Beef in Guinness with Gremolata

Ingredients

1 1/3 kg / 3 lb lean stewing or casserole beef, cubed
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bunch of small carrots, trimmed
3 celery sticks, chopped
1 Tbsp sugar
3 bay leaves
finely grated zest of = orange
1 tsp dried thyme (or a heaped tsp of fresh)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
600 milliliters / 1 pint Guinness
1 Tbsp cornflour mixed with a little water
2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 tsp grated lemon zest
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
buttered noodles and green beans, to serve

Instructions

Serves 6. Two days ahead: Put all the ingredients for the stew, except the cornflour mixture, in a large, ovenproof casserole with a lid. Cover and leave to marinate for 24 hours. One day ahead: Preheat the oven to 160 C / Gas 3 / fan oven 140 C from cold. Cook the stew, tightly covered, for 1 hour until bubbling. Lower the heat to 150 :C / Gas 2 / fan oven 130 :C, then cook for about 3 hours until the meat is really tender. Allow to cool, then chill for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. 1 - 2 hours ahead: Make the gremolata: combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Preheat the oven to 190 :C / Gas 5 / fan oven 170 :C from cold. With a spoon, carefully remove and discard any fat from the top of the meat mixture, remove and discard the bay leaves, then thoroughly stir in the cornflour mixture. Cook the casserole in the oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour. Just before eating : The gravy should be quite thin, but if you would like it a bit thicker, add a heaped tablespoon of cornflour, dissolved in a couple of tablespoons of the gravy. Stir this in off the heat, then return to the oven for a further 10 minutes. Serve the casserole in heated wide soup plates, scattered with gremolata and accompanied by buttered noodles and green beans.