Sunday Supper: Carbonnade

photo: Eric Diesel

Somewhere between Indian Summer and Halloween, autumn arrives. It doesn't manifest with the drama of winter snow or summer sunshine. Autumn seeps in, like field mice sneaking into the shelter of a hay loft, like mist rolling off of a rainslicked dock. Turning leaves evoke long-buried memories of carriage rides through deep woods, of twilight gathering around the clearing where stood an old stone inn. We hurried to settle the horses with feedbag and blanket, for inside was laughter and ale, laced bodices and woolen vests, pewter tankards and crystal cups. And, almost certainly, bubbling in a cast-iron "spider" directly above the coals of a cooking fire, was a plate of good beef stew.

Autumn is the season of rich flavors and textures. It is the season of cozying into wool jackets and flannel shirts and of shaking off the camphor fumes of the moth balls they summered in. It is the season of pumpkin pie and roasted game, of Halloween candy and apple cider. It is the season of football games and scary movies. And it is the season of bowls and spoons.

Stews, braises and casseroles come into their own during autumn. I am always requested to make macaroni and cheese during this season, which I will honor as soon as I finish freezing the rest of the baked rigatoni. Cobblers and crisps appear on the dessert table. And, during a day of antiquing downtown or catching up on our Nathaniel Hawthorne on the sofa, it is satisfying to have a slow-cooking stew simmering in the oven.

Beef stew is the hands-down favorite. Bram Stoker mentions a version of it within the first few pages of Dracula -- a book that defines the month of October if ever any did. Almost every Halloween party guide contains a recipe for "beef ghoulash." Most cuisines offer a version of beef stew, which we will define as pieces of beef simmered with aromatics until tender, and served in a thick sauce. There is French bourguignone and Irish Guinness stew and Hungarian paprikash and grandma's Sunday stew beef.

In our urban home, the beef stew of choice is Carbonnade. Carbonnade is Belgian beef stew, in which chunks of good beef are slow-cooked with onions, herbs and beer. Beer is the national beverage of Belgium (if I could make lace, I might move there). In Belgian cooking, beer is used much as wine is used in French or Italian cooking. Belgium is known for its breweries, which along with other delights such as lambic turn out flavorful ales whose toasty character is the perfect context for beef.

Here is my original recipe for Carbonnade, which includes some non-traditional but well-tested elements to render a delicious, satisfying stew with wonderful depth of flavor. Like most simple dishes, execution is especially important for Carbonnade. Don't skimp on the beef, the onions, the beer or the cooking time. Because it is slightly labor intensive and takes some time, we cannot call this meal a weeknight dinner, unless you're willing to take the day off from work to make it (in which case, open a second bottle of ale and toast yourself). So rather than Weeknight Dinner, we'll call this month's recipe Sunday Supper. Serve your Carbonnade over buttered egg noodles with some sliced tomatoes on the side, or crown it with a buttery chive biscuit. And be sure to ice down a few bottles of ale to wash down this soul-warming autumn supper.

CARBONNADE

Avoid the packs of pre-cut stew beef available in the supermarket; they are of uneven quality and will result in a disappointing stew. Ask the butcher for Choice chuck roast, and then ask them to cut it into large pieces for stew. The best beer for cooking Carbonnade is a Belgian Trappist ale -- Chimay is good and readily available. If you can't find Belgian ale, use a good malty lager like Samuel Adams or a good stout like Guinness.

3 pounds Choice chuck roast, cut into large pieces for stew
4 medium Spanish onions
4 medium cloves garlic
1 12-ounce bottle Belgian ale or quality lager
1 cup beef stock, preferably homemade, or low-sodium canned
4 tablespoons white flour
1 small bunch fresh thyme
1 dried bay leaf
1 sprig fresh rosemary
4 Juniper berries
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon table salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Extra-virgin olive oil

1. The night before cooking, unwrap the stew pieces and rinse under cool water. Pat dry with paper towels; transfer to a bowl large enough to hold them.

2. Mix table salt, sugar, several grindings of fresh black pepper, and paprika in a small bowl or coffee cup. Sprinkle all of the spice mixture on the beef. Use a wooden spoon or your hands to gently toss the stew pieces with the spice mixture so that all of the pieces are coated with the spice mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

3. Early in the day of serving, remove the beef from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Bring beef, uncovered, to room temperature, approximately 1/2 hour.

4. Place the oven rack on the bottom grooves of the oven. Close the oven door and preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

5. Peel each onion and remove the root and stem ends. Halve each onion from root to stem; halve each half. Cut each quarter into half-moons.

6. Scrape the onions into a large colander (there will be a lot of them) and rinse lightly with cool water. Set aside to drain.

7. Place a large oven- and stove top-proof Dutch oven on the stove top and heat the burner to medium low. Drizzle the bottom of the pan with a four-count of olive oil. Place a second large bowl near the stove top.

8. Use tongs to place the beef pieces without crowding in a single layer on the bottom of the pan. You will probably not be able to cook all of the beef at once, so be prepared to work in batches. Sear the beef pieces until dark brown, turning each piece individually and searing each side to doneness. It is okay if some of the juices from the beef escape into the pan.

9. Once the pieces are seared on all sides, transfer them to the second bowl. Refresh the olive oil if the pan is dry, and continue searing the beef pieces without crowding in single layers until all of the beef is seared.

10. Refresh the olive oil if the pan is dry. Add the onions and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up the flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan.

11. While the onions are cooking, peel the garlic and remove the root ends. Half each clove; remove and discard any sprouting from the center. Press the halves through a garlic press and add to the cooking onions.

12. Sprinkle the flour over the onion and garlic mixture; use the wooden spoon to combine the ingredients.

13. While the onions, garlic and flour are cooking, cut a square of cheesecloth long enough to hold the herbs. Place the thyme, bay leaves, rosemary and juniper berries in the cheesecloth; fold the edges of the cheesecloth over the herbs to form a pouch. Tie the loose ends of the pouch with a generous length of kitchen twine.

14. Once the onions and garlic have released their fragrance, add the tomato paste to the pan. Use the wooden spoon to incorporate the tomato paste into the mixture.

15. Add the beef broth to the mixture; use the wooden spoon to thorough mix the broth, tomato paste, onions, garlic and pan juices.

16. Settle the herb sachet into the mixture.

17. Add the seared beef to the stew. Use a silicon spatula to scrape any accumulated juices into the stew pot.

18. Uncap the beer and gently pour the entire bottle into the stew pot. Use the wooden spoon to incorporate all of the ingredients, including the beer head. Turn off the burner.

19. Tightly cover the Dutch oven with a double layer of aluminum foil, shiny side down.

20. Transfer the stew pot to the oven. Cook with the door closed (no peeking) for 2-1/2 hours.

21. After 2-1/2 hours, open the oven door and carefully remove the foil, standing aside to avoid escaping steam. The stew should be thick and very fragrant. Stir the stew and loosely replace the foil. Close the door and continue cooking the stew for 30 minutes.

22. When ready to serve, use hot pads to carefully remove stew pot from oven and place on stove top. Remove foil. Use the long string to locate and remove the spice sachet, pressing it between the side of the stew pot and the flat back of the wooden spoon to release accumulated juices if any.

23. Stir the stew and serve.