History
Stoverij is the Ghent dialect name for the Flemish beef-and-beer braise known elsewhere as carbonade flamande. The dish uses dark Flemish ales and is distinguished from the Bruges and Antwerp versions by the use of Ghent mustard from Tierenteyn-Verlent in the bread crust on top. Every brown cafe in Ghent serves it; the version at 't Klokhuys uses Gruut amber for the braise. The dish is at its most authentic when eaten in the Patershol or the Vrijdagmarkt brasseries.
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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Mustard
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 1.2kg beef chuck, cut in 4cm cubes
- 500ml Flemish dark ale (Kasteel Rouge, Westmalle Dubbel or similar)
- 2 large onions, sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 slices sourdough or country bread
- 2 tablespoons Ghent mustard (or Dijon)
- 2 bay leaves, fresh thyme
- Salt and black pepper
- Double-fried frites to serve
Method
- Season beef chunks with salt and pepper. Brown in batches in butter in a heavy casserole over high heat. Set aside.
- Add onions to the same pan; cook slowly over low heat for 20 minutes until soft and lightly caramelised.
- Return beef to pan. Pour over the beer. Add bay leaves and thyme. The liquid should just cover the meat.
- Spread mustard on one side of each bread slice. Lay them mustard-side down on top of the meat.
- Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook over the lowest possible heat for 2.5 hours until beef is tender.
- Remove bread (it dissolves and thickens the sauce). Stir and taste. Serve over frites.
Tip from the editors. The bread is not decorative: it dissolves into the braise and thickens the sauce. Do not skip it.
Where to eat stoverij met frites
Stoverij met Frites in Ghent
't Klokhuys ★ 4.3
't Klokhuys runs out of a narrow Patershol house and is one of the most cited places in the city for Gentse waterzooi. The room seats fewer than 30 people.
OrderGentse waterzooi with chicken: the stock is rich, the vegetables are cooked right through.
TipBook at least two days ahead; the room is tiny and fills weeks ahead in summer.
Amadeus Gent 2 ★ 4.0
Amadeus is Ghent's most committed rib restaurant, piling all-you-can-eat spareribs onto wooden boards for tables that stretch across its belfry-square.
OrderAll-you-can-eat spareribs with the house sauce: the price is fixed, the refills are real.
TipBook for Sunday lunch; the all-you-can-eat format fills the room and walk-ins are turned away most evenings.
Pakhuis ★ 4.2
Pakhuis fills a converted 19th-century warehouse behind a central alley. The cavernous glass-roofed interior keeps a menu of daily-fresh oysters, moules.
OrderMoules frites: the mussels arrive in a deep cast-iron pot and the frites alongside are fried to order.
TipBook ahead for weekend dinner; the warehouse vibe is worth it for a big-group celebration.
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