My favorite beef, beer, and barley stew!
1 - 2 lbs stew meat (or a cheap roast that you cut up into cubes!)
1 large onion, diced
2 - 3 cloves garlic, smushed
2 - 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 parsnip (optional) or other root veg you really like, peeled/cleaned and cut up
1 rib celery, diced small or minced
Olive oil
Thyme
Salt and pepper
Bay leaf (optional)
1 beer, opened (try a nice stout or ale!)
1/2 cup (uncooked) pearl barley
Brown the onions with some olive oil in your Dutch oven or stew pot. When they're starting to get some color, push them to the sides or remove them.
Brown the beef cubes in small batches -- don't let them get cooked through, just get some color on each piece.
Toss in the garlic and all the veggies, add the onions and meat back, and stir everything around a bit, just to get some heat on it. Now is a good time to throw in the seasoning too.
Before it gets too dry, slowly pour in the beer. (It will foam up; that's OK, just stir it down.) Fill the bottle/can back up with water and pour that in too.
Bring up to a gentle simmer, stir in the barley, and cook on low for 90 minutes or so -- until the barley is cooked through. Add more liquid if it seems like it's too dry.
You can also make this with lamb! And if you do, try using Guinness. Sheer heaven!
If you want to add in a shorter-cooking veg, like peas or something that just take a few minutes, add them toward the end of the cooking time.