34.0F Forecast »

March 10, 2010

In a Stew

What’s great for a family meal, but has enough character and star quality for company? Rich, slow-cooked stew.

Every culture has its stew—France has boeuf bourguignon, the American South has gumbo, North Africa has tagine, and Eastern Europe has goulash. Carbonnade flamande is Belgium’s braise, its depth of flavor coming from Belgian beer. Lesser-known than its fancier French cousin, a carbonnade is the star of this dress-me-up, dress-me-down menu.

Carbonnade is an ancient dish, with roots in the cold northern European monasteries where the monks made beer. In medieval times, meat dishes like this usually had a sweet-spicy overtone. To achieve this, some recipes recommend spreading Dijon mustard on a piece of gingerbread or bread and placing it on top of the carbonnade. As the stew cooks, the bread dissolves, thickening and flavoring the stew. For simplicity’s sake, we’ve skipped that step.

Side the stew with geographically compatible Brussels sprouts and roasted fingerlings, and accent the richness with a splash of seasonal citrus.

Flemish Beef Stew

Serves 8

Great for entertaining, because you can make the carbonnade ahead—a good idea, since it takes a while to cook. One recipe suggests you assemble the ingredients and watch a movie. When the DVD ends, the carbonnade will be ready.

3 Tbsp. oil
1 Tbsp. butter
4 pounds beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 large onions, sliced
2 rashers bacon, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
1/4 cup flour
1 12-ounce bottle dark Belgian beer (or dark brown ale)
4 cups beef stock
5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. red-wine vinegar
3 tsp. molasses
1 Tbsp. grainy mustard

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Heat oil and butter in heavy stockpot over medium-high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper and brown cubes on all sides (don’t crowd pan; brown cubes in batches if necessary). Spoon beef out onto plate. Add bacon, onions and carrots to pot and cook until onions start to soften, about 4 minutes. Stir meat back into vegetables. Sprinkle flour over all, and stir to coat. Deglaze with beer, stirring up any browned bits from bottom. Add stock, thyme and bay leaves. Bring all to boil. Cover and place in oven 2 1/2 hours.

2. Remove from oven. Stir in vinegar, molasses and mustard. Return to oven without lid and cook another 15 minutes. Take pot to table and serve from there.

Salad of Oranges with Shaved Fennel and Shallots

Serves 8 to 10

This vibrant salad combines the tastes of winter—citrus and fennel—with several textures, from the soft Bibb lettuce to the crispy bite of the radicchio.

2 heads Boston Bibb lettuce, washed and dried
1 head radicchio, cored and sliced
3 oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly shaved
3 shallots, sliced into rings

Dressing:
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. honey
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Toss lettuce, radicchio, oranges, fennel and shallots in bowl. Combine vinegar, orange juice, salt, pepper, honey, olive oil and poppy seeds in jar; shake. Dress salad with about 1/4 cup dressing; taste and add more if needed. (Dressing will keep, tightly covered, in refrigerator for about four weeks.) Serve immediately.

See our print edition for more great recipes. Click here to subscribe.

Do you like what you read? Subscribe to Utah Style and Design Magazine »