Beef-up your beef stew with Danielle Alvarez’s ‘utterly delicious’ Belgian-inspired recipe

Belgian beef stew carbonnade flamande is a firm winter favourite of mine. Steps such as caramelising the onions, braising with a dark ale and finishing with mustard and brown sugar add layers of complexity to a standard beef stew. It’s utterly delicious and made even better by serving over buttered noodles. The best part is the oven does most of the work for you and any leftovers taste even better the next day.

1 leek, light-green and white parts sliced thinly and washed well

Preheat your oven to 140C fan-forced (160C conventional). Before cooking, season the diced beef with salt. Do this up to 1 hour before cooking but at least 15 minutes before. Tie the herbs together with a piece of butcher’s string to make a bouquet garni. This makes removing the herbs easier when the dish is done.

Heat a large, oven-safe pot or Dutch oven over high heat, then add the butter and olive oil. Working in two batches so you don’t crowd the pan, add the beef in a single, even layer. Sear until well-browned on both sides, then transfer the meat to a plate and repeat with the second batch.

Remove the beef from the pan and add the leek and onion. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook with the lid on the pot for 15-20 minutes until they’re completely soft and beginning to caramelise.

With the leek and onion softened, add the garlic and herbs and sizzle together for a minute before adding the flour and cooking for a further minute. Next, pour in the beer and stock and return the beef to the pan along with any juices.

Bring the stew to a simmer, cover with the lid, and transfer to the oven. Bake for 2 hours, checking and stirring once each hour.

After 2 hours, remove the lid and bake uncovered for the final 30 minutes to let the sauce thicken (for a total oven time of 2.5 hours).

While the stew finishes baking, cook the pappardelle in salted, boiling water according to the packet instructions, drain, and toss with butter.

Remove the stew from the oven. Stir in the mustard, brown sugar and vinegar until thoroughly combined. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve the hot stew over the buttered pappardelle.

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