My good friend Hanna has once again introduced me to another scrumptious Belgian fare. Growing up, this is a dish often served in her family. It is usually accompanied with French fries or boiled potatoes and mayonnaise on the side. Just like any other recipe, there are many variations. Although the recipe calls for the use of a Dutch oven, Hanna used a crock pot to simmer the stew on low for about 8-10 hours instead . The result was a rich and hearty delicious stew. This is officially one of my favorite dishes.
Ingredients:
4 pounds boneless stew meat, such as chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3 large onions (about 2 pounds), thinly sliced
2 bottles (12 ounces each) Belgian beer (Look for a rich, dark, and slightly bitter beer, such as Rodenbach or a dark Abbey beer.
2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 slice of day old white bread (or country style bread)
1/2 tablespoons red currant jelly (or brown sugar)
1 tablespoon cider or red wine vinegar
Directions:
Season the beef cubes with the salt and pepper and dredge with the flour. Shake off any excess.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large heavy skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the beef cubes and saute until nicely browned on all sides. Work in batches so as not to crowd the beef cubes, or they will steam instead of saute. Add 1 tablespoon of butter, if necessary. Transfer the beef cubes to a heavy Dutch oven.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet and melt over medium heat. Add the onions and cook stirring occasionally, until browned, about 15 minutes. If necessary, raise the heat toward the end of the cooking time. It is important to brown the meat and the onions evenly to give the stew its deep brown color. The trick is to stir the onions just enough to avoid burning the but not so often as to interrupt the browning process. Combine the onions with the meat in the Dutch oven.
Deglaze the skillet with the beer, scraping with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits, and bring to a boil. Pour the beer over the meat. Add the thyme and bay leaves. Meanwhile spread the dijon mustard on one side of the bread then place bread on top of stew. Simmer, covered, over low heat until the meat is very tender, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Before serving, stir in the red currant jelly and vinegar; simmer for 5 minutes. Taste, adjust the seasoning and serve. Best with frites!
Serves 6 to 8
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