Recipe - Belgian Beef Stew

3 pound Lean stewing beef
cut into 1 1/2in cubes
Flour for dredging
5 tablespoon Vegetable oil
2 lg Onions
peeled and thinly cut or sliced up
2 Garlic cloves
peeled and minced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 ounce Beer
2 pound Sauerkraut
rinsed and squeezed dry
2 tablespoon Marjoram
2 tablespoon Dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon Celery seed
1 Bay leaf
Three fourths cup Pitted green olives, cut or sliced up
1 cup Cream (optional)
One half cup Minced flatleaf parsley
for garnish

PREHEAT OVEN TO 325F. Dredge the meat in flour. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil
in a Dutch oven. Add only enough meat to cover the bottom of the pan
without crowding and brown on all sides, scraping and turning the cubes so
that they don't burn. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon to a bowl, and
continue until all the meat is browned, adding fresh oil as needed. If the
oil has burned or more oil is needed, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of
oil to the pot. When it is hot, add the onions and cook for 6to7 minutes
more, stirring frequently until they are light brown and soft. Stir in the
garlic. Add the meat, salt, pepper, beer, sauerkraut, marjoram, brown
sugar, celery seed, bay leaf and olives and stir to mix well. Cover and
transfer the casserole to the oven for 1 One half hours. Stir occasionally.
After the meat is tender, remove the bay leaf, skim off any excess fat and
stir in the cream, if desired. Add the parsley.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini