blue artichoke

I wasn't particularly in the mood to cook yesterday, but I forged ahead into Belgian territory. I made Carbonnade a la Flamande, aka Belgian Beef, Beer and Onion Stew. This stew almost didn't happen, because we drank the beer I had been reserving for this recipe. I couldn't just leave it out, it's part of the title! So, I sent my ever-helpful Gentleman Caller out on a beer run, and he returned with a Belgian winter brew: Full Moon, by Blue Moon (which, by the way, is a pretty good beer, even to my beer-phobic taste buds). So, the dinner went on as planned.

Carbonnade a la Flamande (Belgian Beef, Beer, and Onion Stew)

Top blade steaks (also called blade or flatiron steaks) are our first choice, but any boneless roast from the chuck will work. If you end up using a chuck roast, look for the chuck eye roast, an especially flavorful cut that can easily be trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces. Buttered egg noodles or mashed potatoes make excellent accompaniments to carbonnade. The traditional copper-colored Belgian ale works best in this stew. If you can't find one, choose another dark or amber-colored ale of your liking.

3 1/2 pounds blade steaks , 1 inch thick, trimmed of gristle and fat and cut into 1-inch pieces (see illustrations below)
Table salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds yellow onions (about 3 medium), halved and sliced about 1/4 inch thick (about 8 cups)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (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 beer (12-ounce bottle or can)
4 sprigs fresh thyme , tied with kitchen twine
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 300 degrees. Dry beef thoroughly with paper towels, then season generously with 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. 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. 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, vinegar, browned beef with any accumulated juices, and salt and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to full simmer, 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.

3. Discard thyme and bay. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste and serve. (Can be cooled and refrigerated in airtight container for up to 4 days; reheat over medium-low heat.)

Serves 6.
Cook’s Illustrated, 11/2004

I halved the recipe and cut the beef into smaller chunks, because I had to reduce the cooking time from 2 1/2 hours to just 1 hour. Why? Because it took so long for me to assemble the second Belgian dish that I got a very late start on the stew. The stew is really good, dark and meaty, and very filling.

The other dish was a Belgian Prune Pie. Prune pie sounds kind of gross, but if you think of it as a dried plum pie, it's not so bad. I like prunes, and I wanted to know what desserts will be like when I become a crotchety old lady who measures time by bathroom visits. This recipe is the worst I've ever seen, more difficult to follow even than tipsy scrawlings on a damp bar napkin. It was from the book American Pie, which has lots of great pie recipes and stories, but this one is really confusing. The crust is made from mashed potatoes, and the instructions say to let the crust rise until doubled. It will rot before that happens, as there is no leavening agent included in the ingredients. There is flour, though, so I tried using self-rising flour. Not powerful enough to make potatoes double in size. The prune filling uses 1 1/2# of prunes, and makes about a half-gallon of filling. Just what sort of pie plate can hold this much filling? Don't know! The recipe doesn't say. I used a springform pan, anticipating the overflow of a pie plate. I still had too much filling, which is now in a bowl in the fridge. What the heck am I supposed to do with pureed prunes? Wander the streets looking for homeless babies to feed, I suppose. After I assembled the thing as best I could, the 20 minute baking time left me with a runny mess. After an hour of baking, it still wasn't done, but I was sick of it and took it out of the oven anyway because I was tired and wanted to go to bed. I was ready to chuck the whole thing in the trash, but GC's cooler head prevailed and we at least sampled the thing (that is, after the still-runny prune filling seeped out of the bottom of the springform pan all over the stove top). This "pie" pissed me off and made me hate baking. It took forever, dirtied all sorts of dishes, created unwanted leftovers, and wasn't even good. Boo! Worst pie ever.

Getting to Know All About You: What's your greatest culinary disaster?

P.S. I was "ma'am"ed at the gym today, and by a guy that I sort of know and have spoken to before! I feel old. Maybe it's time for the pureed prunes after all.