some warm crusty bread or if I really want to get Irish I will make some soda bread to go with it.  It is great just on it's own though!