Here is something for your winter dinner rotation: chunky vegetables and slow-cooked beef swimming in a stock of beef and beer. This hearty no-nonsense beef stew is a must-have for a dreary winter night, and with St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, you can dump a bottle of Guinness into the stock and call it Irish. And, while this stew is indeed simple and humble in ingredients, there are a couple of important steps you can take when making this recipe that will reward you with deep flavor.

The first step, as with many meat stews and braises, is to take the time to sear the meat well before braising. Searing the meat caramelizes its natural sugars and forms a crust, which adds rich meaty flavor to the stock. And note that searing does not mean a quick color and flip. It means taking the time to thoroughly brown the meat well on all sides, which can take up to eight minutes. Also, do not overcrowd the pan with all of the meat at once when searing. Crowding will steam the meat and prevent the desired browning, so be patient and divide the meat into batches to sear.

Second, while you can certainly make and serve this stew in one day, it will taste even better if you make it a day in advance of eating. I know, I know, waiting is a big ask, but the flavors will continue to meld and develop when the stew is refrigerated overnight. Not only that, but by refrigerating the stew ahead, the next day you will find that the fat has risen to the top and solidified, so it can be lifted off with ease and discarded, leaving you with a pristine stock.

So, go ahead and treat yourself to this warm and comforting stew, and while you’re at it, why not make a double batch? Any leftovers can be frozen for up to one month. It’s guaranteed to taste good.

Simple Beef Stew

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 3 1/2 hours

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, excess fat trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large shallot, finely chopped, about 1/4 cup

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 cups dark beer, such as porter or stout, divided

1/4 cup tomato paste

3 cups beef or chicken stock

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 large carrots, sliced 1/4-inch thick

2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 large yellow onion, cut into 1-inch chunks

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Season the beef with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef in batches in one layer, without overcrowding, and brown on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate and repeat with remaining beef.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from the Dutch oven. Add the shallot and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds more. Add 1/2 cup beer to the pot and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits with a spoon. When the beer is nearly evaporated, add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly caramelized, about 1 minute. Return the beef to the pot and stir to coat.

Add the remaining 1 cup beer, the stock, bay leaf, brown sugar, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. The meat should be just covered with liquid. If not, add additional stock to cover. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

While the meat is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, potatoes and onions and lightly season with salt. Saute until the vegetables begin to soften without browning, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the carrots, onions and potatoes to the stew and stir to combine. Return to the oven and cook, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce slightly thickened, 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove bay leaf and serve warm ladled into bowls.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Let’s be honest. Life has been a little stressful of late. In times of anxiety and uncertainty, some self-care is warranted. I am not talking cleanses and fasts, folks, I am talking indulgences, because, well, we deserve it.

When our sheltering days are clocked by changes of clothing from morning PJs to home-office athleisure attire, to a return to PJs (wash and repeat); when our weekly schedule requires setting an alarm to remember that it’s in fact a Monday, or to clarify that the weekend follows Friday and, sadly, not the aforementioned Monday; when we realize that the entire last year has atrophied any semblance of learned social skills (no small feat for introverts), and our voracious consumption of screen time has effectively canceled any parental authority in managing that department -- it’s important not to judge. Rather, it’s time to be kind to ourselves, to embrace comfort in the form of simple pleasures, and to mark the end of yet another sheltered day with non-anxiety-provoking rewards (and cue the moment it’s OK to change back into our PJs).

Which leads me to this bowl of dip. (As I said, simple pleasures.) I confess that I called this dinner when I made it (no one in my family objected), and I regret nothing. In my defense, it’s a homemade dip. It conjures childhood memories of additive- and salt-packed instant onion dips, while, in these modern times, it’s made from scratch with real ingredients. It’s also easy to put together, risking no inflection in your anxiety level.

And since I am feeling a little lighthearted these days, I have even provided two ways to make this dip. The first is a basic onion-packed dip, and the second is the same dip dressed up with a little extra bling, because, as mentioned, we deserve it. And while it’s not an evening at the theater or a festive party (so 2019), the bling adds a tiny hint of sparkle that we can enjoy on a Tuesday -- oops, Thursday -- night in our PJs.

Triple Onion Dip

Active Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes plus cooling time

Yield: Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

3 shallots, halved and thinly sliced

2 scallions, white and green parts divided, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste, plus more for garnish

Optional bling:

1 to 2 teaspoons drained jarred horseradish

Salmon roe for sprinkling

Dill sprigs for garnish

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, shallots and white scallions. Cook over medium heat until very soft and tinged golden in spots, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the lemon juice, then remove and cool to room temperature. When cool enough to handle, chop the onions and transfer to a bowl.

Whisk the cream cheese until light and smooth, then stir in the sour cream, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder to blend. Mix in the onions, salt and black pepper, and taste for seasoning. Garnish with the green scallions if not adding the optional dill.

Optional: Mix in 1 to 2 teaspoons drained jarred horseradish, to taste, with the onions. Garnish with the salmon roe and dill sprigs.

Serve with potato chips, pita chips or crudites.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

I had my first bircher muesli in Switzerland, where it’s a breakfast staple. I was at a breakfast buffet, and a large bowl of what appeared to be a thick and chunky porridge was presented in the center of the table. At first glance, I was unimpressed, but at the prompting of my Swiss friend, I gave it a try. It was fresh, bright and creamy, chock-full of fruit and nuts, and not at all stodgy. Not only did it feel healthy to eat, but it was downright delicious.

Bircher muesli is essentially overnight oats. It’s a practical and healthy do-ahead meal, reflecting marvelous Swiss sensibilities. A blend of oats and milk or yogurt are muddled together and refrigerated overnight. The next morning, you thin the mixture with more yogurt or milk and fold in fruit and nuts. The result is a nutritious and tasty breakfast that will energize and propel you through the day -- or up an alpine mountain, depending on where you sit.

Bircher muesli is named for Maximilian Bircher-Benner, a Swiss physician who created this concoction in the early 1900s as a healthy breakfast alternative. The original recipe included oats, grated apple, dried fruit and condensed milk (fresh milk was not easily available at the time). Since then, myriad variations have evolved. The key is to combine a mixture of oats with a liquid ingredient, such as apple juice, dairy (or nondairy) milk, cream or yogurt, and stash in it the refrigerator where it will rehydrate, bloom and develop flavor overnight.

Before serving, additional ingredients such as grated or chopped fruit, nuts, fresh berries, honey or lemon may be added. If you are feeling extra indulgent, a dollop of whipped cream can be folded into the mix. (This is what I call the I-am-on-holiday ingredient.)

As with granolas and oatmeal, you can easily riff on the ingredients, providing you adhere to the oats-to-liquid ratio. This basic recipe includes suggested additions and substitutions.

Bircher Muesli

Active Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes plus refrigerating time

Yield: Serves 2

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup apple juice

1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt, preferably European-style

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 to 2 apples, cored and grated (with skin)

1/4 cup raisins, divided

1/4 cup chopped almonds, divided

Maple syrup or honey for drizzling (optional)

Shaved unsweetened coconut for garnish

Mix the oats, apple juice, yogurt and cinnamon in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. The mixture will become quite thick.

When ready to serve, stir in the grated apple, half of the raisins and half of the almonds. Thin the muesli with additional yogurt or milk to your desired consistency. (If you are on holiday, this is when you fold in the whipped cream.)

Divide between serving bowls. Drizzle with a little maple syrup, if using, and garnish with the remaining nuts, raisins and the coconut.

Cranberry Orange Option:

Substitute vanilla or honey yogurt for the plain yogurt; orange juice for the apple juice; walnuts for the almonds; dried cranberries for the raisins. Add 1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest.

Pear Cardamom Option:

Substitute grated pear for the apple; ground cardamom for the cinnamon; golden raisins for the raisins. Add 1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest. Garnish with minced crystallized ginger.

Optional Toppings:

Sliced fruit or fresh berries

Pomegranate seeds

Goji berries

Chia seeds

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS