Cooking with Guinness

For International Stout Day

Other Stouts are available (as they say on the BBC), but you really can't beat Guinness for these plates of foodie fun.

Stout Chocolate &
Chilli Cake

You'll need:

• 180g of flour
• 50g of chocolate powder
• 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
• 125g of softened butter
• 250g of brown sugar
• 2 tsp of Stokes Chilli Jam (more if you like more chilli kick)
• 3 eggs
• 200ml of Guinness

Here's how:

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. In one bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with the Chilli Jam then add the eggs until you have a creamy finish. In another bowl, combine the flour, chocolate powder, baking powder and bicarb. Continue to beat the wet mixture while gradually adding the dry. Beat or whisk in the Guinness then pour the mixture into a buttered cake tin.

After 45 minutes in the oven ... ooo, enjoy.

Spare Ribs & Guinness

Lay the ribs in a roasting tin, rub them with Stokes Brown Sauce and Original BBQ Sauce (always a store cupboard essential in our house), drown them in orange juice and let them soak up the marinade for a hour.

Drain off and reserve the marinade then, in batches, brown the ribs on both sides in a hot frying pan putting them back in the roasting tin afterwards. In the same pan, brown assorted chopped vegetables – carrots, onion, celery etc – then spoon them onto the ribs.

Now deglaze the frying pan with half a can of Guinness, then pour the deglazed liquor into a larger pan with the remaining Guinness, the reserved marinade, 500ml of beef stock and 4 or 5 tbsp of our Tomato Ketchup, bringing everything to a rolling boil to reduce and intensify the flavours.

Pour this beautiful hot liquor over the vegetables and ribs with a scattering of chopped thyme and seasoning, then into an oven pre-heated to 180°C/gas mark 5 for an hour and a half until the meat is tenderly wrapped in a juicy coating of pure - yummy.

[TIP: the longer you cook the ribs and the lower the heat, the more tender they become. Check the liquid and add more stock if it dries out.]

Guinness Mussels 
(with a Chipotle twist)

Don't be afraid of mussels, they are so easy to cook. Just remember - discard any open shells before cooking and any closed shells after cooking.

Base your quantities on 1kg of cleaned mussels for 2 people or nibbles for 4. Cook out 2 chopped shallots, 3 cloves of grated garlic and 4 or 5 chopped rashers of smoked streaky bacon until soft.

Add 1 tbsp of chopped thyme and a little more of chopped parsley, stirring it in with 3 tbsp of Stokes Chipotle Ketchup for smoky warmth and 2 or 3 tsp of our Classic English Mustard for depth.

Gently add the mussels and a can of Guinness. Bring this to boil then simmer (lid on tightly) for 4 or 5 minutes. Lift the mussels from the pan to a serving bowl (discarding any that haven't opened). Turn the heat up to reduce the liquid in a rapid boil, then down again to stir in a small tub of cream (75g) before pouring it back over the mussels to share with a good hunk of fresh bread (and friends !). 

The Classic Beef Stew

A beef stew becomes an Irish stew simply by switching ale to Guinness and adding potatoes - but 'gosh', is it a good switch.

In a large ovenproof casserole, cook 2 medium onions (sliced) and 4 sliced rashers of smoked streaky bacon. Coat 1kg of cubed stewing steak in seasoned flour then, as the onions soften, add it in batches to the pan, stirring to lightly brown the meat.

Grate 2 garlic cloves into the pan with 3 roughly chopped carrots and 2 chopped sticks of celery. Pour a can of lucky Guinness into the pan with sufficient beef stock to cover the combined contents.

Now, a few sprigs of thyme, 2 tbsp of Stokes Brown Sauce, 4 or 5 tbsp of our Tomato Ketchup and season. Simmer, lid on then into an oven pre-heated to 150°C/gas mark 2 for at least 2 hours, preferably 3 - that's 2 pints, a good chat and brisk walk back from the pub.

Out of the oven and in with 4 or 5 peeled and cut potatoes, cover and simmer on a medium heat for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked. Check the seasoning and liquid levels along the way.

If you prefer not to add potatoes - don't. This is a wonderful meal to eat with a couple of spoonfuls of Stokes Creamed Horseradish Sauce stirred into beautifully buttery mashed potatoes.

A drop of 'the Irish' 
with a dollop of 'the English'

Order your 'Great Taste' - HERE

More foodie thoughts for the week:

 

Fabulous with Fish - 
this Fish Friday collection shares some great tips for the fish averse and more still for truly tasty fish suppers - here.





 


Joyous with Jam - 
'What's in YOUR Jam' - discover the ins and outs of jam that fall somewhere between 'why' ... and 'wow' - here.



 



Meet Rick & Roo - 
Enjoy this and other Social Sharing - here.

If good food makes you happy
...adding Stokes will make you smile ;)

FOOD MADE BETTER 
www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150