ingredients

• 2 lbs. lean stewing beef
• seasoned flour
• 3 T. olive oil
• 3 onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. Colman's mustard
• ¼ c. tomato purée
• ¼ tsp. ground orange peel
• bouquet garni:
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 parsley stalks
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 20 oz. Guinness stout
• 8 oz. Mushrooms
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• puff pastry sheet, cut into six or eight 4-inch x 4-inch pieces

cooking directions

1. Cut beef into 1-inch cubes. Heat oil in a saucepan at medium-high. Add beef and flour and brown meat on all sides. Remove meat and set aside.
2. Add more oil and sauté onions until soft.
3. Deglaze pan with Guinness stout. Add the sugar, mustard, tomato purée, orange rind, and bouquet garni. Return the meat to the pan. Simmer 2 to 2 ½ hours or until meat is tender.
4. Preheat oven to 400º F.
5. Sauté the mushrooms in butter for 2 to 3 minutes and add them to the cooked stew.
6. When the oven is hot, bake the puff pastry squares for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Dish stew into separate bowls (approximately 8 oz. portions) and top each with a puff pastry. Serve immediately.