This recipe might have been invented by a homesick Irish soldier stationed in India during the British Raj. Having his daily ration of Guinness on hand, plenty of curry spice, and a precious bit of tough beef, he may have asked the battalion cook to throw together a steak with those ingredients. Truth is, I made up this dish, and although I’m not Irish and did not serve in India, the result is a slow-simmered piece of beef with some really great gravy, the curry spices and Guinness blending into a delicious sauce. I like to serve the dish with steamed basmati rice or bulgur wheat and Fresh Plum Sambal, or if time does not allow, an assortment of bottled chutneys and Indian pickles. Oh, a mug of Guinness is mandatory.

Serves 4, with leftovers

INGREDIENTS

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 teaspoons Bruce’s Curry Powder
• 1 1½- to 2-inch-thick boneless chuck steak (2 pounds) or a 7-bone chuck steak (3 pounds)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 cups finely chopped onions
• ½ cup ¼-inch-diced peeled carrots
• ½ cup ¼-inch-diced celery
• 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar, or more to taste
• 1 cup homemade beef stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 12-ounce bottle Guinness or other stout
• 1 tablespoon malt vinegar or cider vinegar, or more to taste
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
• ½ cup sour cream (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and 1 teaspoon of the curry powder in a small bowl. Season the meat generously all over with the mixture.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy lidded skillet, sauté pan, or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the steak and sear until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Turn and sear the other side for 5 minutes more. Set aside.
3. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons fat from the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions, carrots, and celery, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and the onions are beginning to color, stirring occasionally. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon curry powder and cook for 1 minute more.
4. Add the brown sugar and stock, stirring and scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the bay leaves, stout, vinegar, and steak. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1½ hours, turning every ½ hour. The steak is done when it is fork-tender. Stir in the garlic and mushrooms, cover, and cook for 5 minutes more.
5. Remove the steak to a warm platter. Discard the bay leaves. Degrease the sauce, then cook over high heat until it begins to thicken and becomes syrupy. Season to taste with salt, pepper, brown sugar, and/or vinegar; the sauce should be mildly sweet and sour. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sour cream (if using).
6. Cut the steak into slices or chunks, pour the sauce over the steak, and serve.

ALTERNATIVE CUTS

• Any variety of chuck steak, such as shoulder clod, flat-iron, or chuck arm steak.
• Also good with rump, top round steak (London broil), sirloin tip, or bottom round steak, if there is enough marbling.

COOK’S NOTES

• To turn this into a pot roast that will feed 6 to 8, buy a 4- to 5-pound chuck pot roast.
• It will take about ½ hour longer.
• You don’t need to double the recipe, but do increase the stock to 1 cup, the mushrooms to 2 pounds, and the sour cream (if using) to 2 cups.