Stoverij - Akin to Belgian Chili Cheese Fries #SundayFunday

April 7th is National Beer Day. So the #SundayFunday writers are celebrating with a recipe that features beer or pairs well with beer. Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm is hosting.

Stacy of Food Lust People Love, Sue of Palatable Pastime, Rebekah of Making Miracles, and Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm coordinate this low-stress group; we only participate when we are inspired. This week, Wendy is hosting, as I mentioned above. Here's the line-up...

• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Dirty Shrimp

• Amy's Cooking Adventures: Steak & Ale Pie

• Culinary Cam: Stoverij - Akin to Belgian Chili Cheese Fries (you're here)

• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Beer and Smoked Sausage Corn Chowder

• Palatable Pastime: Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Beer Marinade

• Sneha's Recipe: Spicy Beef Mince Beer Chilli

Happy National Beer Day!

Given that we are celebrating National Beer Day, I figured I'd start with beer.

If you follow my blog or social media regularly, you'll note lots and lots of wine pairings. But we do enjoy beers as well. We typically look for craft brews and seek out local breweries when we travel.

We are fortunate to have Other Brother Beer Co. just down the street from us. I love their seasonal sour beers; a recent one was make with prickly pear, mango, and lime. A new one - a jasmine rice lager - caught my eye. And their red ale, wheat beer, and stout are perennial favorites.

When my son and his housemates were starting to turn 21, he called and asked for some beer recommendations. I launched into the history of IPAs and saisons. "Mom, I just wanted some brand names to look for." Oh, right.

I do want to comment on IBUs because that helps me in selecting beers. An IBU is a unit of measurement that measures how bitter a beer is, literally measuring the parts per million of isohumulone which is created as hops breakdown in the brew. But as brewing beer is an art of balancing ingredients and taste, a high IBU brew may be perceived as being less bitter if balanced with other flavors. For example, an Amber that measures 65 IBUs may taste less bitter than an IPA that clocks in at only 45 IBUs because the IBU scale is simply a component measurement. It's not about perception or preference.

The scale goes from 0 IBU to infinity, though you'll rarely see a beer with an IBU rating of higher than 120. Still, there is a sweet spot - for me - and I'll usually stick to beers with an IBU below 60 and Jake prefers them even less bitter.

Beer in Recipes

Not only do we like pairing beers with food, I often add beer into recipes. One of my favorites: Bavarian Pretzels with Beer Cheese Sauce.

I once won a recipe contest with chicken wings marinated in beer; I always add a few splashes of beer into my Irish stew; and I love braising pork in Negro Modelo before shredding it and folding it into homemade tamales. But I wanted to share a recipe that is akin to Belgian chili cheese fries.

Stoverij

I was instantly intrigued by stoverij when someone else referred to it as "Belgium's response to chili cheese fries." I read that this Flemish beef stew can be served over chunks of whole grain bread, but it's traditionally served over crispy fried potatoes. I opted for the latter. Well, I opted for oven-crisped homemade fries. Delicious.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds chuck steak, deboned and cubed (I ended up with about 4 cups meat)

• 2 large onions, peeled and diced

• 2 Tablespoons butter

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed

• 1 large beer (I used Bertinchamps Brown Ale)

• 1/4 cup molasses

• 2 to 3 bay leaves

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 2 to 3 sprigs rosemary

• 2 to 3 sprigs thyme

• balsamic vinegar, to taste

• freshly ground salt, to taste

• freshly ground pepper, to taste

• fries for serving (use your favorite recipe!)

Procedure

In a Dutch oven, melt butter in olive oil and brown the meat over medium heat. When all the meat is browned, raise the heat and pour a splash or two of the beer to the pot. Scrape the bottom of your pan to loosen the browned bits of meat. Stir in the onions and garlic. Cook until the onions have softened and are translucent.

Pour in the remainder of the beer. Whisk in the molasses and stir in the herbs. Cook, covered, over low heat until the beef is fork tender, approximately 2 to 3 hours.

Remove the lid and simmer until the sauce has thickened. Add in a splash of balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Let cool before refrigerating if not eating immediately.

Make your fries. I made them in the oven. Slowly warm your meat sauce, if you cooked it ahead of time. o serve, spoon your meat sauce into a shallow bowl. Top with crispy fries. Enjoy immediately! Cheers.

That's a wrap on my offering for the #SundayFunday celebration of National Beer Day. We will be back next week with recipes made with cauliflower or broccoli. Stay tuned!