CARBONNADE A LA FLAMANDE

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Serves: 8

There is something about cooking the classics that feels like coming home and this comforting Belgian casserole is a reassuringly simple recipe – I scarcely bother to sear the meat – that feeds a huge tableful of people cosily. And – always music to my ears – it is at its best if cooked ahead, cooled and then refrigerated before being reheated. True, it takes a long time to cook (not that you have to do a thing to it while it’s in the oven) but you can pleasurably wallow in the rich, warm scent as it does. Obviously, embark on this only when time is no issue. Should you be a freeze-ahead kind of a person, know that a vat of this cooked over the weekend, makes many near-instant weekday meals ahead, when time may be scarcer but the need for comfort greater. And – ça va sans dire – have beer, not wine, on the table.

A final note: it is the shin of beef that makes this stew so sweetly succulent; by all means substitute regular stewing beef, if you must, but it will never cook to the melting softness of shin.

Recipe posted by Nigella

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Ingredients

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1 tablespoon goose fat (or oil of your choice)
250 grams smoked lardons
4 onions (chopped)
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1.5 kilograms shin of beef (in approx. 4-5 cm cubes)
50 grams plain flour
625 ml beef stock (cube or concentrate is fine)
4 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
3 tablespoons soft dark brown sugar
625 ml dark Belgian beer (or other dark ale)
4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes (or half teaspoon pouring salt)
1 pinch of black pepper

As featured in

KITCHEN

Method

Preheat the oven to 150ºC/gas mark 2.
Get out a large, heavy-bottomed casserole and, on the hob over a medium to high heat, melt 1 tablespoon fat, or warm 1 tablespoon oil. Add the lardons and cook, stirring frequently, for 5–10 minutes, till they’ve crisped up a bit.
Add the chopped onion, stirring well so that they’re mixed into the bits of bacon, and turn down the heat to low and cook – stirring every now and again – for 10 minutes, by which time the onions will have softened.
Stir in the allspice and thyme and then tumble in the cubed shin of beef and, for ease, with a pair of spatulas or suchlike, toss and turn the meat in the pan.
Shake in the flour and stir to mix as best you can.
Pour the stock into a large jug and stir in the mustard and sugar and then add the beer (if it will fit) before pouring this over the stew in the pan. Stir to mix then leave to come to the boil, add the bay leaves and salt and a good grinding of pepper, then clamp on the lid and stagger to the oven with the heavy pan.
Cook gently for 3 hours, until the meat is fork tender, and – if you can bear it – let it cool, uncovered, before covering and refrigerating, then leaving it to bring joy to another day. Still, it’s fabulous enough the day it’s cooked and patience is an overrated virtue.

The stew can be made up to 2 days ahead. Transfer to non-metallic bowl to cool. Cover and refrigerate as soon as possible. To reheat, put stew back in casserole dish and reheat very gently on the stove, until piping hot; or reheat in oven at 150ºC/gas mark 2 for 1 hour, until piping hot.

The cooled stew can be frozen, in airtight container, for up to 3 months (and you can freeze in smaller portions for weekday suppers). Defrost overnight in fridge and reheat as above.

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As being flemisch and this dish we love I also put a big tablespoon of ketchup in it tastes good 2 ;)

Posted by Patrik&Marleen on 5th Feb 2013 at 17.07
So, so delicious. I've just made this for the second time, think I'm already addicted to the smell of thyme, beer and mustard.

Posted by nikodownie on 8th Apr 2013 at 22.28
Delicious. Will definitely make again.

Posted by ciaranic on 30th Apr 2013 at 10.05