Grandmother's Hachee recipe (Dutch Beef and Onion Stew) is old-fashioned tasty, and it's very easy to prepare: you use the slow cooker. The long stewing draws all the flavors into the meat, which becomes wonderfully tender. An easy recipe that revives the delicious traditional taste of the past, thanks to the beer and gingerbread!
Hachee Recipe Dutch Beef and Onion Stew
Hachee, who doesn't know this delicious stew from the past? It was simmering at my grandmother's for hours on a small hotplate or the simmering plate on the gas. And then, in the evening, the pan was put on the table and, together with potatoes, apple butter, and red cabbage, became a delicious main course.
Did you know that hachee is a typical Dutch recipe? It was first described in the Middle Ages when served at large buffets.
To reuse leftover meat, this stew was simmered for hours with stock, onions, flour, and an acid (in this case beer, but it can also be vinegar and wine) to make the meat wonderfully tender. The gravy in which the beef stewed was wonderfully thick and flavored with cloves and bay leaf (source: Wikipedia). It must have been a delicious buffet dish.
What do you need for Dutch Beef Stew (Slow Cooker)?
To prepare this Hachee recipe with Beef and Onions, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
- Butter - Use unsalted butter
- Beef - Chuck roast is used in this recipe. But you can also use a round roast (top or bottom) or tri-tip roast for this Latin beef stew. This meat needs a lot of stewing time, so it has time to absorb all the flavors well and, at the same time, become wonderfully tender.
- Flour - All-purpose flour is good.
- Onions - Yellow onions give lots of flavor to this beef stew.
- Sugar - Regular sugar, used to caramelize the onions a bit.
- Beef stock - Use beef stock made from cubes or, even better, use homemade beef stock.
- Beer - It is best to use a dark, brown beer. This beer is brewed with a pure brown malt, which gives it a sweet taste. Perfect for hash. The beer is the acid that ensures that the meat becomes tender. If you prefer not to use beer, you can replace it with 1 â…“ cup (300 ml) of red wine, three tablespoons of white wine vinegar, and a cup (250 ml) of water.
- Bay leaves and cloves - To add flavor. The bay leaf and cloves are used when simmering the stew, but you discard them before eating. A tip, I prick the cloves into the bay leaves so that you can get them out of the stew more easily.
- Gingerbread - In Dutch, Peperkoek or kruidkoek is added to thicken the stew and add some sweetness and spice.Â
How to prepare Old Fashioned Beef and Onion Stew (Dutch)?
You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.
Melt the butter in the pan and fry the meat with flour for 5 minutes until golden brown. Add the onion rings and sugar and fry for another 3 minutes. Place the contents of the pan in the slow cooker and return to the gas. Pour the stock into the pan and pour half of the stock into the pan. Scrape off all burnt-offs.
Pour the stock from the frying pan, the rest of the stock, and the beer into the slow cooker. Place the gingerbread slices, bay leaves, and cloves on top. Turn on the slow cooker and let it do its job! Remove the bay leaves with the cloves, and grandmother's Hachee is ready.
- Why are you baking the flour? By baking the flour, the "flour taste" will disappear. Also, adding the flour will thicken the gravy (the delicious thick gravy that comes with the hash).
- Cloves in Bay Leaf - Stick the cloves in the bay leaf. This way, you can easily find and remove them after baking.
- Slow cooker - Set the slow cooker on a low setting for 8 hours or on a high setting for 5 hours to get delicious Dutch hachee.
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Hachee Recipe Dutch Beef and Onion Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter unsalted
- 1 ¼ pound chuck roast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 3 cups onions peeled and sliced
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup beef stock 1 beef stock cube dissolved in ½ cup hot water
- 1¼ cup dark beer
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cloves
- 2 slices gingerbread peperkoek of ontbijtkoek
Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic
Instructions
- Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat.1 stick butter
- Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper.1 ¼ pound chuck roast, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Place the meat in the frying pan and add the flour. Mix everything well.2 tablespoon flour
- Bake for 5 minutes while mixing regularly.
- Add the onions and sugar and mix well again. Raise the heat to high and cook for 3 minutes.3 cups onions, 2 teaspoon sugar
- Place the contents of the pan in the slow cooker.
- Pour stock into the pan and scrape up any bits and pieces with a wooden spatula. Pour the contents of the pan into the slow cooker.½ cup beef stock
- Add the beer to the slow cooker. Mix everything well.1¼ cup dark beer
- Stick a clove into the bay leaf.2 bay leaves, 2 cloves
- Place the gingerbread slices, and bay leaves on top of the meat mixture.2 slices gingerbread
- Put a lid on the pan and turn the slow cooker on Low for 8 hours.
- Remove the bay leaf, stir well and serve.
Notes
- Refrigerator - Cool the hachee quickly. You can keep the Dutch beef and onion stew covered in the fridge for up to two days.
- Freezer - Allow the meat to cool quickly and place it in an airtight freezer box or bag and freeze. This keeps it good for up to 3 months. Then, let thaw in the refrigerator.
Reheat - Heat the hachee over medium heat while stirring until hot.
Veronica says
Is there a way to replace the gingerbread? I’m Located in Norway, and can’t get it.
Andréa says
Can you get Biscoff cookies? They'll have the same flavor. I would add 6 of them instead.
Kate says
Is 1-1/4 CUPS chuck roast accurate? Should it be pounds? Still that's not much beef.
Andréa says
You're right it should be pounds (I adjusted that). This was enough meat for us, but you could easily double the meat (no extra sauce is needed). I adjust that when we're eating dinner with more people.