Carbonnade á La Flamande Food

CARBONNADE A LA FLAMANDE - BEEF STEW WITH BELGIAN DUBBEL ALE

Steps:

• Turn oven on to 300° F.
• Heat a large heavy pot (with a lid) over medium-high heat and melt the butter.
• Add the lardons and cook them until crisp.
• Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the onions. Stir well and cook until translucent.
• Add the dried thyme and ground allspice and mix them with the onions and lardons.
• Add the beef cubes, dust them with flour and turn them around a few times.
• Add the mustard and brown sugar and stir.
• Add the beef stock and beer and stir again.
• Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.
• Add the bay leaves, salt and pepper, give a final stir and cover with the lid.
• Put the covered pot in the oven and cook for 3 hours. Check to see if the meat is fork tender (it should be) and if needed cook for another 30 mins.

CARBONNADE à LA FLAMANDE

Steps:

• Place a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Dry the beef and heat the fat in a 9- to 10-inch ovenproof casserole or pot until almost smoking. Brown the beef quickly on all sides, a few pieces at a time, removing them as they brown. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss to coat and set aside.
• Reduce heat. Stir in onions, adding more fat if necessary. Brown lightly about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in garlic. Set aside. Add stock to the pan and scrape up the brown bits and coagulated juices.
• Arrange half the beef in the pan and spread with half the onions. Repeat with the remaining beef and onions. Add enough beer to cover the meat. Stir in the brown sugar and bury the herb bouquet in the meat. Bring to a simmer, cover and place in the oven. Cook at a slow simmer (check occasionally) for 2 1/2 hours, until meat is tender.
• Remove from the oven and discard the herb bouquet. Remove beef and skim off the fat. Blend the arrowroot with 2 tablespoons vinegar and stir into the liquid. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until thickened. Adjust seasonings. Return meat to the pan, stir and heat through. Serve with noodles.

CARBONADE FLAMANDE

Steps:

• To a casserole pan add butter. When butter is hot stir in onions and saute until caramelized. Pour browned onions into a sieve over a bowl and let drain. Pour the fat from the onions back into the casserole and when the fat is hot add beef, and remove as slices become brown. Drain in the sieve with the onions.
• In the same casserole, stir in the brown sugar and add the flour. When a roux has formed, stir in mustard and add beer slowly to deglaze the pan. Add beef stock and season with salt and pepper. Pour liquid into a bowl.
• Layer the casserole with the meat and onions, making 3 layers of meat, sandwiching 2 layers of onions. Add a bay leaf and a teaspoon of mixed herbs on each layer of onions. Pour beef sauce back into the casserole. Add more beer to cover the meat if necessary. Bring casserole to a boil, cover and bake in a 300 degree oven for 3 hours. Skim off fat, season with salt and pepper and serve.

CARBONNADE À LA FLAMANDE (FLEMISH BEEF STEW)

Steps:

• In an enameled cast-iron casserole, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Season the beef with salt and pepper and add one-third of it to the casserole. Cook over moderate heat until lightly browned, 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with 2 more batches of meat, using the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
• Add the onions to the casserole, cover and cook over low heat, stirring, until browned, 8 minutes. Stir in the flour until the onions are well-coated, then slowly add the beer. Return the meat to the casserole along with any accumulated juices. Add the thyme and bay leaves, cover and simmer over low heat, stirring, until the beef is tender, 2 hours.
• Uncover and transfer the meat to a bowl. Simmer the sauce over moderate heat until thickened slightly. Discard the bay leaves. Return the meat to the casserole and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with boiled carrots and potatoes.

CARBONNADE A' LA FLAMANDE

Steps:

• Combine first 5 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal; shake to coat.
• Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add bacon to pan; cook one minute. Add beef mixture; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Remove beef from pan.
• Add onion and garlic to pan; saute 5 minutes or until tender.
• Return beef to pan. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add water and the next 7 ingredients; bring to a boil.
• Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Uncover and cook 30 minutes or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaves. Garnish with parsley.

CARBONNADE FLAMANDE

Steps:

• Marinate the beef overnight in the ale with the garlic and bay leaves. The next day, drain the beef from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Pat the meat dry with kitchen paper and toss it in the seasoned flour until evenly coated. Shake off any excess flour.
• Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole until hot. Fry the beef in 3-4 batches for about 5 minutes per batch, stirring occasionally, until it is a rich golden brown all over. You may need to add a little more oil between batches but make sure it is hot again before adding the next batch. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside. Don't worry if the bottom of the casserole is starting to brown, this all adds to the flavour of the finished dish.
• Lower the heat to medium and fry the pancetta in the casserole for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden. Scoop the pancetta out with a slotted spoon and set aside with the beef.
• Preheat the oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/gas 3. Tip the carrots, onions and leek into the casserole and fry, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown - this takes about 12 minutes. Spoon in the tomato purée and continue to cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the beef and pour in the reserved marinade. Bring to a simmer, scraping any sticky bits off the bottom of the pan, then add all the beef stock and bouquet garni to the casserole. Season with salt and pepper and bring everything to the boil. Remove from the heat. Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 2 hours, stirring once halfway through. (The carbonnade may now be left to cool and frozen for up to 1 month. Add 100ml/31⁄2 fl oz more stock to the sauce when reheating.) When the beef is ready, taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if you think it needs it. Scatter the chopped parsley over the top and serve straight from the casserole, with creamy mash or jacket potatoes and buttered greens or cabbage.