Carbonnade à la Flamande/Stoofvlees (Flemish stew)
Carbonnade à la Flamande or Stoofvlees consists of beef stewed in beer (Belgian, of course) with a sauce thickened with bread and mustard. It's simmered on low heat for hours until the meat melts in your mouth. Every family has their own recipe; some people add mushrooms or onions, or other vegetables. But everyone agrees – it is best served over Belgian frites (French fries, which were invented and perfected in Belgium).Carbonnade is the perfect dish for a cold winter day. It’s extremely filling and it’s effortless to make – once everything is in the pot, it just simmers away.
Ingredients
- 500 g stewing beef (the more marbled, the better as it will break down better) diced
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 bottle dark Belgian beer (I've also used Guinness in a pinch)
- 2 slices bread (stale is fine, but remove any thick crusts or it will make the sauce lumpy)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- Dijon mustard (I love tarragon mustard for this recipe) to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- oil or butter for browning the meat
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, brown the beef on all sides in oil or butter, then set the meat aside.
- Slowly fry the onion in the remaining oil/butter until soft and golden.
- Return the browned beef to the pan and pour in the beer.
- Add the thyme, bay, salt, and pepper.
- Spread mustard on one side of each slice of bread and add to the top of the beer/meat mixture, mustard side-down.
- Turn down the heat to low, cover the pot, and let the stew simmer until the meat is soft - usually 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally and add water or stock if the sauce gets too thick.
- Serve over fries or mashed potatoes.