As with most peasant food, there are many, many versions all claiming to be the most traditional. I put this one together drawing on my personal experiences from eating it in Belgium on several occasions along with a bit of my own peasant instincts. This meal is definitely going to stick to your ribs…

Ingredients:

2 lbs of cubed stew beef (short ribs are best)

2 large onions halved and sliced

2 stalks of Celery, coarsely chopped

2 carrots coarsely chopped

Pinch of dried thyme

Salt & Pepper

¼ cup of flour (seasoned with a bit of salt)

2 tbsp butter

2 Tbsp canola oil

2 ½ cups of Flemish sour ale* 

Lightly dust the beef in the seasoned flour and brown it in a bit of butter/oil mixture. Add onions, celery and carrot along with the remaining butter/oil and get that cooking with the beef and season with salt and pepper.  When the veggies become translucent, add the beer and thyme. Cover the pot and lower the heat to the lowest setting and simmer for at least 2 hours (longer if stew beef is used). Stir occasionally, making sure nothing sticks and burns on the bottom. If you would like a thicker stew, remove the cover about 30-40 minutes before mealtime to reduce the liquid. The stew is ready when the beef is tender and the sauce is at a gravy-like consistency. The onions will be cooked into the juice along with the celery. The carrots pieces may still be visible. Serve with a side of Belgian Frites (Fries) (with mayo, of course) or buttered French bread.

Flemish Sour ales such as Rodenbach or Vichtenaar are perfect pairings with this beer and also in it…

(* Flemish sour ale is not available in WV (surprised?). You can use brown ale along with a few teaspoons of malt vinegar as a substitute in the stew; not to drink of course)  

Belgian Frites (temperature controlled frying is needed)

(Of course you Know that French Fries actually originated in Belgium… Right?) 

4 or 5 Yukon Gold potatoes cut into French-fry size (rinse and soak in cold water)

Canola or Peanut oil for fryer

Technique: Set the fryer to about 350 degrees F. Remove potatoes from the water and thoroughly dry them. Drop the potatoes in the fryer and immediately set the temperature to 325. Fry for 4 minutes (they will still look pale), drain and spread on a drip pan or paper towel to cool. Set the fryer temperature to 400 degrees. Drop the room temperature potatoes into the hot oil and immediately set the temperature to 375. Fry the potatoes for 4-6 minutes until the desired golden brown color. Drain them as before and salt to taste. Serve with a dollop of good mayonnaise. 

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 15th, 2008 at 8:27 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.