Flemish Veal Stew

Hello! It's been a while! I took a month and a half break ....something I havent done in over 6 years! During my break, Wee Bear and I went to Nashville and Memphis ....LOVE! then we boarded a newly built paddle boat down the Mississippi River....I highly recommend this trip aboard the Duchess on American cruise line, we had the owners suite, however, all the suites and rooms or lovely on this boat. (not a ship) We met lots of fun people and ended the cruise in New Orleans. After arriving home in Seattle, we had five days to pack up and start our commute to our Winter home in Scottsdale. We took our time visiting family and friends the entire way, also, spending 4 nights in Laguna Beach(one of my favorite places). I'll post a couple photo's below.



Beef/veal stew cooked in beer has long been part of the culinary heritage of Flanders, and it is still one of the most popular stews.

 Through the ages, the recipe has varied, and every mother passes on her "secret" to her children. Some like to add liver or kidneys to the beef, which certainly gives the stew a more distinctive flavour. Others like it more "sweet" and add a slice of pain d'epices, an old-fashioned honey spice, bread, or even a slice of country bread spread with a strong mustard. These spicy and sweet flavourings have been an integral part of the Flemish palate and cuisine since the Middle Ages. 

For this recipe which I am passing to my children, I use veal or beef....that being said, you can use pork if you prefer. I have also written the adaption to the Instant Pot.

Flemish Veal Stew

2 1/2-3 lb. veal blade steak, cut into 3/4 inch cubes(sub beef or pork)
1 large onion, diced
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
salt and pepper
2 c veal or chicken stock 
1 c Belgian Beer
1 lb. shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced (can use button mushrooms or a combination of mushrooms, which I did)
Fresh or frozen peas (optional, some times I do sometimes I don't)
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
1 Tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tablespoons of water
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees

In a large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 Tablespoon of oil. Or for IP users, use the saute function on your instant pot.

Dry the veal with a paper towel and brown on all sides without crowding the pan, season with salt and pepper and remove to a bowl.

Add remaining oil to the pan and cook the onion, carrot, celery and garlic until tender and golden brown, using low heat. Add vegetables to veal.

Add remaining butter to the pan and saute mushrooms until limp. Add to veal.

Add the beer and stock to the pan/instant pot and bring to boil, scraping up all the brown bits. Return the vegetables and veal to the pan, add the frozen or fresh peas(optional). Cover the pan (or pour stew into a baking dish and cover with foil), place into preheated oven and cook for one hour or until veal is tender. For instant pot, secure the lid on, set the timer to 10 minutes, high pressure, when timer rings, allow a slow release for beef, do a 5 minute slow release for veal, then turn the valve for a quick release.

If sauce needs thickening, add dissolved cornstarch. For IP put function to suate and add the cornstarch to thicken. Pour into a serving dish and sprinkle with parsley.

Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or spatzels.

Here is a link to my home made spatzels.

A Halloween party at our home for 40 guests. Theme was "Voo Doo New Orleans". I will post more about the Halloween party next October and how I put it together.  It was complete with a magician, New Orleans cuisine, alters, Voo Doo dolls and much much more. Pictured below from left, Wee Bear(the hubster) my daughter Holly, me and my son in law Nate.