OF CARBONNADE FLAMANDE AND OTHER BELGIAN DELIGHTS
Carbonnade Flamande is a traditional Belgian-Flemish casserole made with beef or pork, stewed in a beer-based sauce with onions, vegetables, herbs, and spices until meltingly tender, flavourful, and delicious.
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Beef or pork is marinated in Ale and spices for several hours or overnight, then quickly seared and stewed low and slow with beer, onions, herbs, and spices until tender and full of flavour. The beer, vegetables, and spices blend into a delicious, rich, and flavourful sauce.
I've never been particularly keen on beer. However, I do enjoy Belgian Trappist ales, such as the famous Chimay 'Capsule Bleu' (blue bottle cap), used in this recipe. Its beautiful chestnut color and rose-floral, spicy, caramel taste make it really enjoyable. Especially when paired with Trappist cheese, it becomes a culinary delight.
Trappist Ale is brewed by Trappist Monks, a branch of the Roman-Catholic Cistercian order. In accordance with one of their rules, ora et labora - pray and work, which requires the Monks to dedicate a significant portion of their day to manual labor to support themselves and assist others. This means that the beer must be brewed, or its brewing must be overseen, by the Monks within their Trappist Monasteries, or in breweries near the Monasteries.
Among other products, they produce a range of Trappist cheeses, such as the Chimay 'Grand Classique', a delightful, semi-soft, buttery cheese with a flavour reminiscent of yeast or bread crust.
The Trappist beer imparts a distinct flavour to the Carbonnade Flamande. During the long cooking time, it melds together with the onions, herbs, and spices, resulting in a rich and flavourful sauce.
Carbonnade Flamande is an excellent dish for Sunday lunch and perfect comfort food for the cold season.
Like any braised meat, Carbonnade Flamande needs to be cooked low and slow. High heat can make meat tough and chewy. Braising it slowly at a low temperature allows the connective tissue in the meat to break down, resulting in tender meat. If you stick with this simple rule, this recipe is almost fail-safe and has turned out great every time I've made it. Just make sure to use a good piece of stewing meat; ask your butcher for a recommendation.
Carbonnade Flamande is perfect for dinner parties and overnight guests since you can prepare it in advance, knowing that, like any braised dish, it will improve in flavour as it rests and is reheated.
When I prepare the stew for Sunday lunch, I typically begin to marinate the meat on Saturday morning. I cook the dish on Saturday late afternoon and leave it in the oven at low temperatures for several hours until the meat becomes tender. After leaving it to cool, I store it in the fridge overnight, allowing the meat and flavours to blend. Tender, juicy and ready for Sunday lunch.
Before finding this recipe and making it myself, I had never tried Carbonnade Flamande - rest assured, I've enjoyed it many times since. To add to the surprise, the recipe I always use is from a UK website.
While it may not be 100% authentic, it's absolutely delicious. You'll just have to take my word for it... and that of the many happy family members and friends I have served it to.
LINK1
HOW TO MAKE
CARBONNADE FLAMANDE
A traditional Belgian-Flemish casserole made with beef or pork, stewed in a beer-based sauce with onions, vegetables, herbs, and spices until meltingly tender, flavourful, and delicious.
Jump to: TEXT RECIPE
Recipe Source: 'Carbonnade Flamande', BBC GoodFood
- 1 1/4 kg stewing beef (eg neck or shoulder with plenty of connective tissue)
- 3 garlic cloves, slightly crushed
- 400ml Blue Chimay Ale (or Leffe, or other Trappist Ale)
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- freshly milled black pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 250g pancetta, diced
- 2 carrots
- 2 onions
- 1 leek
- 1 tablespoon tomato purée
- 350 ml beef stock (or from stock cube)
- 1 Bouquet Garni (a small bunch of thyme, parsley stalks, a bay leave and 6 pepper corns tied in muslin)
- a handful of parsley
Equipment needed: a large thick-bottomed, oven-proof casserole (preferably cast iron) with a tight-fitting lid.
DAY 1/OVERNIGHT: MARINATE THE BEEF
Begin by marinating the meat a day in advance. This will help to tenderise the meat and infuse it with flavour:
Pour 400ml of beer into a large bowl. Peel and crush 3 garlic cloves with the palm of your hand, then add them together with 2 bay leaves to the bowl. Cut the beef into 4 cm cubes and mix them with the beer, ensuring the beef is well-coated and submerged in the marinade. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for several hours or overnight, stirring once during this time, if possible.
2 Drain the beef and coat with flour: drain the beef, reserving the marinade, garlic and bay leaves. Thoroughly pat the meat dry with kitchen paper. Add 3 tablespoons of flour to a large bowl and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well. Add the meat to the flour and toss until evenly coated.
3 Sear the beef: heat the casserole over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Shake any excess flour off the meat. When the oil is hot, sear the meat in batches in the hot oil, about 5 minutes per batch, turning them, until they are golden brown on all sides. This will add flavour to the final dish. Transfer the browned meat to a plate. Fry the remaining meat, adding more oil between batches if needed, but always making sure that the oil is hot before adding the next batch. Don't worry about any brown bits sticking to the bottom of the pot. They will come off later when the liquid is added, enhancing the flavour to the final dish.
4 Sauté the pancetta: lower the heat to medium and sauté the pancetta for 6-8 minutes until crisp and golden, stirring occasionally. Scoop the pancetta out with a slotted spoon and set aside with the beef.
6 Sauté the vegetables: Meanwhile clean and cut the carrots and leek into rounds, dice the onions. Add the vegetables to the pot and sauté them over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 12 minutes.
Add 1 tablespoon of tomato purée and continue to cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
7 Deglaze the pot: Return the reserved marinade, garlic, bay leaves, beef and pancetta to the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, stirring them in.
8 Add the beef stock and Bouquet Garni: Add 350 ml beef stock and the Bouquet Garni to the pot. For the Bouquet Garni: wrap a few parsley stems without leaves, thyme sprigs, 1 bay leave and 6 peppercorns in gauze and secure well with kitchen twine. If you don't have gauze, simply tie the herbs together with kitchen twine, and place the peppercorns in a tea egg if available.
9 Season and cook: Season the Carbonnade with salt and freshly ground black pepper, bring it to a boil, then take it immediately off the heat. Cover the pot with a lid, transfer to the pre-heated oven and leave to cook for about 2 hours, stirring once after 1 hour. The low temperature allows the meat to cook slowly, giving the meat fibres time to relax and resulting in tender meat.
After 2 hours, check if the meat is fork-tender, meaning the fibres should easily pull apart when using two forks. Cooking time may vary, depending on the beef cut used.
10 Serve hot, with a sprinkle of chopped parsley. Goes well with boiled, fried or roast potatoes, mash or jacket potatoes, and buttered greens. And of course a glass of cold Chimay on the side.
Or serve with: HASSELBACK POTATOES, MINI HERBED POMMES ANNA, or GRATIN DAUPHINOIS.
LINK2
TEXT RECIPE
CARBONNADE FLAMANDE
A traditional Belgian-Flemish casserole made with beef or pork, stewed in a beer-based sauce with onions, vegetables, herbs, and spices until meltingly tender, flavourful, and delicious.
Jump to: PICTURE RECIPE
Recipe Source: 'Carbonnade Flamande', BBC GoodFood
INGREDIENTS: Serves 4:
- 1 1/4 kg stewing beef (eg neck or shoulder with plenty of connective tissue)
- 3 garlic cloves, slightly crushed
- 400ml Blue Chimay Ale (or Leffe, or other Trappist Ale)
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- freshly milled black pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 250g pancetta, diced
- 2 carrots
- 2 onions
- 1 leek
- 1 tablespoon tomato purée
- 350 ml beef stock (or from stock cube)
- 1 Bouquet Garni (a small bunch of thyme, parsley stalks, a bay leave and 6 pepper corns tied in muslin)
- a handful of parsley
Begin by marinating the meat a day in advance. This will help to tenderise the meat and infuse it with flavour:
Pour 400ml of beer into a large bowl. Peel and crush 3 garlic cloves with the palm of your hand, then add them together with 2 bay leaves to the bowl. Cut the beef into 4 cm cubes and mix them with the beer, ensuring the beef is well-coated and submerged in the marinade. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for several hours or overnight, stirring once during this time, if possible.
DAY 2: COOK THE DISH2 Drain the beef and coat with flour: drain the beef, reserving the marinade, garlic and bay leaves. Thoroughly pat the meat dry with kitchen paper. Add 3 tablespoons of flour to a large bowl and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well. Add the meat to the flour and toss until evenly coated.
3 Sear the beef: heat the casserole over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Shake any excess flour off the meat. When the oil is hot, sear the meat in batches in the hot oil, about 5 minutes per batch, turning them, until they are golden brown on all sides. This will add flavour to the final dish. Transfer the browned meat to a plate. Fry the remaining meat, adding more oil between batches if needed, but always making sure that the oil is hot before adding the next batch. Don't worry about any brown bits sticking to the bottom of the pot. They will come off later when the liquid is added, enhancing the flavour to the final dish.
4 Sauté the pancetta: lower the heat to medium and sauté the pancetta for 6-8 minutes until crisp and golden, stirring occasionally. Scoop the pancetta out with a slotted spoon and set aside with the beef.
5 Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/300°F.
6 Sauté the vegetables: Meanwhile clean and cut the carrots and leek into rounds, dice the onions. Add the vegetables to the pot and sauté them over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 12 minutes.
Add 1 tablespoon of tomato purée and continue to cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
7 Deglaze the pot: Return the reserved marinade, garlic, bay leaves, beef and pancetta to the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, stirring them in.
8 Add the beef stock and Bouquet Garni: Add 350 ml beef stock and the Bouquet Garni to the pot. For the Bouquet Garni: wrap a few parsley stems without leaves, thyme sprigs, 1 bay leave and 6 peppercorns in gauze and secure well with kitchen twine. If you don't have gauze, simply tie the herbs together with kitchen twine, and place the peppercorns in a tea egg if available.
9 Season and cook: Season the Carbonnade with salt and freshly ground black pepper, bring it to a boil, then take it immediately off the heat. Cover the pot with a lid, transfer to the pre-heated oven and leave to cook for about 2 hours, stirring once after 1 hour. The low temperature allows the meat to cook slowly, giving the meat fibres time to relax and resulting in tender meat.
After 2 hours, check if the meat is fork-tender, meaning the fibres should easily pull apart when using two forks. Cooking time may vary, depending on the beef cut used.
10 Serve hot, with a sprinkle of chopped parsley. Goes well with boiled, fried or roast potatoes, mash or jacket potatoes, and buttered greens. And of course a glass of cold Chimay on the side.
Or serve with: HASSELBACK POTATOES, MINI HERBED POMMES ANNA, or GRATIN DAUPHINOIS.
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