This week I'm cooking a dish from a country I'd love to visit soon. One I've heard has great food, and they're actually famous for a couple ones and their beer 🍺.

This week I'm cooking: Belgium! 🇧🇪

Country

Belgium is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a complex federal system structured on regional and linguistic grounds. The country is divided into three autonomous regions: the Flemish Region in the north, the Walloon Region in the south, and the Brussels-Capital Region in the middle.

Belgium has an advanced high-income economy. It is one of the six founding members of the European Union, with its capital of Brussels serving as the de facto capital of the EU. Brussels also hosts the headquarters of many major international organizations, such as NATO.

Cuisine

Outside the country, Belgium is best known for its chocolate, waffles, fries, and beer.

Ingredients typical in Belgian dishes include potatoes, leeks, gray shrimp, white asparagus, Belgian endive, horse meat (yes, you read that right… horse meat. Not very popular nowadays, but still available, particularly in Wallonia and Brussels), and local beer, in addition to common European staples including meat, cheese, and butter.

Chosen Dish

Carbonnade Flamande is a hearty Belgian beef stew that is cooked slowly with onions and rich beer.

It was recommended a couple of times by different people, and looking at the recipes, it seemed promising. And good thing, it doesn't require horse meat.

Ingredients

For the Garnish:
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1–2 slices of rye bread
1 tbsp butter (for bread topping)

Getting Ready

I was between using Duvel and Delirium since both are famous Belgian beer brands. In the end, I decided to go with the Delirium Nocturnum because the label literally says "Strong Dark Beer." Exactly what I needed! And, little spoiler… it was the right choice.

Preparation

1. Heat oil or butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches until caramelized on all sides. Remove and set aside.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. In the same pot, cook sliced onions over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown (15–20 minutes). Add minced garlic in the last minute.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Sprinkle flour over the onions and stir to coat. Cook 1–2 minutes.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Stir in brown sugar and Dijon mustard.
   
5. Pour in the Belgian dark beer and vinegar, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Return the beef to the pot. Add broth, thyme, and bay leaves. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Cover and cook on low heat for 2–2.5 hours, until the beef is very tender. Stir occasionally; add water or broth if it gets too thick.
8. 30 minutes before done, butter one side of the rye bread slices and place them butter-side down on top of the stew.
9. Remove the bread, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve hot with crusty bread or boiled potatoes.
    
    
    
    
    

The Result

This time I can confidently say I nailed it. I used the same pot, but I left it cooking for a little over three hours (that's one disadvantage of living in CDMX: high altitude 😕).

To accompany the meat, I added boiled potatoes after one hour in the heat. Since they were already soft, for the rest of the time they got even softer, and at the same time absorbed part of the liquids, giving them an amazing flavor.

But the star of this dish: the meat. Amazing!
I had this recipe on my radar for a while, and it did not disappoint at all.
I was nervous my meat would not be tender enough, I had chosen the wrong beer, or had used too much or too little liquid.
But all fears disappeared as soon as I plated and took the first bite.

As I anticipated above, the beer I chose was perfect. It gave the meat a strong malt flavor and a thick sauce.
I understood why this is a national favorite.

This week I prepared this dish to share with some friends who came over to our home, and I know it was good because one of them even took the time to clear her plate with bread and get all the sauce off it.

This makes this dish an instant favorite to share with friends and family on special occasions or gatherings.

What Did I Learn

Potatoes are better when cooked one night before.
This tip came from my girlfriend because her mom, who had a cafeteria for 10+ years, knows a thing or two about the kitchen.
It's better to cook the potatoes one night before so they're tender for the next day, and they're ready just to add to the dish.
In this case, I left them cooking for an hour and a half one night before. By the time my Carbonnade Flamande was already one hour in, the potatoes were ready just to add, and the final result was that I had perfectly cooked potatoes.

For the next country, I'm going back to my continent, and it's a country that is really close to my country, so I expect to see familiar ingredients. But I'm always ready to discover new dishes and new flavors. I'll wait for you to cook something from: Belize!