Belgium has also reached the semi-finals of the football World Cup. My father is very very happy about that. He’s a big fan. Consequently, I had to put a Belgian dish on the menu. I did a little research about Belgian food because the only thing I knew was the waffles. And since I don’t have a waffle iron, I decided for the Flemish beef and beer stew also known as Carbonades Flamandes.
A stew is always a great idea. It’s a one pot dish! And when you can cook the stew only with beer (no water added), then is a stew the best idea! A winner! This Flemish beef and beer stew, a one-pot dish, consists of many special ingredients. Besides beer, there are the aromatic herbs, bread and cloves.
Would you like to know more about it? Keep reading and you will find what are the other delicious ingredients of this delicious Belgian dish.
Ingredients for 3-4 portions of Flemish beef and beer stew:
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 400 g beef (2cm cubes)
- 1 l dark beer
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- rosemary
- thyme
- 3 cloves
- 2 laurel leaves
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp mustard
- 2 slices of brown bread
Drizzle some olive oil in a deep pot. Once it gets hot add the beef cubes. Brown them on all sides. They should get those nice crispy edges. Then add a splash of beer (50-100ml) in order to collect all the good flavours at the bottom of the pot. Furthermore, add the butter, chopped onion and garlic. Keep stirring until the onion gets glossy and transparent.
Now, it’s time to pour in the rest of the dark beer, sprinkle the sugar and add the laurel leaves with other aromatic herbs. I put the rosemary, thyme and cloves in a tea-bag. Actually, I put the tea-bag with herbs in other 2 tea-bags (for “safety”). That will make it easier later to remove them from the pot all at once.
Moreover, after the stew starts to simmer, place the two slices of bread spread with mustard on top of the beef. The bread will slowly vanish and will help thicken the stew. Cook on low heat for about 2 hours and give it a stir from time to time to avoid sticking at the bottom of the pot.
When the beef is tender, remove the herbs from the pot and you are ready to serve this delicious Flemish beef and beer stew. Enjoy a nice bowl of this rich stew with your family and friends. I can easily imagine it as party food as well.
Smakelijk!
P.S.: The FOODball journey brought us to many countries around the World. Belgium is not the last stop. Not yet.
