Vlaamse karbonade/ Carbonnade a la flamande and stoemp(f)

Translation: A delicious beer and beef stew and mashed veggies from Belgium.

In preparation for my trip to Brussels next year, we delved into the wonders of Belgian cuisine... much to our satisfaction!

Making the Vlaamse Karbonade

Brown beef (1 kilo) and 2 slices of bacon in a dot a butter, fry 3 big onions (finely chopped), add 250g of small button mushrooms and add the meat back in with about 3 springs of fresh thyme and 2 bay leaves.

Add in a bottle (about 350ml) of beer to cover the above.

For the stove: If you need a bit more to cover the contents add 1.5 cups of stock to your dutch oven and simmer for 2-3 hours.

For a pressure cooker: add stock until the contents is just covered for half an hour. This is the meathod we used- pressure cookers are rather amazing!

Making the Stoemp(f)

Cook about 4 big potatoes and 6 medium carrots (all chopped) in water with 1 tspn salt (just covered) for 30 min until soft. Drain the veg and use the pot to fry a slice of bacon in a blob of butter with 2 finely chopped leeks. Once cooked, finely slice the bacon and put in back in the pot with the drained veggies. Mash well and add a bit of cream/stock/milk to make it a bit smoother.

Serve the Karbonade over the stoemp if you like. We enjoyed it with a 50% rye load from Pick n Pay. I give this meal a hearty 10/10!