Description
A hearty but complex beef stew cooked with Belgian beer.
Ingredients
Scale
- 500 grams stewing beef, cubed
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 large onions, sliced
- salt and pepper
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp flour
- ½ bottle of Rodenbach (or comparable sour beer such as a Flanders Red or Brown)
- ½ bottle of Westmalle Dubbel (or comparable dubbel)
- 250 ml beef stock
- 1 large bay leaf
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 Tbsp spicy mustard
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (or to taste)
Instructions
- Season the beef with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat, add a tablespoon of oil and then the beef.
- Brown the beef on all sides.
- Remove the beef and deglaze the pan with a bit of beef broth.
- Remove any beef bits and pour the mixture on top of the resting meat.
- Turn down the heat to medium-low.
- Add the butter and onions. Sauté the onions gently for about 15 minutes, or until softened.
- Add the brown sugar to the onions after about 10 minutes to help them caramelize.
- Finally, add the flour to the onion mix and stir well.
- Add the beef to the onions and turn the heat up.
- Slowly pour the beer into the pot.
- Once the bubbling has subsided, add just enough beef broth to fully cover the beef and onions. Let the mix come to a boil and then turn the heat down to low and simmer for two hours or until the meat is tender.
- Stir as needed to prevent it from burning on the bottom.
- To finish, remove the thyme and bay leaf and stir in the chopped parsley and mustard.
Notes
Tip: if you like a thicker, gravy-like broth, you can try a trick used by some traditional stoverij recipes. Spread mustard over a couple of pieces of brown bread or peperkoek (gingerbread) and place them mustard side down on top of the dish as you start it simmering. It will break down while the stew cooks and thicken it.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Main