Incorporate beers as ingredient in dishes

Beer has long been a mainstay of life, dating to the Middle Ages when it was even given to children, since the water wasn’t safe to drink. It was considered both food and drink.

Monks told people to abstain from the contaminated water to avoid the plagues and pestilences that swept over the lands. Even the strictest monastic orders permitted fasting monks to drink beer during Lent when their diet forbade other foods. The monks called it “liquid bread.”

To this day, Belgium has kept alive the tradition of brewing in the monasteries which results in Trappist beer. And children still are included in the beer drinking at meal time.

St. Arnold, who became the patron saint of the brewers, is said to have saved his community from the plague by stirring the hops with his bishop’s staff. The inscription on Belgium’s brewers’ guild houses refers to him:

“Of the gifts offered to us by Heaven and Earth, is born, by the grace of St. Arnold and human knowledge, the Divine Juice of Barley.”

Belgium became one of the great brewing regions of the world because its climate did not permit the growing of grapes for wine but grains, especially barley, were ideally suited to this small country between France and the Netherlands. There are about 89 table beers produced in Belgium.

Early on Belgian brewers developed a beverage filled with nuances and complexity — a vast world of spicy, fruity, hoppy, sour beverages ranging from golden blond to deep red and darkest brown. The methods they perfected in their small artisanal brewing businesses have developed a degree of perfection and variety over the ensuing centuries — remaining true to their origins, unlike brewers in other parts of the world.

Brewers in Belgium experimented with the addition of things such as licorice, ginger and orange to flavor their beers — a tradition that soon resulted in cooking with beer.

Chefs and home cooks from that country developed the same imaginative approaches to the creation of meals — playing on the subtle bitter tastes that beer brings to dishes for a harmonious pairing with the gentle sweetness of fruit or caramelized onions.

Belgium’s beer cuisine has gained favor in America among chefs who appreciate how the various beer flavors pair with foods such as asparagus and oysters and even dessert courses such as fruits poached in beer.

As microbreweries with their craft brewers proliferate here, some of the old recipes for beer and food have been reborn. Today’s craft beers are appreciated for their freshness and their emphasis on natural ingredients of malt, barley, hops, spring water and fresh yeast.

And chefs as well as home cooks value ingredients that are in season, fresh and local.

When employing a beer as an ingredient, know that the success of the final dish depends on the quality of beer used. For the Flemish Beef Stew recipe here, seek out a rich, dark and slightly bitter Belgian beer such as a dark Abbey beer. This stew recipe freezes well if you have leftovers and is best served with the same beer used in its preparation.

FLEMISH BEEF STEW COOKED IN BEER (Serves 6 to 8) INGREDIENTS

4 pounds boneless beef stew meat cut into 2-inch cubes 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 to 3 tablespoons allpurpose flour 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 large onions, thinly sliced 2 12-ounce bottles Belgian beer 2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme 2 bay leaves 1-½ tablespoons red currant jelly (or brown sugar) 1 tablespoon cider or red wine vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

Season beef cubes with salt and pepper and dredge with flour. Shake off excess. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large heavy skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add beef cubes and saute until nicely browned on all sides. Work in batches so as not to crowd the beef cubes or they will steam instead of saute. Add 1 tablespoon butter if necessary. Transfer beef cubes to a heavy Dutch oven. Ad remaining butter to the skillet and melt over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 15 minutes. If necessary, raise the heat toward the end of the cooking time. It is important to brown the meat and onions evenly to give the stew its deep brown color. Stir the onions just enough to prevent burning but not so often as to interrupt the browning process. Combine onions with the meat in the Dutch oven. Deglaze the skillet with the beer, scraping with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits, and bring to a boil. Pour the beer over the meat. Add the thyme and bay leaves. Simmer, covered over low heat until the meat is very tender, 1-½ to 2 hours. Before serving stir in red currant jelly and vinegar. Simmer for 5 minutes. This sweet-and-sour combination gives this hearty stew its authentic Flemish flavor. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Taste, adjust the seasonings and serve.

Metro Creative Connection