Looking for a Hearty Winter Meal?

Good Monday evening, my friends!

Well, I am so excited to see so many comments under this morning's Downton Abbey post! I'll be catching up there soon, but right now I want to share a really lovely recipe with you all - Beer-Braised Beef & Parsnips! Doesn't that sound so wonderfully wintry? We had it for our Monday supper and it was just perfect on this brutally cold and wickedly windy January night. (It's Twelfth Night, in fact!)

Beef, parsnips, beer, brown sugar, thyme, mustard, allspice ... it all blended and cooked down into a sweet and lightly spiced stew. I adore parsnips and I loved the idea of the mustard, brown sugar and beer, so I knew I had to try it. I also figured my home-on-break boy would enjoy it very much! (And he did!)

I first saw the recipe in the December issue of Rachel Ray Magazine - and I was going to pin it on my "Feeding My Family" board, but could not find the recipe on the RR website. So I'm typing it out here - for you and me both! :)

By the way, you could do this in a crockpot, but I wanted to use my Dutch oven instead. It cooked the dish right in the oven and did a beautiful job! Also, it is an economical dish - less than $3 per serving! I spent a bit more on a few of the ingredients at Whole Foods but it was still reasonable and I think it made more than the four srevings suggested.

Beer-Braised Beef and Parsnips

3 slices bacon, diced

1 large onion, halved and sliced

3 tsp. dark brown sugar

1 bottle (12 oz.) dark beer

*Note - I used some leftover Christmas beer we had in the fridge - I have no idea if it's considered dark or not!

1 lb. boneless chuck steak, trimmed and cubed

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1 lb. parsnips - peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces, thicker segments halved

4 bay leaves

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 300° Farenheit. In a large, heavy ovenproof pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium, 5 minutes. Stir in the onion and 2 tsp. sugar. Cover and cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until the onion is deep brown, 12-14 minutes. Stir in the beer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

In a bowl, combine the beef, allspice, 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Transfer to the pot along with the parsnips, bay leaves, mustard, 1 tbsp. thyme and the remaining 1 tsp. sugar; bring to a simmer over medium. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook until the beef and parsnips are tender, about 1 1/2 hours; remove the bay leaves and season. Divide among bowls; sprinkle with the remaining thyme.

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(If using a slowcooker, cook the bacon, onion and sugar on the stovetop, stirring in the beer to scrape up any browned bits. Transfer to a slow cooker with the remaining ingredients. Cook on low until the beef and parsnips are tender, about 6 1/2 hours.)

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I took the pot out of the oven at about 1 hr. 15 mins. and it was done. I served it over rice pilaf, but I think a bed of small, roasted potatoes would be even better! And crusty bread to sop up the soupiness is a must!

Well, I hope that recipe sounds intriguing to some of you - I'm going to add it to my Winter Meals section in my Family Food Binder. I think a post all about Winter meals would be a great idea ... I bet we can share lots of ideas for recipes cold, dark nights. I love using seasonal foods, especially - and even Winter has its share of humble, earthly delights.

Well, the wind is still howling out there, and the Full Wolf Moon is rising in the sky ... time to get these kidlings off to bed! (Or at least some of them, the ones who keep their Mama up, that is!)

See you here again soon, my friends ... enjoy the rest of your evening!