Stoofvlees Flemish Beef Stew Recipes

CARBONNADE (STOOFVLEES)

Steps:

• Cut the beef into 1 inch (2cm) cubes.
• Mince onions and dice bacon into large pieces.
• Melt the butter and sauté the onions for 10 minutes covered at low heat.
• Add the bacon then increase the heat slightly. Stir regularly but keep covered.
• After 10 minutes, remove everything except the liquid and set aside in a dish.
• Increase to maximum heat then sauté the meat in the uncovered pan. Stir regularly. The meat should be browned on all sides.
• Remove the pan from the heat.
• Put the meat in a dish keeping the juices in the pan.
• Dissolve brown sugar in the remaining liquid and make a reduction. You should have about half of the original liquid.
• Once reduced, turn the heat to low and add the bacon and onion mixture then the meat and stir.
• Add the bouquet garni and cover with the beer. Add a little salt.
• Gently cover the entire surface with gingerbread on which you would have spread mustard.
• Simmer, covered, for 3 hours without stirring, until the gingerbread is melted.
• If after three hours, the juice is too liquid, uncover the pot and continue to simmer.

BEEF STEW FROM FLEMISH BELGIUM, OR VLAAMSCHE STOOFLEES

Steps:

• 1. I'm entering these directions exactly as they're written in the cookbook, as they are translated from Flemish to English. I thought it would add an interesting flair. ha!
• 2. Heat the butter in a large saucepan. Chop the onions into medium large pieces en let them fry in butter until golden brown. Remove the onions from the saucepan. Fry the pieces of meat in the same pan until they are brown all over. Turn them occasionally so they will not burn. Season the meat with salt and pepper.
• 3. Add the onions together with the parsley, thyme, bay mustard and sugar. Stir well and add the beer. Replace the lid and leave to cook gently for 180 minutes. Stir the content of the saucepan once in awhile. The meat is ready when it is very tender an it almost melts in your mouth. If you prefer the sauce a bit more consistent, you can always use some flour to bind it.
• 4. Serve with fries and fresh applemousse.
• 5. TIP: If you don't see yourself staying home for the three hours till the meat is well done, you can always place the saucepan during 240 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 160°C. [My note: a Dutch Oven would work well for this!]

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.

FLEMISH BEEF STEW

Steps:

• In medium saucepan over moderate heat, melt butter. Add beef cubes and sauté, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned on most sides, about 4 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl (do not clean saucepan) and add flour, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine, then transfer to slow cooker.
• In same saucepan over high heat, bring 1 cup ale to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. Pour over beef in slow cooker. Stir in remaining 2 cups ale, onions, garlic, brown sugar, mustard, thyme, bay leaves, and cloves. Cover and cook on low 6 hours. Add bread and continue cooking until meat is tender and sauce has thickened, 2 to 3 hours more.
• Stir in lemon juice. Garnish with basil or parsley and serve hot.