This is one of my favorite recipes, hands down:
Carbonnade a la Flamande (Belgian Beef, Bear, and Onion Stew)
Ingredients:
3 1/2 pounds stew meat
Kosher salt, table salt and coarse ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 pounds yellow onions halved and aliced about 1/4 inch thick (about 8 cups)
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup low sodium beef broth
1-1/2 cups dark beer (12 ounce bottle or can)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
Directions:
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 300 degrees. Dry beef thoroughly with paper towels, then season generously with kosher salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until beginning to smoke; add about one-third of beef to pot. Cook without moving pieces until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes; using tongs, turn each piece and continue cooking until second side is well browned, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer browned beef to medium bowl. Repeat with additional 2 teaspoons oil and half of remaining beef. (If drippings in bottom of pot are very dark, add about 1/2 cup of above-listed chicken or beef broth and scrape pan bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits; pour liquid into bowl with browned beef, then proceed.) Repeat once more with 2 teaspoons oil and remaining beef.
2. Set beef aside and add 1 T butter to pan and saute mushrooms until browned and tender. Remove and set aside with the beef.
3. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to now-empty Dutch oven; reduce heat to medium-low. Add onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and tomato paste; cook, scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, until onions have released some moisture, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes (note: I cooked my onions a little longer, I wanted them very soft and ). Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and stir until onions are evenly coated and flour is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in broths, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits; stir in beer, thyme, bay leaves, vinegar, browned beef with any accumulated juices, mushrooms and salt and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to full boil, stirring occasionally; cover partially, then place pot in oven. Cook until fork inserted into beef meets little resistance, about 2 to 2- 1/2 hours. (I think I cooked my stew closer to 3 hours, until meat was super tender and the sauce was well-thickened…..I also stirred it occasionally while it was in the oven).
4. Discard bay leaves. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Served with these:
Moravian Love Buns
This recipe makes a slightly sweet, dense white roll. It is very easy, with no kneading outside of using the dough hook in a stand mixer. These are our favorite rolls, by far!
4 Cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup dried potato flakes OR 1/4 cup potato flour
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups water
heavy cream or melted butter
Using your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, mix and knead all of the dough ingredients until you've made a smooth, though somewhat sticky dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise for about 90 minutes; it should become quite puffy, though it may not double in bulk.
Divide the dough into six pieces (about 6 oz each, about the size of a tennis ball), and flatten each to a 4" diameter. Place the buns on a baking sheet, cover with a proof cover or greased plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 1 hour; they'll become noticeably puffy. (you can also split the roll into smaller sizes, as making only 6 means they are quite large. We typically make 12 or so rolls, which makes them more the size of a typical roll)
Bake the buns in a preheated 375' oven for 15-20 minutes, till they're golden brown (10-15 minutes if making smaller rolls as mentioned above).
While still warm, brush with heavy cream or melted butter.
Goodness, that sounds good for a fall day coming up!