Belgian Beer Stew on a Winter's Evening (Yes, It WILL be Here Soon, Ugh!)

OK, I'll admit it. I'm not the world's greatest cook. Sometimes I even have a hard time making coffee, as some folks will tell you. But we all know that sandwiches from Au Bon Pain and Pizza from the Upper Crust do not truly nourish the body and soul. So I have been learning a few recipes, and I want to share one that is pretty easy, nourishing and REALLY delicious!!! And it has a GREAT name: BELGIAN BEER STEW.

If you have a slow cooker or crock-pot, this is even easier (and I think those are very easy to pick up at the Good Will or on CraigsList for about 5 bucks). This is NOT a vegetarian recipe, although maybe seitan could be substituted? I apologize to the cows I have eaten in my life. I DID try to be vegetarian once for a year and I got really sick....sorry!

Rather than write out the whole recipe, I am just going to direct you to a good link:
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/carbonnade_beef_and_beer_stew/

Just a few pieces of advice:

This is a big recipe—you can just use one onion, about half pound beef and 1/3 bottle beer for two people. I add a chopped up potato with the onions, and one slice of crispy bacon for flavor. The potato will “melt” and give a nice gravy-like consistency after a couple hours cooking at low heat.

If you can’t find Chimay beer, be careful about using a really dark beer. I did it once and it worked, but with a very strong flavor some people might not like so much. Although the recipe calls for a whole bottle of beer, I just use half, and it tastes great.

I buy hormone-free beef. I imagine grass fed from Whole Foods is even better, if you can afford it, but this is SUPPOSED to be a cheap dish! You can use round or chuck, or even sirloin if you have the coin!

Don’t crowd the beef chunks, and use a cast iron pan for the browning, if you have it. Nicely browned all around is what you want, for best flavor.

Be CAREFUL not to burn anything. I did that once. Not edible.

I don’t add sugar and vinegar or mustard/brown sugar for the sweet and sour flavor. That's up to you--but I'd go light on this the first time. As long as everything is nicely browned, this stew is amazing, no matter what.

I don’t use beef or chicken stock—but I would suggest unsalted, or homemade if you have it. Not really necessary for flavor, again, as long as the beef is nicely browned at the beginning, and the stew is cooked for a couple of hours.

I add garlic, browned slightly with the onions. At the end (last 15 minutes of cooking) I add potato chunks, carrot sticks and any other veggies I feel like eating. Broccoli works, as do peas, corn, red peppers, squash—use your imagination!

This can be served alone or with rice, noodles, dumplings, couscous, even just a wonderful loaf of crusty bread and butter would be delicious!

Throw some cheese on top at the table--parmesan, cheddar, swiss. Or not. I use sharp cheddar. Love it.

You can wait to add salt and pepper til the dish is done. I would add just a very small amount at the beginning. Salt has a way of intensifying in long cooking times.

Easiest way to cut an onion is, with the peel on, chop it right in half. Now remove the peel. Lay the onion flat side down and cut slices, then cut the slices in quarters. Onion chunks are FINE for this recipe. Don’t fret don’t fuss, just enjoy!