It’s Father’s Day today; unlike Mothering Sunday, which is usually called Mother’s Day now, it does not have a long history but I can’t pin down when it first began to be celebrated in the UK. I don’t remember it as long as I lived at home and I always had the feeling that it was promoted as a commercial thing for card and gift manufactures – but maybe I’m wrong and there was a popular movement towards it, following after the US traditions. However, ever since my husband became a dad, we’ve always celebrated it, even when the first born was only old enough to make a painty handprint inside a card I’d got! Now it’s an important event in our house; both children being absent today, we’re celebrating as a family tomorrow, but today I made a special breakfast and a nice meal for husband.
I pondered on what to cook for dinner, and in the end settled on a favourite of his, a nice beef stew. I made it with beer, Goram from Butcombe Brewery, and I must say I was quite pleased with it, but more to the point, so was he!
Goram Dad’s Day Dinner
- i lb stewing streak (or any meat you like)
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1 leek, sliced
- 2 carrots in rings
- 2 cloves of garlic, or more or less or none if you don’t like it
- 2 stock cubes/stock pots or your own stock
- plain seasoned flour
- 1 bottle of Goram or your preferred beer
- Heinz tomato sauce or whatever you have
- salt and pepper to season
- fry the onions, garlic and leeks in oil/butter/lard/your preference
- removed the onions, leeks and garlic from the pan
- coat the meet in the seasoned flour and fry in the pan used for the vegetables, adding ore oil/butter etc if needed
- when the meat is browned, tip the vegetables back into the pan, storring gently and fry together for a few minutes
- add the stock and the beer, stir well
- add the carrots
- add a couple of squirts of tomato sauce (not to make it tomatoey, just to add a little sweetness against the beer, and a little sharpness)
- bring to the boil then turn down and cook on a low heat for about 90 mins, or put in a slow oven and for at least 2hours
Lois Elsden 