There’s no better time for a pot of beef stew than winter, and when March rolls around with St. Patrick’s Day hype and festivities, why not add an Irish twist with a splash of Irish stout?

This is a no-nonsense and comforting beef stew that’s guaranteed to warm and fill your belly, whether you’re Irish or not. As most stews go, it’s a humble and forgiving recipe. Cubes of beef slow-cook and braise to melting tenderness in a meaty broth, brightened by tomato and fortified with a generous glug of stout beer. The stout makes its mark in the stew with its sweet and malty notes of chocolate and coffee, adding depth and richness to the simple beef stock.

Stout has a hoppy bitterness, so you need add only 8 ounces to the recipe for effect -- which conveniently provides leftovers for drinking while you cook. This stew is also swimming with chunky root vegetables, which add earthy sweetness and round out the beefy component, permitting you to call this a one-dish meal, vegetables and all.

You can make this stew in one day, but if you have time and can plan ahead, I encourage you to make it the day before and chill it overnight. Not only does this allow the flavors to meld and develop, the fat will have time to rise and solidify on the stew. The next day you can simply lift off and discard the collected fat. Feel free to add your favorite root vegetables to the stew. I always include carrots, and then add a combination of celery root, parsnip and/or rutabaga.

Irish Beef and Guinness Stew

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 3 1/2 to 4 hours

Yield: Serves 6

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

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

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup stout beer, such as Guinness

1/3 cup tomato paste

3 cups beef (or chicken) stock

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 bay leaves

2 carrots, sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 1/2 pounds root vegetables, such as rutabaga, parsnip, celery root, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or ovenproof pot with a lid. Season the beef all over with salt and pepper. In batches, brown the beef on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate and repeat with the remaining beef.

Add the onion to the pot and saute until soft, scraping up any brown bits, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beer and bring to a simmer, and then add the tomato paste and stir to blend.

Return the beef and any accumulated juices to the pot, and then add the stock, thyme, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. The meat should be just covered with liquid. If not, add additional stock to cover.

Bring the liquid to a boil and then turn off the heat. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven, and cook until the meat is tender but not falling apart, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. (The meat will continue to cook once the vegetables have been added.) Remove from the oven.

(At this point, the stock may be refrigerated. Let the stew cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove the stew from the refrigerator at least 1 1/2 hours before serving and heat the oven to 300 degrees. Remove and discard any accumulated fat from the surface and gently reheat the stew in the oven before proceeding with the next step.)

While the stew is cooking (or reheating), heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots and root vegetables and lightly season with salt. Saute the vegetables until they brighten in color and are crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the vegetables to the stew. Return the pot to the oven and cook, partially covered, until the meat is fork-tender and the sauce is slightly reduced, about 1 more hour, stirring occasionally. Remove the stew from the oven and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with mashed potatoes.

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Most likely, you’ve cooked with red and white wines, but have you tried cooking with rose? Wine is a useful ingredient when cooking. A mere splash can enhance the flavor of soups and stews, sauces and marinades. When wine cooks, the alcohol evaporates, leaving the essence of the wine to infuse a dish. This is why it’s always advised to choose a wine you would like to drink when adding it to a recipe. It doesn’t have to be a pricey bottle, but it should certainly be quaffable.

Generally speaking, when cooking a savory dish with wine, you don’t want to choose one that will overpower with sweetness, fruit and oak. Rather, opt for dry, slightly acidic, un-oaked wines as the best all-around choice. Rose wines fall easily into this category with varietals and blends that range from light and dry to crisp and fruity. Roses can often be added to recipes that are enhanced by white wine, adding acidity and light fruit notes to fish and shellfish, chicken, risotto, pasta and cream sauces, as well as fruity syrups and compotes.

In this recipe, rose wine pairs exceptionally well with the natural sweetness and brininess of sea scallops, while adding a hint of fruity freshness and acidity to balance the rich cream sauce.

Sea Scallops With Pink Peppercorn Cream Sauce

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 3 to 4

1 pound medium-large scallops (about 18)

Salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small shallot, finely chopped, about 2 tablespoons

2 teaspoons pink peppercorns

1 cup dry rose wine

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon chopped tarragon, plus extra for garnish

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for garnish

Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel and then lightly season on all sides with salt.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter and the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the scallops and sear, undisturbed, until a golden brown crust forms, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the scallops and sear on the other side. Transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the same pan and let it melt over medium heat. Add the shallots, peppercorns and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Saute the shallots until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes, scraping up any brown bits in the pan. Pour in the rose and simmer until reduced by about half, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cream and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 more minutes.

Stir in the 1 tablespoon tarragon and the black pepper. Return the scallops to the skillet and simmer over medium heat to gently warm, 1 to 2 minutes.

Transfer to serving plates and garnish with additional tarragon and a few grinds of black pepper.

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This recipe is not entirely authentic. I prefer to call it an improvised Ma Po Tofu, because when the craving strikes for this spicy, satisfying Asian soup, but it happens to be a Sunday night in the dead of winter and you happen to be in your P.J.'s, it’s time to dig deep and improvise.

This happened to me recently, when I turned to a David Tanis recipe in The New York Times as a template. I didn’t have all of the ingredients, so I winged it with what I happened to have stashed in my refrigerator, plus extra smidges of this and that to ramp up the flavor and spice to my taste.

You can do this, too, if you are properly prepared. So, with this in mind -- and in preparation for any future pajama-clad cravings you may experience -- I am here to suggest investing in a few Asian staples to add to your pantry. These are the critical “this and that” condiments that will tip a dish to crave-sating deliciousness, the obscure secret ingredients that add lip-smacking flavor to many spicy and savory dishes, Asian or otherwise. They also have a conveniently long shelf life, so you can tuck them into the back of your cabinet or fridge and forget about them until the need arises or craving strikes.

The first condiment I recommend purchasing is gojuchang. It’s a Korean fermented hot chili paste, which adds a smoky kick of heat, mild glutinous-rice sweetness, and that elusive umami flavor to sauces, marinades and soups, making them positively addicting. The next condiment is fermented black bean and garlic sauce, which has a murky, almost meaty quality that adds depth and savory flavor to stir-fries and marinades.

And, while we are on the subject of must-haves, another ingredient I highly recommend (that is not needed in this recipe, but you’re going to the store anyway) is miso paste. A dab of this fermented soybean paste adds salty, savory, umami flavor to broths, sauces, marinades, even sweets -- think miso-salted caramel. All of these staples can be found in the international section of many well-stocked supermarkets or in Asian specialty stores and can be stored in your refrigerator for up to one year.

And since we are talking about cravings, I will add that once all of the ingredients are assembled for this soup recipe, you can whip it up in a matter of minutes, which is a boon to instant gratification.

Ma Po Tofu

Active Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: Serves 2 to 4

1 ounce dried Porcini mushrooms

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 large red jalapeno chile, seeded, chopped

2 tablespoons fermented hot chili paste, such as gojuchang

1 tablespoon fermented black bean and garlic sauce

2 tablespoons grated fresh peeled ginger

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons chicken or mushroom stock

2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

15 ounces semi-firm tofu, patted dry, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, optional

4 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced

Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat, add the mushrooms, and let steep for 15 minutes.

Heat the oil in a skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chile, chili paste and black bean sauce and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the ginger and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cooking water to the wok. Stir in 1 cup stock, soy sauce and sesame oil.

Slide the tofu into the soup and reduce the heat to medium. Whisk the 1 tablespoon cornstarch with the 3 tablespoons stock and add to the soup, and cook until the soup is hot. Taste for seasoning, and add sugar if desired. Stir in the scallions. Serve hot.

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