Belgian Beef Stew 20 Food

CARBONNADE FLAMANDE (BEEF AND BEER STEW)

Steps:

• Marinate the beef with the beer, the garlic, the bay leaves and a pinch of salt for at least two hours, or overnight.
• Drain the beef and reserve the marinade. Pat dry the beef with paper towels.
• In a dutch oven, heat the olive oil until pipping hot. Fry the beef in batches, until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the beef cubes and reserve.
• In the same dutch oven, fry the bacon until golden and crisp. Reserve with the beef.
• Add the onions, a pinch of salt and fry in the bacon grease, until caramelized (around 10 minutes).
• Add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes until the flour is cooked and the onions are coated.
• Add the beef broth and scrape the bits stuck in the bottom. Add the reserved marinade, the beef, the bacon and the thyme.
• Cook for 1.5 hours.
• Add the brown sugar, the parsley, some fresh pepper and the mustard. Cook for 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle some fresh parsley on top and serve with fries.

BELGIAN BEEF CARBONNADE

Steps:

• Preparation: Remove any excess fat from the beef and cut it in large cubes. Dice onions. Peel carrots and slice into coin shape pieces.
• Pour olive oil into a Dutch oven or large stew pot over a medium flame. Add diced onions and cook for about 3 minutes until they begin to sweat.
• Add the cubed beef and continue to cook about 5 minutes, making sure all the sides of the beef are brown.
• Sprinkle the brown sugar over the beef and onions. Continue to cook a couple minutes to caramelize a bit.
• Add the red wine vinegar, the beer, thyme, bay leaves, parsley and carrots. The liquid should cover the meat and carrots with about 1 cm (1/2 inch) on top. Stir. Reduce the flame, cover the pot, and let cook for about 2.5 hours. Be patient and let your stew cook slowly. Do not stir frequently.
• After 2 hours of cooking check the liquid level in the pot. If there is not much liquid for a sauce, add some water and continue to cook. Check the meat for its tenderness after 2 hours. The fork should enter the meat easily without the meat falling apart. Once it's tender go to the next step. Don't worry if the meat is ready before the time indicated above. Mine is usually done after 2.5 hours. [If you are making this dish in advance to reheat later, remove from the stove when the meat is still a little firm so that it becomes tender when reheating.]
• Add the mustard and stir.
• If the sauce is too thin, prepare a roux by mixing the flour and the butter together to make a smooth paste. Add the roux into pot and cook over low heat a few minutes to thicken up the sauce.
• Add salt and black pepper and adjust herbs to taste. You should be able to taste the meat.

BELGIAN BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Blanch the bacon for 1 minute in boiling water. Drain.
• Place bacon and butter or margarine in a large covered pot or Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat until bacon is browned. Add onions; cook until golden. Add garlic, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes; take care not to burn the garlic. Remove bacon mixture from pot, and set aside.
• Add beef to the fat left in the pot, and brown on all sides. When meat is browned, return bacon mixture to the pot. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Add enough beer to just barely cover the meat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cover. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Remove pot from heat, and stir in parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Serve hot.

BELGIAN BEEF AND ONION STEW

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to second from the bottom level. Preheat oven to 300°F. Rinse and dry beef thoroughly with paper towels, then season generously with salt and pepper on all sides. Heat 2 tsp oil in large cast iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke; add 1/3 of beef to pot. Cook without moving pieces until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and using tongs, turn each piece and continue cooking until second side is well browned, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer browned beef to medium bowl. Add an additional 2 tsp oil and half of remaining beef. When completely browned, transfer to bowl. Repeat once more with another 2 tsp oil and the remaining beef. Transfer to bowl. Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to the Dutch oven and reduce heat to medium-low. Add onions, 1/2 tsp salt, and tomato paste; cook, scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits (onions will release some moisture), about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and stir until onions are evenly coated and flour is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. You want to cook out any raw flour flavor. Stir in broth, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits. Stir in beer, thyme, bay leaves, vinegar, all the browned beef with any accumulated juices in the bowl, and salt and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to full simmer, stirring occasionally. Cover partially and transfer to the oven. After 1-1/2 hours, stir in chopped prunes. Cook until fork inserted into beef meets very little resistance, about 30 to 60 additional minutes, for a total of about 2 to 2-1/2 hours cooking time. Discard thyme and bay leaves. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste and serve over noodles or potatoes. Will hold, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat over medium-low heat.

INSTANT POT BEEF & BEER BELGIAN STEW (CARBONNADE A LA FLAMANDE)

Steps:

• Liberally season the beef cubes with salt and pepper. You can also roll it in flour if you wish. I wanted a thinner stew with lots of sauce and also a gluten-free version so I didn't bother with adding the flour.
• Choose the saute setting in your instant pot. Melt the butter with the oil. Brown the cubed beef in batches to sear. Place the beef cubes in a large platter as you cook.
• Saute the onions in the remaining fat in the pot until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or 2. Pour a little of the ale to deglaze the pot.
• Return the meat to the instant pot and mix well with the onions and garlic. Pour in the entire content of the beer bottle. Add the bouquet garni, vinegar and brown sugar. Stir everything.
• Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes or until the beef is fork-tender. Allow a natural release.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning with a little salt and pepper, if desired. Remove the bouquet garni. Add a little flour or cornstarch diluted with a little water to thicken the sauce. Alternatively, simply continue cooking the stew on saute setting until it thickens to your liking. Garnish with some fresh chopped parsley before serving, if desired.
• Serve with fries, bread or rice! Pour all that yummy sauce on top!

STOOFVLEES (BELGIAN BEEF STEW)

Steps:

• Glaze the onion in margarine in a large skillet.
• Add the beef and cook until it has browned.
• Add all of the beer, the beef, the chocolate and the bay leaf.
• Spread the mustard onto the slices of peperkoek or bread and place in top of the meat.
• Add salt and pepper to your taste.
• Leave to cook on low heat for at least 1 1/2 hours, but the longer it cooks the better it tastes, stir from time to time preventing it to burn. The sauce should have a pretty thick consistency.
• The leftovers of this recipe can be frozen or the recipe can easily be doubled.
• Enjoy!

CARBONNADE FLAMANDE (FLEMISH STEW)

Steps:

• Place the beef into a large bowl and cover with the flour, salt, and pepper. Toss/combine until the beef is well-covered on all sides.
• Place a large cast iron frying pan or Dutch oven on the stove top over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Brown the beef in the pan, taking care not to crowd the pieces together (you'll most likely want to work in batches). Once the beef has been well-browned (~3-4 minutes per batch), remove it from the pan and set it aside.
• Add the bacon to the now-empty pan and cook until the fat is fully rendered and the bacon is a little bit crisp.
• Reduce the heat to low and add the onions, garlic, and remaining butter to the pan. Cook slowly, until the onions are well-caramelized - on average 35-45 minutes. Ensure that your heat is truly low enough; a large coil on a gas stove may still be too hot when set on low, especially as the caramelization stage nears.
• Add the beer to the pan and scrape it gently to deglaze any stuck-on bits. Bring the heat back up to medium-high and simmer until the liquid is reduced by about ¼.
• Transfer the contents of the frying pan and the beef to an electric pressure cooker, slow cooker, or large Dutch Oven (see next step for cooking variations). Add the beef stock, sugar, vinegar, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. You may wish to lightly salt the dish at this point, but adjust the final taste closer to the completion point.
• Pressure Cooker: Seal and cook at high pressure (manual) for 45 minutes. Allow the pressure to reduce naturally for at least 15 minutes before venting.Slow Cooker: Cover and slow cook on low for 6-7 hours, or until the beef is very tender.Stovetop: Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 2-3 hours, or until the meat is very tender.
• Remove finished stew from heat and adjust the final taste with salt and, if necessary, a little brown sugar and/or vinegar. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with bread, potatoes, or (my favourite) fries.

STOOFVLEES (FLEMISH BEEF STEW)

Steps:

• Peel and roughly dice the onions.
• Melt a knob of butter and about 1 tbsp of oil in a large (preferably cast-iron) casserole over medium heat. Sauté the onions until soft and just starting to brown. Remove from the casserole and put into a large container.
• Add 1 to 2 more tbsp of oil to the casserole. Season the beef and add the meat to the casserole. Brown the beef cubes over medium heat in batches. (About 7 to 8 pieces of meat per batch should do the trick.) Once browned, add each batch to the onions.
• Add the Loonse stroop/syrup and beer to the casserole and turn up the heat. Bring to a boil and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the casserole.
• Once the stewing liquid comes to a boil, add the onion and beef cubes back to the casserole, along with the cloves and bouquet garni. Give the stew-to-be a good stir and bring to a simmer.
• Next, spread 1 tbsp of mustard on each slice of bread and place both slices (mustard side down) on top of the stew. (They'll disintegrate completely, adding flavour to the stew and thickening the sauce.)
• Let the stew simmer (uncovered!) for 1.5 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Then pop a lid on and simmer for another 15 minutes. This adds a touch more moisture back to the casserole, which the dish will need. Remove from the heat.
• Remove the bouquet garni (and cloves, if you can find them). Add the tablespoon of vinegar, and give your stoofvlees a good stir.
• Now comes the most difficult part. Leave it alone for at least 12 hours (with the lid on). The flavours will build up even more. It can be eaten straight away as well, but it will always taste better the day after.

BELGIAN BEEF STEW WITH BEER

Steps:

• Season beef with salt and pepper, saute in a Dutch oven with half of the oil over medium-high heat till browned, remove to plate.
• Add remaining oil and onions to the Dutch oven, cook till tender and browned (make sure heat is low enough that they don't burn, about medium), about 5 minutes - add garlic during the last half minute and saute with the onions.
• Meanwhile whisk the flour into the beef broth.
• Stir in beer, vinegar and thyme to the Dutch oven, heat to boiling.
• Add the broth-flour mixture, beef and bay leaves, stir till thickened and bubbly.
• Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 2 - 2 1/2 hours or till meat is tender.
• You could also use a slow cooker for this, and cook for 8 hours.

BELGIUM BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Dredge the meat in the flour. In a Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Brown meat in butter, then add the onions and fry until glazed. Stir in water and vinegar. Season with thyme, bay leaves, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Mix in the beer. Spread mustard over bread, then add the bread and the carrots to the meat. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Mix in the brown sugar (two tablespoons is a minimum! A lot of people prefer more).

FLEMISH BEEF STEW

Steps:

• In medium saucepan over moderate heat, melt butter. Add beef cubes and sauté, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned on most sides, about 4 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl (do not clean saucepan) and add flour, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine, then transfer to slow cooker.
• In same saucepan over high heat, bring 1 cup ale to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. Pour over beef in slow cooker. Stir in remaining 2 cups ale, onions, garlic, brown sugar, mustard, thyme, bay leaves, and cloves. Cover and cook on low 6 hours. Add bread and continue cooking until meat is tender and sauce has thickened, 2 to 3 hours more.
• Stir in lemon juice. Garnish with basil or parsley and serve hot.