Steak and Ale

Hubby loves a good steak

smothered in onions and mushrooms,

paired with a glass of ale.

When I stumbled across a recipe

for Steak and Ale soup that combined all

of Hubby's loves for a good steak,

I knew I was onto something good.

Saturday I made a pot of Steak and Ale Soup.

Even if you aren't a beer lover,

(I personally hate the taste of beer)

 I guarantee you're going to love this soup.

When my father-in-law recently came for a visit

 I made a pot of this soup, knowing that

he's not a beer drinker either.

I wanted to see if he would enjoy it too.

He absolutely loved it!

He kept commenting on how GOOD this soup was.

He didn't even realize that there was beer in it.

He enjoyed it so much that he asked for it

the next day for lunch.

Coming from a non-beer drinker,

that's saying a lot.

If you're not a beer drinker, or are concerned

about the alcohol content in the soup,

I get that you would be hesitant

about making this. You needn't worry

about consuming the alcohol though.

When cooking with any type of alcoholic

beverage, it only takes 20-30 seconds of

simmering to start evaporating the alcohol,

yet leaving behind the flavors.

The longer you simmer, the more the alcohol evaporates.

Whenever I cook anything with alcohol

I make sure that I simmer it long enough

that even my grandbabies can eat it.

Pair this soup with a crusty bread

and you have a wonderfully flavored meal.

Even though I'm not a beer lover,

I don't understand how I can love this soup.

All I know is, adding the beer to the soup

is like Martha Stewart saying, 

"It's a good thing".

Enjoy my tweaked version of the soup.

STEAK and ALE SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds Steak, trimmed of excess fat and cubed

Salt & Pepper, to taste

4 Tablespoons flour, divided

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 large Yellow Onion, chopped

1 pound Mushrooms, sliced

4 cloves Garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1 teaspoon Worchestershire Sauce

1 cup Beer (I prefer the flavors of Sam Adams Boston Lager)

6 cups Beef Stock (48 ounces), Heated

Parsley, to garnish

Thyme leaves, to garnish

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, add the cubed steak and season with salt & pepper. Stir to coat. Add 2 tablespoons
of flour, stir again to coat. Set aside.

Place a large dutch oven on the stove set to medium-high heat. Add butter and oil to the pot and melt
until hot and bubbly. Add the cubed steak, sear until all sides are browned, stirring constantly. Remove from the pot and set aside.

Add the chopped onions and mushrooms to the pot and saute until lightly golden, approx. 10 minutes.
Add garlic, stir and cook until aromatic, approx. 3 minutes. Add Italian seasoning, beer and Worchestershire Sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until mixtures reduces and thicken slightly.

Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Add the hot beef stock, stir and simmer uncovered for
25 minutes or longer.

Turn off the heat and add the browned steak, along with its' juices, into the pot. Allow the soup to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Garnish with parsley and thyme before serving.

Recipe adapted and tweaked from: Ingrid Beer

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

That's it for this week.

Until Next Time,

Veronica