Beef Curry Stew

Have you seen the movie Ratatouille? There's a scene near the end where the Scrooge-like food critic takes a bite of a nouveau ratatouille and is transported back to his childhood in rural France. Food creates powerful associations between senses and memory that last a lifetime. I grew up in suburban Chicago (a land of truly bitter winters) and nothing said home like coming out of the freezing cold to smell a pot of mom's beef stew simmering on the stove.
 




It's been a little chilly out here (for California) and St. Paddy's looms on the horizon; the perfect conditions for reinventing Irish Beef Stew with a little twist - Curry!

The British Isles are known for meat-and-potatoes fare but they have some fantastic ethnic food and you can't find better curry, except maybe in India. A fusion between the two seemed natural, so here it is!

Dedicated to Paula, my mother.







Note: To make a traditional Irish stew, leave out the (*) ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb+ beef stew meat
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 25 pearl onions or 15 cipollini onions
• 2 shallots, diced
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large carrot, large dice (about 1/2" pcs)
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 30 small heirloom tomatoes (cherry size) can substitute 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
• 20 tiny fingerling potatoes (about 1-1.5" length) or longer fingerlings, halved
• 2 Tbsp thyme
• 1/2 can Guinness Stout
• 2 - 32oz cartons beef broth
• salt and pepper
• 3 bell peppers (green, yellow, red), cut into 1/2" slices*
• 1 red jalapeno, diced*
• 4 Tbsp curry powder*
• 1 large eggplant, cut into 1"x1" cubes*
• 1 tsp chili powder*
• 1 tsp turmeric*

DIRECTIONS:

1. Blanch and peel onions: Bring a small pot of water to boil. Drop in onions and cook for 1 full minute. Immediately transfer onions to a sieve and run cold water over them continuously (or place in an ice bath to stop cooking). Using a small paring knife, slice off the flattish side of the onion and pull outer skin off. Set aside, repeat.
2. Mix 1 cup all purpose flour, salt and pepper in a large ziploc bag. Rub meat with Worcestershire sauce. Add meat to bag and shake to coat with flour.
3. Salt eggplant cubes and set aside to sweat out bitterness for at least 10 minutes.
4. In a large pot, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium high heat. Add meat and brown thoroughly, turning occasionally about 10 minutes total. Remove meat from pan. 
5. Reduce heat to medium and add shallot, garlic, carrot, celery, and eggplant. Saute for 5 minutes.
6. Deglaze with 1/2 can Guinness Stout. Drink the other half.
7. Add tomatoes, potatoes, onions, bell peppers, and jalapeno to pot. Saute 2-3 minutes.
8. Add all spices, mix thoroughly.
9. Add all beef broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover. Simmer at least 90 minutes, up to 3 hours, covered.
10. Serve over rice or with crusty bread (or both!)