Stoofvlees op Vlaamse wijze (met Westmalle Dubbel)

Flemish beef stew simmered in Westmalle Dubbel Trappist beer. Stoofvlees is a Flemish signature dish. There are many variations. This dish is closely related to Limburgs zoervleisj.

For 4 persons:

4 onions, roughly cut
1 kilo beef, cut in 2 centimeter pieces
75 gram butter
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar (or: appelstroop)
2 tablespoons flower
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 bottle of Westmalle Dubbel Trappist beer
1 bay leaf
a few cloves
dried thyme
2 slices of old bread
mustard

Heat the butter and fry the meat on a high fire until brown (5 minutes and make sure the meat is at room temperature). Remove meat from the pot (season it with salt and pepper and set aside) and fry the onions for 3 minutes. Add sugar and flower and fry for a minute. Add vinegar, beer, bay leaf, cloves, thyme and the meat. Simmer for 1 hour.



Remove crust from bread and cover one side with mustard.



Put the bread, mustard side down, in the pot and simmer for 30 minutes.



Mix the bread with the sauce and simmer for another 1,5 hours (about 3 hours in total). Because of the alcohol and vinegar this dish will age well and taste even better the next day. Serve with fries and Westmalle Dubbel.