Hachee

Hachee is a classic Dutch stew made with beef and plenty of onions, slowly cooked with bay leaves and cloves. A little vinegar and apple syrup give the sauce a gentle sweet-and-sour balance.

Serves: 4 people
Preparation: approximately 20 minutes
Cooking time: approximately 3–3½ hours
Total time: approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes–3 hours and 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 750 g beef chuck steaks
• 500–600 g onions
• 40 g butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 400 ml beef stock
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon apple syrup
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Cut the meat
   Cut the beef into large cubes of approximately 3–4 cm and pat them thoroughly dry with kitchen paper.
2. Slice the onions
   Peel the onions and slice them into half-rings.

Method

1. Brown the meat
   Heat the butter in a heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Brown the meat in batches on all sides until dark brown. Transfer each browned batch temporarily to a plate.
2. Cook the onions
   Reduce the heat slightly and add the onions to the remaining butter and browned bits. Cook them for approximately 10–15 minutes until soft and beginning to colour lightly. Stir regularly.
3. Add the flour
   Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir well. Cook the flour over low heat for approximately 1 minute.
4. Add the braising liquid
   Return the meat and any released juices to the pan. Add the apple cider vinegar and stir to loosen the browned bits from the bottom. Then add the beef stock, apple syrup, bay leaves and cloves. Season with some black pepper.
5. Stew the hachee
   Slowly bring everything almost to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid. Leave the hachee to stew very gently for approximately 3–3½ hours. Stir occasionally and add a little extra hot water or stock only if the sauce is in danger of reducing too much.
6. Check the meat
   The hachee is ready when the meat is meltingly tender and easily falls apart with a fork. The onions should have largely disappeared into the sauce.
7. Finish the sauce
   Remove the bay leaves and cloves. If the sauce is too thin, leave it to simmer gently without the lid for a few more minutes. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Serve the hachee
   Serve the hachee piping hot with mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes or stamppot.