with marrow, if you are lucky enough
It was a dark and story evening. Howling winds, driving rain, beautiful April weather and we were having company for dinner. Not just any company but like long-lost-family type company. It was also a school night, and I was in dire need of some comfort food. I am so glad that I chose this Belgian specialty, the house smelled divine and all I had to do was make a salad and some potatoes, noodles or bread to soak up the sauce. I opted for mashed potatoes, like I said I was in the mood for comfort food. I admit that I had visions of spätzle earlier in the day, but they never materialized.
We did have a lovely flobster appetizer, I will let you dwell on that one…
What really makes this dish is the Belgian beer. The Belgian’s have been brewing since the middle ages and have their own distinctive styles and quite a hefty amount of varieties for such a small country. I looked high and low for the perfect Belgian ale to use but settled on an American made version, PranQster Belgian Style Golden Ale, because that is the only thing I could find before 9am on a Wednesday. I am sure if I was shopping later in the day I would have found something at the Wine Company, they have a good selection of imported brews. PranQster is from North Coast Brewing Co out of Fort Bragg, CA, not exactly Belgian, but luck was on my side and it was perfect.
This beautifully fragrant Belgian stew is thinner than a usual stew, that is the way I like it. You could add less liquid or thicken it with flour by adding a spoonful to the softened onions before the liquid is added, or mix a spoon of softened butter with a spoon of flour and add toward the end of cooking but I much prefer the lovely brothiness of it and fear the flour might mute the vibrant flavors. Most certainly it would cloud the broth.
I used a 3 pound chuck roast that happened to have a beautiful marrow bone in the middle. I cut the meat away and trimmed the fat before cutting it into cubes. Saved the marrow bone and added it to the stew pot. One lucky customer got that bone and all that creamy goodness inside!
Carbonnade à la Flamande
serves 6-8
- 3 lbs chuck roast or stew meat cut into bite sized chunks (1-2 inch chunks) and trimmed of most fat
- 2 onions, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 12oz bottle Belgian ale, look for a bottle imported from Belgium for authenticity
- 2 cups beef stock
- handful of mushrooms, optional*
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp allspice
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper
- 1 spoon of red currant jelly or tsp of sugar
Season the meat with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Heat a heavy dutch oven over high heat, add a tablespoon of oil and brown the meat in batches. After each batch is sufficiently browned remove from pot and add the next batch. Add more oil as necessary, but do not use too much. I did it in 2 batches in my 6 qt dutch oven.
After the meat is browned add the onions to the pan, stir to get the fond (browned bits) off the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and sprinkle the onions with a pinch of salt and cracked pepper. Stir frequently to keep the cooking even. Do not let the onions burn, you just want them soft and translucent. When they are getting close add the garlic. When the onions are soft and the garlic is fragrant return the meat and accumulated juices to the pan. Stir in the beer. It will foam for a minute, enjoy. Add the beef stock, mushrooms, thyme, bay leaf and allspice. Stir well. Season with a little more salt and pepper. If you have a marrow bone, put it into the soup pot so that it is in a position like in the photo above.
Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Let it cook for 2-3 hours. It will be done when the meat is tender. At this point it could be set aside for tomorrow (which will make it better) but it is still good to go today. Skim any accumulated fat off the surface. Stir in a spoonful or two of red current jelly for complexity of flavor. Cook for another 5 minutes or so before tasting. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
Serve hot with your favorite starch and salad.
*I used ½ of a bunch from the Bunashimeji tiny mushrooms, they are so cute!
** could be gluten-free if you use a gluten-free beer and, of course, no flour
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Ohhh, this looks yummy! And thanks for teaching me a new word today – “fond.”
Oh Sara, I forgot to mention that today was brought to you by the letter “F”
lol
Carbonnade a la flamande is a famous dish and I am glad i have a great recipe for it now! Love the mushrooms you used with it!
This would be a real hit at our house. Oh the flavor of those ingredients. I must live under a rock or something because I’ve never heard of this dish before.
Oooo, I love marrow. That bone looks so good & this dish sounds very comforting. Not sure I’ve had it but it sounds like something I’d like a lot. Yum.
Yummy, Derrick is totally going to want to make that dish. I will have to show him your post tonight!!!!
MMMMMMMM,…your version of ” stoofvlees ” is a good one!
But normally, we use a darker “trappist beer” for the stew! It gives more darker colour & is a lot more tastier! I know because I am a true Belgian & a Flemish person too!
I love the stew with a thicker sauce but yours looks so tasty too!!
Marrow stew with beer.. yum. I never really learned the name of this dish but I had this once or twice and this is really good.
{ 1 trackback }