Flemish Beef & Beer Stew
Ingredients:
1/4 lb bacon (cut into 1/4″ dice)
2 lb lean stewing beef (cut into 1/2″ X 1″ pieces)
1/4 cup of flour seasoned with salt and pepper
1 carrot (peeled and diced coarse)
1 medium onion (rough chop)
1 rib of celery (chopped coarse)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2-3 slices of bread (preferably a couple of days old)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
24 oz Railway City Amber Ale
1 tsp ground bay leaf (or float three whole leaves in the stew, removing before service)
Directions:
Fry the bacon in a dutch oven until it’s crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon and reserve
Dredge the meat chunks in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess, and sear in small batches in the remaining bacon drippings
When browned all over, remove with a slotted spoon and reserve
Sautée the vegetables (celery, onion, carrot) and the garlic in the remaining fat (adding additional oil if necessary), until slightly softened and onion is translucent
Add the meat back into the dutch oven with the vegetables, add the thyme, bay leaf, and cayenne
Pour in 24 ounces of Railway City’s Amber Ale; enough to just cover the meat
Scrape the bottom of the pot to free up any stuck bits
Add the red wine vinegar and the brown sugar, taking a bit of time to adjust the amounts of each to get a really nice balance and counter-play of sweet and sour in the stew
Cover the pot and simmer on low heat for several hours until the meat is tender
Spread one side of each slice of your bread with some dijon mustard, using enough slices to cover as much surface as possible of your particular pot
Place the slices mustard side down on top of the stew, drawing and spooning broth up and over the exposed top of the bread slices
Cover the pot and cook 30-40 minutes more
At that time, remove the lid, stir the now-softened bread to thicken the stew, and toss in and incorporate those bacon bits
Let the stew rest off the heat for a few minutes to soften the bacon and you are good to go!
