BELGIAN BEER STEW

BELGIAN BEER STEW image

Yield 6-8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 12

2 lbs. stewing beef, cut in 2-inch cubes
salt & pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup vegetable oil
8 cooking onions, thinly sliced (about 2 lbs.)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups beer
1 cup beef stock
1 tsp. fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp. dried)
1 bay leaf
1/4 chopped parsely
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

Steps:

Pat meat dry and season with salt and pepper. Dust lightly with flour and reserve excess flour. In a large Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, heat half the oil, add meat and brown. Do this in batches, adding more oil if necessary, as overcrowding the pan will prevent proper browning. Remove the meat; reserve in a bowl. Discard all but 2 tbsp. fat from the pan and return pan to heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until wilted and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved flour and stir well. Cook until flour browns, about 5 minutes. Add beer and stock, and bring to a boil. Add thyme, bay leaf, chopped parsley and some salt and pepper. Stir in reserved meat and any juices. Cover. Simmer gently 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until tender. If mixture seems too liquid, cook 5 to 10 minutes without a cover, until some of the liquid has evaporated. Bring to room temperature and refrigerate overnnight. Add Dijon mustard and stir to encorporate. Cover and bake in a pre-heated 350F/180C oven for 30 minutes.