Bite - Flemish stew

It's not difficult, either, requiring only a bit of time and patience. The meat, sold in the supermarket in thick chunks called rundsstoofvlees, comes from the tough shoulder or neck part of the cow and therefore needs a few hours of good slow cooking to tenderise. After a couple of hours on the stove, the collagen between the muscles begins to melt, resulting in ultra-tender meat and a flavourful sauce.

There are as many variations on this traditional dish as there are regional differences. I prefer Gentse stoverij because it calls for artisanal mustard from Ghent (Tierenteyn mustard, to be precise). I also prefer a dark brown beer, a dubbel or Trappist, while others experiment with lighter brews or even gueuze or Rodenbach for a more sour result.

To give the stew its characteristic sweetness, I use brown sugar, but stroop (a fruit-based syrup) is equally effective. To thicken up the stew, some use flour; I opt for slices of bread. The most important thing is that the stew has the right balance of sweet and sour, plus a subtle piquant kick.

This is the perfect recipe for a wintery Sunday - throw all the ingredients in a big pot first thing in the morning, go out for a long, brisk walk and come back to find your home filled with the amazing aroma of beef simmering in butter and onions, herbs and dark beer.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg boneless bite-sized pieces of stewing beef 1 bottle Postel dubbel (or other kind of beer) 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter A few sprigs of fresh thyme 2 bay leaves 2 slices of brown bread, smeared with Tierenteyn (or any spicy mustard) Vinegar Salt and black pepper
• Melt half of the butter in a large pot and sauté the onions until they are golden. In a separate skillet, melt the rest of the butter and sauté the beef shortly at a high temperature, turning the pieces until all sides are brown (inside the beef should still be raw). Add these to the onions, together with the thyme, bay leaves, pepper and salt.

Deglaze the skillet with the beer, allowing it to come to a brief boil before adding to the pot. Stir in the brown sugar and top with two slices of bread, mustard-side down.

Allow everything to cook uncovered at a low temperature for two to three hours, or until the meat has reached the desired tenderness - almost falling apart, but not quite.

Finally, do one last taste-test before sprinkling a few drops of vinegar and some salt and pepper to taste.

Naturally, Flemish stew is best served with fresh hand-cut fries and homemade mayonnaise. But really any carbohydrate will complement your stew, such as mashed or boiled potatoes or even simple buttered bread.

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