Dish recommendation

CityChick21

Hello,

Would anyone have any recommendation for a main dish to serve for a dinner party? I have about 15 for dinner. I'm hoping to stay away from the curries/rice but was hoping to do a one pot dinner, for ease, both for time and effort. Am cooking for some folk that like the meat + 2 veg dish and have gone that route before but something always let's me down - either the mash pot or veg or other too much multi-tasking!

So was hoping to try something different. Had a good look online but so far nothing jumps out at me. I'm hoping someone maybe able to recommend a tried & tested dish that ticks all the boxes.

Thank you in advance for any help.
CC

ElleEm

What about a big beef and Guiness stew with dumplings? You could serve it with brown soda bread too. It is the type of thing you throw on the gas three/ four hours before you need it. In the last half hour, add the spuds, but all the stress is over in the afternoon. If you wanted, you could pour it into a casserole type dish and bake it with a puff pastry lid for the last half hour, and serve with baby potatoes on the side. Myself and the boyfriend are obsessed with it at the minute, and make huge pots of it so we can freeze portions.

Alidee

Nice big lasagne, some coleslaw and salad, prep earlier. Job done, enjoy the party!

CityChick21

ElleEm wrote: »

What about a big beef and Guiness stew with dumplings?

I love that idea!! Do you have a tried and tested recipe?

Thanks so much!!

CityChick21

Thanks Alidee!! That would be plan B.

ElleEm

CityChick21 wrote: »

I love that idea!! Do you have a tried and tested recipe?

Thanks so much!!

I do! I will post it up later on if that's okay.

CityChick21

Thank you ElleEm, that's very much appreciated!

Dizzyblonde

Moved to Cooking & Recipes

ElleEm

Here you go, CityChick!

It says it serves 6, but to ensure you have enough for 15, you could multiply it by three and freeze any leftovers.

Rich Beef and Guinness Stew

Ingredients

60ml olive oil
1.4kg stewing beef
1 large white onion, chopped
250g trimmed mushrooms
175g bacon, cut into 2cm pieces
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 carrots, chopped
A can of Guinness
430ml of beef stock
2 Tablespoons of tomato paste
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp plain flour
60ml cold water

Method

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan. I always cut the beef into smaller pieces, as the stewing beef tends to be in big chunks. Fry the beef in a few batches for 2-3 mins at a time, just until the outside is brown. Transfer it to a plate.
2. Cook the onions until soft, then transfer to a plate. Do the same with the mushrooms.
3. Heat the rest of the oil over a medium heat and add the bacon. Cook it for three minutes. Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for a minute.
4. Add the Guinness, stock, thyme, tomato paste, sugar and beef. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about an hour.
5. Add carrots and about a half hour after that, add the mushrooms.
6. After 30 mins, mix the flour and water and gradually stir it in to thicken the sauce. This often makes the sauce REALLY thick, so add more water if needs be.

This recipe says everything should be on the hob for two hours, but it really does it no harm to be on for longer on a really low heat.

The herby dumplings take 20 minutes, so add them 20 mins before you want to serve.

Ingredients

225g self-raising flour
110g vegetable suet
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tbsp fresh parsley


Method

1. Mix together the flour, suet, parsley and thyme, and season to taste. Add about 125ml cold water to form a soft, slightly sticky dough – add a touch more water if it seems a little dry.

2. Drop large spoonfuls of the dough into the simmering stew, pushing them in so they’re just poking out – you should end up with 12 dumplings. Cover again and simmer for a further 20 minutes, until the dumplings are risen and no longer sticky.

CityChick21

Oh ElleEm, thank you so much, this sounds great. I'm going to try it and let you know how it goes for me.
Thanks for taking the time to help me out.
CC

ElleEm

CityChick21 wrote: »

Oh ElleEm, thank you so much, this sounds great. I'm going to try it and let you know how it goes for me.
Thanks for taking the time to help me out.
CC

You are welcome. I hope it's lovely!

Carawaystick

I'd use shin beef, and I'd cook it in the stout/liquid for over 3 hours on the lowest hob or at about 110deg in an oven.

I'd also use some salt, seasoning the beef before frying and also on the onions if you were to fry them.
I wouldn't use any flour to thicken the cooking liquid, I'd check the liquid consistency as it cooks and take the lid off to let it boil away if it's too wet near the end.

CityChick21

Thank you for your advice, its greatly appreciated. Believe me, I need all the help I can get

I'm going to make this on Tuesday, I cant wait! So will let you know how it goes.

Just one quick question, do you recommend cooking on the day that you are eating it or the night before?

Thanks again,
CC

emaleth

Do it the night before! Slow cooked stew things are always much nicer the next day, plus you get most of the work done and the cleanup done a day in advance, leaving you more time to drink wine and pick an outfit

Maybe not the dumplings, though - I'd say they'd be better cooked when you're heating the stew up the day of.

CityChick21

emaleth wrote: »

Do it the night before!

A complete beginners(!) question here...please don't judge
Do I refridgerate it overnight then, once it's cooled down?

foodaholic

CityChick21 wrote: »

A complete beginners(!) question here...please don't judge
Do I refridgerate it overnight then, once it's cooled down?

Your supposed to for food safety. My experience is that it always tastes nicer if you leave it sitting overnight in the pot ( don't give out to me 😜)

CityChick21

Thanks Foodaholic!

emaleth

What foodaholic said! Show me the fridge big enough for a huge cast iron pot, and I'll do the sensible thing and put beer in it.

SarahBeep!

A nice alternative to Guinness is red wine! This is an adaptation of my mothers recipe, I'll always remember the smell of coming home from school around 6pm (leaving cert years, long cold nights in supervised study!) and knowing she'd put a pot of shin beef stew on the small stove in the kitchen around half 1 before going to work!!

In the colder months I'll whack some stewing beef that I've browned, a few onions, a few carrots, some chickpeas (whatever I have lying around) some beef stock and nice big glass of red wine into the slow cooker and leave it overnight. I freeze half and have it with spuds, rice, pasta, whatever really!

I usually put in an almost heaped teaspoon of smoked paprika, a tiny bit of cayenne, some herbs. Towards the end it sometimes needs a spoon or two of flour to thicken it up depending on what meat I can get my hands on, I'm living in London so I'm relying on supermarket meat instead of that from a lovely butcher

I'm getting hungry just typing this!! Hopefully there's an unusual cold snap soon and I can make stew....

CityChick21

Thanks SarahBeep! I think I'll just have to try that...drooling....it sounds delicious!

Lovely memories and great times, even if we didn't know it then

Very helpful, thank you!

Jezek

I use guiness extra stout myself. I find the bigger flavour really does wonders for the final product.

CityChick21

Jezek wrote: »

I use guiness extra stout myself. I find the bigger flavour really does wonders for the final product.

Thank you Jezek, I'll use that next time for definite.

I just wanted to let you know that I tried this today and it was delicious! Absolutely mouthwatering. I made it last night and let it sit overnight. Honestly was the nicest thing I ever cooked. Everyone enjoyed it, plates licked and am now sold, this is what I'll make for my party of 15. Thank you so so much ElleEm, it was perfect.

I'm still going to try the red wine version, am hooked So thanks SarahBeep!

I appreciate all your help.
CK

ElleEm

CityChick21 wrote: »

Thank you Jezek, I'll use that next time for definite.

I just wanted to let you know that I tried this today and it was delicious! Absolutely mouthwatering. I made it last night and let it sit overnight. Honestly was the nicest thing I ever cooked. Everyone enjoyed it, plates licked and am now sold, this is what I'll make for my party of 15. Thank you so so much ElleEm, it was perfect.

I'm still going to try the red wine version, am hooked So thanks SarahBeep!

I appreciate all your help.
CK

Excellent news, I am chuffed!

irish_goat

CityChick21 wrote: »

Thank you Jezek, I'll use that next time for definite.

I just wanted to let you know that I tried this today and it was delicious! Absolutely mouthwatering. I made it last night and let it sit overnight. Honestly was the nicest thing I ever cooked. Everyone enjoyed it, plates licked and am now sold, this is what I'll make for my party of 15. Thank you so so much ElleEm, it was perfect.

I'm still going to try the red wine version, am hooked So thanks SarahBeep!

I appreciate all your help.
CK

A bottle of Leann Follain is what you need for a stew. Miles more flavour than a Guinness will ever impart.