2 classic stew recipes with a twist

When the weather gets cold, it's time to stock your pantry with ingredients for a hearty stew. These recipes are the perfect meal in a bowl.

Belgians have a way with stew. Their secret? Add beer to the braising liquid. Here's a new twist on traditional Belgian beef carbonnade, made with veal.

Preparation time 15 minutes

Cooking time 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves 4

• 450 g (1 lb) stewing veal, cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) pieces
• 1 g (1/4 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• 3 g (3/4 tsp) salt, divided
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) vegetable oil
• 2 portobello mushrooms, stems removed and caps cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) pieces
• 8 large shallots, finely chopped
• 30 g (2 tbsp) all-purpose flour
• 1 bottle (350 ml/12 oz) dark beer
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) white-wine vinegar
• 2 g (1/2 tsp) dried thyme
• 450 g (1 lb) large carrots, peeled and cut into 5 cm (2 in) lengths

1. Pat the veal dry and season with pepper and one gram (1/4 teaspoon) of the salt.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add the veal and cook until browned on all sides, three to four minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the mushrooms and shallots to the pan. Sauté until the shallots are just golden, about five minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the veal, beer, vinegar, thyme and the remaining salt, then bring to a boil.
4. Add the carrots, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the veal is tender, about 1 1/4 hours.
5. Transfer the veal, carrots and mushrooms to a warm serving dish. Boil the remaining liquid until reduced to about 300 millilitres (1 1/4 cups) and pour over the veal.

With its spicy-sweet caramel flavour, cola has plenty of uses in the kitchen. Here, it enlivens the Asian flavours of a long-simmering pork stew.

Preparation time 20 minutes

Cooking time 1 hour 10 minutes 

Serves 6

• 30 ml (2 tbsp) peanut oil, divided
• 1 kg (2 lb) boneless pork shoulder, cut into 5 cm (2 in) cubes
• 30 g (2 tbsp) cornstarch
• 1 can (355 ml/12 oz) cola
• 250 g (1 c) chopped onion5 garlic cloves, minced
• 30 g (2 tbsp) peeled, minced fresh ginger
• 45 ml (3 tbsp) soy sauce, divided
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced
• 250 g (1 c) chopped green onions, divided
• 12 ounces udon noodles or linguine

1. Heat 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) of the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, toss the pork with the cornstarch to coat. Add half the pork to the pot and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about four minutes. Transfer the pork to a plate. Repeat with the remaining oil and pork.
2. Add the first batch of pork back into the pot and stir in the cola, onion, garlic and ginger. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Stir in 30 millilitres (two tablespoons) of the soy sauce, the carrots and 175 grams (3/4 cup) of the green onions. Cover, return to a simmer and cook until the pork is very tender, about 40 minutes longer.
4. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the package directions, and drain.
5. Divide the noodles among six bowls. Remove the stew from the heat, stir in the remaining soy sauce and spoon the stew over the noodles. Sprinkle with the remaining green onions.

--------------------

Discover the smarter way to save time and money

Ready to start saving more on your groceries and pharmacy purchases? Download the FREE YP Grocery app today! It lets you create shareable shopping lists, automatically finds all the best deals and coupons, then delivers them right to you. No more manually scrolling through hundreds of flyers to find what you’re looking for!

Download the YP Grocery app now!