Recipe: Flemish Stew

Ingredients:

  • 2 onions
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 800 grams of beefsteak
  • salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • flour
  • 20-30 grams of butter
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 twigs of thyme
  • 1 stock cube (beef)
  • 3 cloves
  • grated nutmeg (less than half a teaspoon)
  • 1 bottle of trappist double (maybe get a 2nd in case the stew gets too thick)
  • 1 slice of ontbijtkoek 
  • dijon mustard
  • hand full of mushrooms
  • fries 

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven at 160°C (320° F).
  2. Peel and dice the onions and garlic.Cut your meat into ± 4-5 cm cubes (1,5-2 inches), dust with salt, pepper and some flour.
  3. Heat your butter in a big, oven-safe pan, fry the meat ‘till it’s nicely browned but not done.
  4. Add the sliced onions and garlic for about 2 minutes.
  5. Add the bay leaf, thyme, stock cube, cloves and slightly less than half a teaspoon of nutmeg.
  6. Muck in a bottle of trappist double, and then let the dish stew in the oven for ± 1,5 hours, uncovered.
  7. After the 1,5 hours, add the slice of ontbijtkoek on which you spread a royal layer of mustard.
  8. Put back in the oven for another ± 1,5 hours, where you might want to put the lid on if the meat starts turning too brown, or the sauce just up and vanishes on you.
  9. Then, 30-40 min before serving, add your mushrooms in slices (or half slices if they’re big).
  10. Add some extra beer if the stew looks like it’s getting too solid.

Serve with fries, and if you’re feeling healthy, a simple salad.