Carbonnade a la Flamande - Beef Stew with Belgian Dubbel Ale

Carbonnade a la Flamande is a traditional Flemish beef stew made with strong Belgian ale and has deep, earthy, sweet and slightly sour flavors.

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The beef is so succulent that you will naturally classify this beef stew under comfort food. Comforting it is and also demanding of a Belgian ale to be paired with:)

Scroll down to the recipe card and video for detailed steps on how to make it or read on to learn about the history of the dish first.

Carbonnade a la Flamande Origins

The carbonnade (/ˌkɑːbəˈnɑːd/; a French word that means a thick stew of beef, onions, herbs, etc., cooked in beer) originated in a region now called French Flanders in the north east part of France, just south of Belgium.

This region was once part of the feudal state County of Flanders, then part of the Southern Netherlands.

Hence, the stew is sort of a shared traditional dish for several regions of modern day Europe, but because a rich Belgian ale is called for, Carbonnade a la Flamande is often considered a Belgian stew, whereas it is more precise to call if Flemish.

Carbonnade a la Flamande Ingredients

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Given the history of the dish, there are a number recipes out there and even though they offer slight variations, the main ingredients are always the same.

You will need

chuck beef for stew, cut in small cubes and coated with flour
fatty pork (lardons or smoked bacon) to cook as the base of the dish
onions
beef stock
spices, brown sugar and mustard
and of course - Belgian ale

We chose a recipe by Nigella Lawson, my looong time favorite comfort food magician. Since her recipe can truly feed a group of 8-10 people (and what a great way to make an amazing meal for a large group without having to spend too long in the kitchen), we scaled it down a bit.

Choice of Beer

Our ale pick is the multi-award winning New Belguim Abbey, a Belgian style dubbel ale, brewed right here in our town. It has always been one of our most favorite Coloradan beers and New Belgium Brewing Co. is one of our favorite craft breweries. If you ever come to Fort Collins, be sure to take their brewery tour, we always take our guests and everyone loves it.

Otherwise, classic Belgian beer options include Chimay and Duvel, but you can also use the Ommegang Abbey Ale and even consider a dark ale that is sweet with a strong malty backbone and not too hoppy.

This stew! Being a lover of smoked pork I am all for the tasty lardons in the carbonnade. We used hickory smoked pork jowl but you can use thick cut smoked bacon pieces too.

We garnished with watercress - its subtle, peppery flavor complements the stew nicely.

Other garnish ideas include adding baked croutons and grated cheese on top of the stew while still in the pot, then placing the whole thing under the broiler for a minute or two.

Serving suggestions for Carbonnade a la Flamande

Traditionally Carbonnade is served with wide noodles or fries. Both are great choices.

This time around I made butter and heavy cream loaded mashed potatoes because I consider mashed potatoes the ultimate in comfort food sides.

You can also serve the stew with white rice, but an even better suggestion is to ladle some carbonnade into a freshly baked bread bowl.

Finally, just to be sure that we really emphasized this - this stew pairs perfectly with Belgian ales. Chris' Belgian tripel was outstanding with this dish, but so is the Abbey ale itself.

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