Belgian Stew 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.

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).

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!

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.

BEEF CARBONNADE WITH VEGETABLES: BELGIAN BEEF STEW

Steps:

• 1. Combine 2 tablespoons flour and smoked paprika in a large bowl; add the beef chunks. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat evenly. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat, and add the oil. Brown the meat, in batches, taking care not to crowd the pan, turning to sear all sides, about 6 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer the beef with a slotted spoon to a plate.
• 3. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally until just soft, 5 to 7 minutes, adding a few tablespoons water if the pot gets too dark or begins to burn. Add the beer, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the broth, molasses and thyme.
• 4. Return the beef and any accumulated juices to the pot. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the beef is tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Add the potatoes, carrots, and parsnips; continue to simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender but not mushy, about 40 minutes more.
• 5. Stir together the remaining 1 teaspoon flour and melted butter to make a paste. Stir the flour mixture into the stew and simmer until the broth is slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard the thyme sprigs and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. If desired, sprinkle with parsley. Transfer stew to a serving bowl and serve.

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 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.