This is a true classic, so many will claim to have the one and only original recipe. This dish is all about beef, onions and brown Belgian beer. Herbs like parsley and bay leaf, spices like nutmeg plus mustard and cider vinegar. Definitely not bacon, stock, prunes and garlic. Maybe some brown sugar if you prefer a sweet touch to the dish.
Given it’s a true classic many traditional restaurants in Belgium (or better said Flanders) will have this on the menu. Try it with some bread and a glass of brown Beer, preferably draught.

We serve the stew with two vegetables: celeriac and green beans. You could also go for mashed potatoes or fries, but balancing the rich stew with vegetables and bread is (we think) a much healthier idea.
And typical for a good stew: make it a day in advance.
Don’t worry if you made too much, the stew will keep for months in the freezer.

Wine Pairing

If you go for a glass of red wine, make sure it is full-bodied and rich, because the stew is really hearty. Bordeaux is a good choice. We drank a glass of Chateau Beaulieu, Cotes de Bourg. It is a wine with lots of dark fruit and a touch of oak. The wine is a blend of the traditional Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc plus 10% Malbec.

What You Need (for 4 persons)

• 1 kilo of excellent, fat, marbled Beef
• 4-6 large White Onions
• Olive oil
• Butter
• 1 tablespoon of all purpose Flour
• Nutmeg
• 2 bottles (33 cl) of Belgian Brown Beer (we prefer Westmalle)
• Bouquet garni, consisting of Thyme, Bay Leaf and Parsley
• Cider Vinegar
• Slice of Bread
• Mustard

What To Do

1. Start by slicing the meat. Don’t make the cubes too small; they will shrink during the cooking process
2. Slice the onions, not too thin, they should be visible in the stew
3. Heat butter and olive oil in a large pan
4. Start frying the meat. You probably will have to do this in 2 or 3 batches
5. Make sure the meat is nicely colored
6. Add some more olive oil and caramelize the sliced onions
7. Add the flour and coat the onions and the beef
8. Add nutmeg, the beer, the cider vinegar and the bouquet
9. Close the pan and keep on a low heat for 3 to 4 hours
10. Check and stir every hour.
11. Check the meat and add one slice of bread (not the crust)
12. Add a nice spoon of French mustard
13. Leave to simmer for another hour. By now the bread will be dissolved
14. Stir and check the meat
15. If okay, then remove the meat from the pan and reduce the sauce
16. Discard the bouquet
17. Transfer the meat back into the pan, reheat, then cool and transfer to the refrigerator until the next day.
18. Reheat slowly and serve with Celeriac and Beans.

PS How to Prepare Celeriac?

Good question! Clean the celeriac and cut in cubes. Transfer to a pan with some water and one or two generous slices of lemon. One or two you ask? Well, the answer depends on the size of your celeriac and the acidity of the lemon. If in doubt, then go for one slice. Cook the celeriac until nearly done. Remove the water and the lemon. Now add (single) cream to the pan. Keep on a low heat for 10 minutes. The celeriac will absorb some of the cream. Transfer the mixture to the blender and create a smooth puree. Serve with nutmeg.

PS How to Cook Green Beans?

Short is the only answer. Serve with excellent olive oil. Normally we would add some nutmeg, but given it’s already on the celeriac and in the stew you may want to skip it. Olive oil is essential to coat the beans and make them nuttier. Butter will also coat them, but it is much more mouth filming and the butter will not emphasize the nuttiness of the beans.