Ingredients
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1 kg stewing beef
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2 large onions
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1 bouquet garni2 bay leaves, a few sprigs of fresh thyme and a few sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
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2 cloves
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2 slices brown bread
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2 tbsp sharp mustard
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2 tbsp Loonse stroopor any other thick redcurrant syrup
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1 l dark beer
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1 tbsp vinegar
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a few knobs of Butter
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Vegetable Oil
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sea salt & fresh pepper
Directions
Flemish beef stew is just as it sounds… a tender, slow cooked beef… but it is made Flemish by the beer they simmer it in! They also add bay leaves, and it is said that whomever gets the bay leaf in their bowl will have good luck for the year. I’d say you’re lucky just to be eating it though… as this dish is thickened with bread, traditional mustard, and syrup from Liège… Belgium in a bowl!!
Preparation:
- Melt a knob of butter and about 1 tbsp of oil in a large casserole over medium heat. Sauté the diced 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. 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.
- Let the stew simmer, uncovered, for 1.5 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Then pop a lid on and simmer for another 15 minutes. 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 flavors will build up even more. It can be eaten straight away as well, but it will always taste better the day after.
