BEEF - CHUCK - Flemish Beef Stew

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Nb persons: 8
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Carbonnade à la Flamande (Flemish Beef Stew) CONTRIBUTED BY JACQUES PÉPIN •F&W This classic Belgian beef stew is known for its sweet-sour combination of caramelized onions and beer. Any dark Belgian-style ale would be a good choice here. As with most stews, the dish will taste even better a day or two after it's made.
4 tablespoons	unsalted butter
3 pounds	beef flatiron or blade steaks, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices, about 3 inches wide
	Salt
	freshly ground pepper
3 cups	thickly sliced onions
1/2 cup	all-purpose flour
Three 12-ounce cans	beer
1/2 teaspoon	dried thyme
2	bay leaves
	Chopped parsley, for garnish
	Boiled carrots, for serving
	potatoes, for serving

In an enameled cast-iron casserole, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Season the beef with salt and pepper and add one-third of it to the casserole. Cook over moderate heat until lightly browned, 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with 2 more batches of meat, using the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
Add the onions to the casserole, cover and cook over low heat, stirring, until browned, 8 minutes. Stir in the flour until the onions are well-coated, then slowly add the beer. Return the meat to the casserole along with any accumulated juices. Add the thyme and bay leaves, cover and simmer over low heat, stirring, until the beef is tender, 2 hours.
Uncover and transfer the meat to a bowl. Simmer the sauce over moderate heat until thickened slightly. Discard the bay leaves. Return the meat to the casserole and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with boiled carrots and potatoes.
MAKE AHEAD The carbonnade can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat gently.
SUGGESTED PAIRING

Recipes from Essential Pépin by Jacques Pépin. Copyright © 2011 by Jacques Pépin. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

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