Belgian Beef and Beer Stew (Carbonnade Flamande)

 

Ingredients

• 2 ½ lb beef chuck or beef cheeks, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 4 yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar or vergeoise if you can find it
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 4 cups dark beer, Leffe Brune, a Belgian dubbel, or a brown ale (about three 12-oz bottles)
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, optional (if the sauce is too sweet)
• 1 bouquet garni, 4 sprigs of thyme and 2 bay leaves
• 5 whole cloves, optional
• 5 slices French spice bread (pain d'épices)
• 3 tbsp Dijon mustard or whole-grain Dijon
• 2 tbsp neutral oil such as canola
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C), or 265°F (130°C) with convection.
• Pat the meat dry with paper towels and season with salt. In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over high heat and brown the meat in 3 batches, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. Set aside.
• Reduce the heat to medium, and add the onions and carrots. Sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown. Add the brown sugar and let it caramelise for 2 minutes.
• Return the meat and its juices to the pan, sprinkle with flour, and stir for 1 minute.
• Pour in the beer and vinegar, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the thyme, bay leaves, and cloves, season with pepper, and bring to a simmer.
• Generously spread the spice bread with mustard and place the slices on top, mustard side up, without pressing them down. Cover and bake for 4 to 5 hours. If the sauce bubbles too hard, lower the oven to 265°F (130°C) or 230°F (110°C) with convection. It should just barely simmer.
• Check that the beef pulls apart easily with a fork. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Notes

For the sauce: If the sauce is too runny, remove the meat from the pot, mix one tablespoon of cornflour with a little cold water, pour it into the sauce, and bring the sauce to a boil while stirring—this will thicken it.

Cooking on the Stove: You can also cook the carbonnade on the stove, covered and over very low heat; the sauce should just simmer. In this case, allow about 3 hours.

Storing, Reheating, and Freezing: Carbonnade keeps for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container, and it tastes even better the next day. Reheat it gently over low heat, covered, with a little water or beer, without letting it boil so the meat stays tender. It freezes very well for up to 3 months, but without the fries or potatoes, which you should prepare just before serving

Oatmeal Cottage Cheese Pancakes By Naz Deravian

Key ingredients include 

2 ¾ cups of old-fashioned rolled oats, 

a 16-ounce container of cottage cheese, 

1 ¾ cups of buttermilk, 

3 large eggs, 

baking powder, 

baking soda, salt, and 

maple syrup. 

The batter is processed until smooth, rested for 5–10 minutes to thicken, and then cooked on a griddle until golden brown.

OR:

100g cottage cheese
150g porridge oats
2 eggs
50ml milk
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
2 tsp maple syrup (optional)
2 tsp flavourless oil or unsalted butter, to cook
To serve poached egg and roasted tomatoes, or
- fresh berries
- and maple syrup

step 1 

Put all the pancake ingredients, except the oil, in a blender, but only use the vanilla and maple syrup if you want to make sweet pancakes. Blitz to make a smooth batter. Alternatively, pour the ingredients into a jug and use a stick blender. 

• • step 2

    Heat a little of the oil or butter in a nonstick frying pan over a medium heat, and add a few tablespoons of the batter to the pan to make small pancakes. Cook in batches if needed.

    • step 3

      Cook the pancakes for 2-3 mins until bubbles come to the surface, and the top looks set. Flip and cook for another 1-2 min mins until golden brown on both sides. Keep the pancakes warm while you cook the remaining batches.

      • step 4

        Serve the pancakes topped with a poached egg each and some roasted tomatoes, or top with fresh berries and a drizzle of maple syrup.

      
      

      • https://pin.it/4xKHAOzDx

    • PS ...added 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites instead of 4 egg whites, and a tsp. of maple syrup. 
    • You’ll use up a full container of cottage cheese, plus a generous helping of high-fibre rolled oats, to make these gluten-free, protein-rich pancakes. The batter comes together in a high-speed blender or a food processor, which pulverises the oats and breaks up the cottage cheese curds. For extra flair, you can add a variety of flavourings, like cinnamon and nutmeg or grated lemon zest. Make a whole batch and keep any extras in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or wrap each pancake in foil and store in a resealable bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. Reheat in a low oven. 
    • https://www.al.com/nytcooking/2026/06/781043711-gluten-free-cottage-cheese-pancakes.html

    • Tahini-Honey Cottage Cheese Bowl
      By Ali Slagle

• 
  

Strawberry-Basil Cottage Cheese Bowls

 Yield:4 servings

• 1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 2 teaspoons honey

• Salt and black pepper

• 1 large basil sprig

• 16 ounces (2 cups) cottage cheese

• 3 tablespoons roasted, salted pistachios, coarsely chopped

1. Step 1

   In a resealable container, stir together the strawberries, vinegar, honey and generous pinches of salt and pepper. Pluck the leaves from the basil sprig and rip them into small pieces; stir them into the strawberries. Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, gently swirling the container occasionally to distribute the juice.

2. Step 2

   When ready to eat, divide the cottage cheese among bowls. Top with the strawberries and a spoonful of their juices beneath. Sprinkle with the pistachios.

Source: NYT Recipe by Ali Slagle

https://pin.it/5SbSccbSz