Hearty Beef Stew with Cinammon & Stout

You know it's officially winter when it's time to stew something up.  And what better way to warm you through than a nice hearty bowl of beef stew?  The news has been talking about snow and cold all week long and it definitely is here upon us Washingtonians.  While driving home with the heat blasting and I have been thinking about beef stew all day for dinner.  I rarely make soups and stews cause' I always make way too much and the family and I aren't really leftover type of people.  Still, I couldn't pass up on the chance to glam up some warm, silky, beefy goodness.  I got the idea of adding cinnamon from a Vietnamese version of this winter classic.

For the Stew:

2 Lbs Stewing Meat, Cut into 1" Pieces

1 Lbs Medium Yellow Potatoes, Scrubbed and Quartered

3/4 Lbs Baby Carrots

3 Cups Beef Stock

1 Cup Dark Stout

1/2 Cup Water plus 1/4 Cup

1 Large Sweet Yellow Onion, Peeled and Rough Chopped

5-6 Fresh Thyme Sprigs

3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbs Veal Demi-glace

2 Tbs All-purpose Flour

1 Tbs Chopped Garlic

1 Tbs Honey

1 Cinnamon Stick

1 Dried Bay Leaf

1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika

Pinch of Cheyenne Pepper

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to Taste

Crusty Baguette Bread

Heat 1 Tbs of the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add half the meat and season liberally with kosher salt and pepper.  Cook till nice and brown, about 5 minutes.  Transfer meat to a bowl and add another Tbs of olive oil and the rest of the meat.  Again, cook until nice and brown all over, another 5 minutes.  Transfer the rest of the meat to the same bowl, add remaining oil and add onions.  Season again with a little kosher salt and pepper.  Saute for about 2 or 3 minutes, add garlic, paprika, Cheyenne, thyme, bay leaf and cinnamon stick.  Stir for about a minute longer, deglaze pan with stout beer and reduce by half.  Be sure to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add the demi-glace, beef stock, 1/2 cup water and the meat with juices back into the pot.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low.  Hit the stew with the honey and stir.  Cover and simmer for about an hour.  Remove the lid and add the potatoes and carrots.  Cover and cook for another 25 to 30 minutes.  In a cup combine the remaining water and flour and pour into stew, stir and allow to come up to a boil for about 5 minutes till slightly thickened.  Check for seasoning and add more kosher salt and pepper if needed.  Serve hot with warm crusty baguette bread for sopping up the goodness.