Comfort food Beef carbonnade

Beef carbonnade is practically the national dish of Belgium (after fries and waffles) it is a Delicious and simple warming beef stew. I made this on Sunday night as a thank you to some friends who had hosted a wonderful music party on Saturday night and another couple who have had their house flooded and have been living with out a kitchen for over a month and were in need of some good home cooking.

2 lbs of stewing beef or a pot roast cut up.
1/4 cup of flour mixed with salt and pepper
2 large or 3 medium onions thinly sliced
1 bottle of beer (almost any beer will do but it will effect the end result)
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
A handful of fresh thyme or a tablespoon of dried.

Toss the cut up beef with the seasoned flour.

beef tossed in seasoned flour

Heat a large non stick frying pan and add olive oil, brown the beef in batches adding some more oil if necessary as it is browned put in to large heavy bottomed pot.  I used my Le creuset, pot it is as old as me and I inherited from my mother, it is no thing of beauty but it works like a charm.

Beef browning

When all the beef is browned add the onions to the frying pan and cook on a lower heat until the onions are also starting to brown.

onions ready to add to the beef.

Pour the onions over the beef and then rinse out the frying pan with half of the beer making sure to scrape up all the brown bits, and pour on top of the beef and onions along with the remainder of the beer and the sugar.  Add the fresh thyme springs, put on a lid and cook slowly on top of the stove (or in a medium oven) for about 3 hours stirring occasionally.

Ready for long slow cooking.

When the beef is really tender remove the beef into the serving dish and then boil the sauce until it has concentrated down and adjust for seasoning.  Pour the sauce back on the beef, garnish with a couple sprigs of fresh thyme (or if you don't have any use chopped parsley) then sit back and bask in warm praise of your family and friends.

Beef carbonnade basking in its goodness

Too long to cook for a week night dinner, but I see no reason why this could not be put in the crock pot and cook slowly all day, what a wonderful thing to come home from work for.