Carbonnade Flamande is a traditional Belgian-Flemish casserole dish made with beef or pork, stewed in a sauce of beer, onions, vegetables, herbs and spices, until meltingly tender, delicious and full of flavour.
Also known as Flemish Stew, Stoofvlees and Stoverij, Carbonnade Flamande is found on the menu of most Belgian restaurants. As with many traditional dishes, each Flemish region and household has its own unique recipe.
It is usually served with boiled potatoes, Stoemp (potato puree), or Frites (French fries).
Beef (or pork) is marinated in ale and spices for several hours or overnight, then quickly seared, and stewed low and slow in beer, onions, herbs and spices, until tender and rich in flavour. The beer, vegetables and spices meld into a delicious, rich and flavourful sauce.
I've never been particularly fond of beer. However, I do enjoy Belgian Trappist Ales. The famous Chimay 'Capsule Bleu' (blue bottle cap) for instance, used in this recipe, with its beautiful chestnut colour and rose-floral, spicy, caramel taste, make it a true pleasure. Paired with Trappist cheese it is a a real culinary delight.
Trappist Ale is brewed by Trappist Monks, a branch of the Roman-Catholic Cistercian order. Following one of their rules, ora et labora - pray and work, that requires Trappist Monks to dedicate a significant part of their day to manual labour to sustain themselves and help others, the beer must be brewed, or brewing must be overseen, by the Trappist Monks within their Trappist Monasteries, or in breweries near the Monasteries.
Amongst various other products, they also make a range of Trappist Cheeses, including the Chimay 'Grand Classique', a delightful, semi-soft, buttery cheese with a taste reminiscent of yeast or bread crust.
Trappist beer also lends a unique flavour to Carbonnade Flamande. Due to the long cooking times, it melds together with the onions, herbs and spices, creating a rich and flavourful sauce.
Anyway, judging by my own taste-buds, liking or disliking beer in general is not a pre-requisite to appreciate this dish.
Carbonnade Flamande is great dish for Sunday lunch, and perfect cold season comfort food.
Like any braised meat, Carbonnade Flamande needs to be cooked low and slow. High heat can make meat tough and chewy. Braising it low and slow 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, best ask your butcher for a recommendation.
It's an ideal dish for dinner parties and overnight guests, as you can prepare it entirely in advance, knowing that, like any braised dish, it will improve in flavour as it sits and is reheated.
I usually start to marinate the meat on Saturday morning, prepare the dish on Saturday late afternoon, then keep it in the oven at low temperatures for several hours until the meat is soft. I leave it to cool down, then store it in the fridge, allowing the meat and flavours to meld overnight, tender, juicy and ready for Sunday lunch.
Admittedly, I had never tried Carbonnade Flamande until I found this recipe and made it myself. I'm not sure why I had never ordered one at a restaurant before (of course, by now, I have). And if this has not raised enough eyebrows yet, the recipe I've always followed came from a UK Web site :-)
It might not be 100% authentic, but it's really delicious... you'll just have to trust me... ;-)
How to prepare:
CARBONNADE FLAMANDE
Recipe Source: 'Carbonnade Flamande', BBC GoodFood
INGREDIENTS:
Serves 4:
1 1/4 kg stewing beef (ask your butcher for stewing beef with a lot of connective tissue)
400 ml Blue Chimay Ale (or Leffe, or other Trappist Ale)
3 garlic cloves, slightly crushed
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
freshly milled black pepper
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
250 g pancetta, diced
2 carrots
2 onions
1 leek
1 tablespoon tomato purée
350 ml beef stock (or made 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 (Dutch oven, preferably cast iron)
METHOD:
DAY 1:
Allow the beef to marinate over night (or as long as possible). This will help to tenderise the meat and infuse it with flavour: pour 400 ml beer in a large bowl. Peel and crush 3 garlic cloves with the palm of your hand and add it together with 2 bay leaves to the bowl. Cut the beef into 4 cm cubes, add them to the beer and mix well to ensure the beef is coated and immersed in the marinade. Cover and leave to marinade in the fridge for several hours or overnight, stirring once during this period, if possible.
DAY 2:
Gather all the ingredients.
The next day, drain the beef, reserving the marinade, garlic and bay leaves. Thoroughly pat the meat dry with kitchen paper. Put 3 tablespoons of flour in a large bowl, and season it with 1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the meat to the flour and toss until evenly coated.
Heat the casserole over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Shake any excess flour off the meat. When the oil is hot, fry 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.
Lower the heat to medium and fry the pancetta for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it crisp and golden. Scoop the pancetta out with a slotted spoon and set aside with the beef.
Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/300°F.
Meanwhile clean and cut the carrots and leek into rounds, and dice the onions. Add them to the pot and fry them over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 12 minutes.
Add 1 tablespoon tomato purée and continue to cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
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 and stirring them in.
Add the beef stock and the Bouquet Garni: this can be prepared using a few parsley stems (without leaves), some thyme sprigs, 1 bay leave and 6 peppercorns. Wrap them in gauze and secure them 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. Add both to the casserole.
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 it to the pre-heated oven and leave to cook for about 2 hours, stirring once after about 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, which means it should easily separate with a fork. Cooking times may vary, depending on the cut of beef used, so if needed, continue to cook.
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 DAUPHINOISE
TEXT-ONLY RECIPE
CARBONNADE FLAMANDE
Carbonnade Flamande is a traditional Belgian-Flemish casserole dish made with beef or pork, stewed in a sauce of beer, vegetables, herbs and spices, until meltingly tender, delicious and full of flavour. The beer, spices and vegetables meld into a delicious and flavourful sauce.
Recipe Source: 'Carbonnade Flamande', BBC GoodFood
INGREDIENTS:
Serves 4
1 1/4 kg stewing beef (ask your butcher for stewing beef with a lot of connective tissue)
400 ml Blue Chimay ale (or Leffe, or other Trappist ale)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
freshly milled black pepper
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
250 g pancetta, diced
2 carrots
2 onions
1 leek
1 tablespoon tomato purée
350 ml beef stock (or made from stock cubes)
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 heavy-bottomed, oven-safe stewing pot (preferably cast iron)
DIRECTIONS:
DAY 1:
Marinate the beef: Allow the beef to marinate for several hours, or over night (or as long as possible). This will help to tenderise the meat and infuse it with flavour: pour 400 ml beer in a large bowl. Peel and crush 3 garlic cloves with the palm of your hand and add them together with 2 bay leaves to the bowl. Cut the beef into 4 cm cubes, add them to the beer and mix well to ensure the beef is coated and immersed in the marinade. Cover and leave to marinade in the fridge for several hours or overnight, stirring once during this period, if possible.
DAY 2:
Gather all the ingredients.
Drain and flour-coat the beef: drain the beef, reserving the marinade, garlic and bay leaves. Pat the meat dry with kitchen paper. Add 3 tablespoons of flour to a large bowl, and season it with 1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the meat to the flour and toss until evenly coated.
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, fry 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) Fry the pancetta: lower the heat to medium and fry the pancetta for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes crisp and golden. Scoop the pancetta out with a slotted spoon and set aside with the beef.
Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/300°F.
Fry the vegetables: Meanwhile clean and cut the carrots and leek into rounds, and dice the onions. Add them to the pot and fry them over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 12 minutes.
Add the tomato purée: add 1 tablespoon tomato purée and continue to cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
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 and stirring them in. 9) Add the beef stock and Bouquet Garni: Add 350 ml beef stock and the Bouquet Garni:
The bouquet garni can be prepared using a few parsley stems (without leaves), some thyme sprigs, 1 bay leave and 6 peppercorns. Wrap them in gauze and secure them 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. Add both to the casserole.
Braise the beef: Season the Carbonnade with salt and freshly ground black pepper, bring to a boil, then take it immediately off the heat. Cover the pot with a lid, transfer it to the oven and leave it to cook for about 2 hours, stirring once after about 1 hour, or as long as it takes for the meat to become tender. The low temperature allows the meat to cook slowly, giving the meat fibres and connective tissue time to relax, resulting in tender meat.
After 2 hours, check if the meat is fork-tender, which means it should easily separate with a fork. Cooking times may vary, depending on the cut of beef used, so if needed, continue to cook.
Serve: Serve hot with a sprinkle of chopped parsley.
Great with a side of 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 DAUPHINOISE
Comments