BEEF AND BEER BRING WINTER CHEER
by Julian O’Vegetables
Belgium doesn’t do food quite as well as it’s larger neighbour France, but it makes a pretty good stab at beer. So it’s hardly surprising that the foaming stuff finds its way into Belgian cooking. This month I’m featuring a traditional Flemish dish ‘Carbonnade de boeuf à la flamande’. I’ve adapted this from a Delia Smith recipe – it’s a hearty stew to come home to on those cold, dark winter evenings, and if beef and beer alone aren’t enough, it comes with bread and cheese floating on the top as well. This should cheer up even the grumpiest of commuters, but to be on the safe side, serve with bottles of beer.
BEEF IN BEER Serves 4
Ingredients:
2lb (900g) braising steak cut into 2 inch (5cm) squares; 2 x 15 fl oz (425ml) bottles of beer (1 for the beef and 1 for the cook), use darkish beer, but
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not stout; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 350g onions, peeled and cut into quarters; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour; a few fresh thyme sprigs; 2 bay leaves; salt and freshly milled black pepper. For the croutons: 1 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil; 6 slices French bread, cut diagonally; 6 level teaspoons whole grain mustard; 110g grated Gruyère cheese.
Method: Drizzle the garlic oil onto a warm baking
tray, place the bread onto the tray, turning so that both sides are coated. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 180°C until crisp. Place a flameproof casserole over direct heat, add the oil and fry the meat, 3 or 4 pieces at a time, until they turn a dark mahogany colour on all sides and set aside. Make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan or they will create steam and never become brown. When all the meat is ready, add the onions to the pan, still keeping the heat high. Toss them around until they become darkly tinged at the edges. Add the crushed garlic, let that cook for about 30 seconds or so, then turn the heat down. Return the meat to the casserole and sprinkle in the flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir until all the flour has been absorbed into the juices. Now gradually stir in the beer and, when it’s all in, let the whole thing gently come up to simmering point. While that’s happening, add salt, freshly milled black pepper and the thyme and bay leaves. Then, just as it begins to bubble, put the lid on, transfer it to the centre shelf of the oven at 150°C and leave it there for 2½ hours. Just before you want to serve the beef, pre-heat the grill, spread the croutons with the mustard and sprinkle them with the grated Gruyère, then arrange them on top of the meat and pop the casserole under the grill until the cheese is bubbling. Enjoy! Julian O’Vegetables is an alter ego of Alan Lindsay
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