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  • 500 gr of beef

  • 2 onions

  • 2 bottles of beer. 

  • 1 tbsp of runny honey

  • fresh thyme

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 2 cloves

  • 2 slices of brown bread

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Dark Trappist beer pairs perfectly with this dish

Belgian Beer & Beef Stew

One of the classics of Belgian cuisine is a good, old beef & beer stew. It’s served with a generous helping of French (well, actually Belgian) fries and a splash of mayo.

 

There are many ways to make it, some quick, other more elaborate. I’ll go for a more elaborate version today, with the secret ingredient Belgian grandmothers used.

 

It takes a while to cook, but you can make it in large batches and freeze some for later.

Chop the onions up roughly and let them stew in a pan on a low heat. Season your beef with salt & pepper and sear them nicely on all sides. You want a really hot pan for this, so you can colour the meat, but not yet cook it. Once seared, add the beef to the onions and allow it all to simmer on gently.

 

Add the beer in the pan you used to sear your flesh and gently bring it to the boil. Make sure you get all the nice sticky bits that remained in the pan. This will make a great sauce. Pour the beer over the beef and onion.

  • mustard

  • 2 knobs of butter

  • Worcestershire sauce 

Make a bouquet garni of the thyme and bay leaves by tying them together with some kitchen rope. Throw it in with the stew, together with the cloves. Cover one side of your bread slices richly with the mustard and place them, mustard side down, on top of your stew.

 

Now you let it simmer on until your sauce has thickened into a rich, gooey gravy. Add a royal splash of your Worcestershire sauce (or vinegar, as it was originally done), stir and cover it all with the lid.

 

Stir occasionally and allow it to simmer on until the beef has turned soft and nearly falls apart. Take out the herbs and you’re ready to go!

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