A classic French Bistro recipe, and one that is SO easy to cook; the lamb in this recipe is cooked after 5 or 6 hours, but 7 hours is the traditional French timing for ‘gigot a la cuillère’ – a joint that can be carved with a spoon, hence its name! You will need a very large ovenproof casserole with a lid or a large, deep roasting tin, which you can cover tightly with tin foil – or, this can be cooked with GREAT success in the crock-pot. This lamb is just divine when served alongside gratin Dauphinoise and steamed haricots verts. I add lots of garlic for quite a pungent flavour – adjust the garlic and seasonings to personal taste.
Belgian endive or chicory is not a vegetable that will be liked by everybody. It being slightly bitter puts it in the category for an acquired taste. The recipe is based on 2 pieces per serving, so if you buy the endive heads and they are large or thick and you will halve them buy less heads. You can also make a bechamel sauce to which you add cheese and nutmeg, pour that over the ham wrapped endive, add more cheese on the top and bake. Bread crumbs can be mixed in the cheese for the topping. In Holland we usually serve this with mashed potatoes.
Slow cooked beef with garlic, onions and bacon in Belgian beer – served with Dijon mustard croutons…….absolute bliss! I have eaten this many times on visits to Belgium and it remains a firm favourite, especially when eaten with piles of fluffy mashed potatoes and a glass of fine Belgian beer! This recipe serves two hungry people, but it can be increased to serve a crowd, and works beautifully in the crockpot too. (The recipe is courtesy of Cecile Loubaud and the Batham’s Brewery.) NB: Traditionally, the meat should be grilled on a barbecue – hence the name! The word comes from the Italian carbonate (charcoal-grilled).
Make and share this Poulet à La Bière – Chicken in Beer recipe from Food.com.
This recipe was found in Robin Robertson’s Vegan Planet. My hubby is a brewer, so I naturally gravitated toward this recipe. I think this recipe would be equally as good with sliced portabello mushrooms. It’s all about the sauce, which is thick and delicious. The carmelized onions are what makes this so tasty, in my opinion. The note says to serve it over noodles and to wash it down with more of the beer that you use in the stew. I served it over mashed potatoes and a side of steamed broccoli and used (and drank) oatmeal stout. Yum.
