BEEF and Wild Mushrooms in Stout with Champ is just delicious. This recipe will serve 4 to 6 people.
Take 2tbsp olive oil, 1kg (2 lb 4oz) chuck steak, cut into thin slices, 2 large leeks, 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped, 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped, 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped, 250ml (8 fl oz) stout, 130ml (4 fl oz) beef stock, salt and pepper, 50g (2 oz) streaky bacon, diced, 100g (4 oz) wild mushrooms, roughly sliced, 1 large Spanish onion, finely chopped, 10g (½ oz) plain flour and chopped flat leaf parsley to garnish.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and quickly brown the meat on all sides. Put the meat into a casserole dish.
Saute the leeks, carrots and celery in the same pan, then add the garlic. Pour in the stout and beef stock and season. Turn the heat down, cover and simmer for about 1.5 hours.
Remove the meat from the casserole and strain off the liquid, discarding the vegetables. Place the meat back in a clean casserole dish with the liquid.
Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan and briskly saute the bacon, mushrooms and onions, then add to the pot. Mash the knob of butter with an equal quantity of flour, until you have a soft paste. Re-heat the casserole, whisk small bits of the butter mix into the boiling liquid, this will slightly thicken it. Simmer for a few minutes more and taste for seasoning. Scatter with parsley and serve with the buttery champ.
For the classic Irish Champ you'll need 1kg (2lbs 4oz) floury potatoes, peeled, 6 spring onions, finely chopped, 55ml (2 fl oz) full fat milk, 55g (2oz) butter, salt and pepper.
Cut the potatoes into even-sized chunks. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the potatoes until tender.
Put the spring onions and the milk in a small saucepan and heat until just boiling. This softens the onions and flavours the milk. Mash the potatoes, stir in the milk, onions and butter. Easy.
* Sheila Benson and Sean Millar are at The Side Door, 29a Hope Street, Liverpool. Tel: 0151 707 7888.