Beef Stew
This is an authentic Flemish recipe for beef stew so no wonder, one of its main ingredients is beer. This rich, brown stew makes an excellent main dish on a cold winter evening.
Serves 4
2 lb. lean, stewing beef
2 oz. butter
1 lb. peeled, sliced onions
2 cups beer
Salt and pepper
Pinch of thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons plain flour
4 tablespoons water
4 lumps sugar
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
Cut the beef into oblong pieces, roughly 3 inches by 1 inch. Heat the butter in a frying pan and fry the meat till browned all over. Remove the meat from the frying pan and place in a saucepan. Now, add thinly sliced onions to the frying pan and cook for 10 minutes till they are lightly browned. Transfer to the saucepan.
Pour in the beer into the frying pan, swirl it around and then pour it out into the saucepan. Next, add in the salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves to the sauce pan and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and simmer gently for about 2 hours. Cook till the meat is tender. Blend the flour to a smooth paste using the water and then add in to the pan. Next, stir in the sugar and vinegar. Keep stirring till the stew thickens a bit.
For best results, use beer that has gone flat and has no traces of bubbling left.