Beer Braised Beef Stew

1½ pounds beef stew meat, like chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1tablespoon unsalted butter 6 ounces dark beer ½cup parsley leaves 4garlic cloves 1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 celery stalk, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 8ounces baby carrots 1 teaspoon dried thyme ½cup beef or chicken stock 2tablespoons tomato paste

Season beef with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper; dust lightly with flour, shaking off excess. Heat olive oil and butter in a 12-inch GreenGourmet skillet. When hot, sauté the beef in batches, until nicely browned. Once all the beef has been browned stir the beer into the skillet and bring to a simmer. Pour ingredients into the ceramic pot of the Cuisinart Programmable Slow Cooker. While beef is browning prepare vegetables. Insert metal chopping blade into Cuisinart® food processor. Add the parsley and chop. Remove and reserve separately to use once dish is complete. With the machine running drop the garlic through the feed tube to finely chop. Add the onions and celery together and chop by pulsing – about 10 to 12 pulses. ** Add the chopped vegetables, baby carrots, thyme, broth and tomato paste into the slow cooker cooking vessel. Cover and press the on/off button to turn the unit on. Set time to 9 hours and press Low. Slow cooker will automatically switch to Warm when cooking time has elapsed. Degrease the cooking liquid with a fat mop. (Or pour the liquid into a fat separator and allow the fat to rise to the top. Then pour the defatted liquid back into the cooked vegetables.) Stir in chopped parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. Serve with Celery root and potato purée or creamy polenta. *To make preparation easy – brown the beef and chop the vegetables the night before and refrigerate. This way the dish will be ready all you need to do is place it in your slow cooker the morning and it will be ready for dinner that night. And remember stews are always better once reheated the next day!