Flemish Beef Stew

By Marlenew

Carbonades Flamandes

This traditional Flemish recipe is perfect for the slow cooker. After hours over low heat, the meat becomes remarkably tender, the onions are sweetly caramelized, and the ale simmers down to a rich sauce. If you prefer a thicker stew, remove the lid for the last two hours of cooking. Serve this dish with a good Belgian beer.

This recipe was originally part of a feature on slow cooking. For additional recipes and tips for using a slow cooker, click here.

Ingredients

• 2tablespoons2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 1/2pounds3 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 3tablespoons3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1teaspoon1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2teaspoon1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3cups3 cups amber ale such as Grolsch or dark beer such as Heinekin Dark Lager
• 5medium5 medium yellow onions, sliced
• 33 garlic cloves, minced
• 2tablespoons2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2tablespoons2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 33 whole sprigs fresh thyme
• 22 bay leaves
• 22 whole cloves
• 2(1/2-inch thick) slices2 (1/2-inch thick) slices day-old country bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1tablespoon1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1/2 medium lemon), or to taste
• Fresh basil or parsley, chopped, for garnish
• Slow cooker

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from epicurious.com

Preparation

Step 1

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.