Carbonnade

Northern France/Southern Belgium has got stewed beef DOWN!! They cook it in beer, what a lovely idea. I saw this in a brewery and decided to try it. It turned out just the way it was supposed to, so I'm very proud.
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs beef, cut into large cubes
2 large onions, chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cloves
salt/pepper
2 dark beers (approx 66 cL)
some slices of toasted bread cut into cubes (usually gingerbread, but I didn't have any)
Directions:
1. Brown the beef in the butter in a large pot. Season with some salt and pepper.
2. Add the onions until they start to sweat, then sprinkle in the flour. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes (so as to not color the onions too much)
3. Deglaze with the vinegar, then add the brown sugar, thyme, cloves, and bay leaf. Add the beer and bring to a boil.
4. Turn down the heat and let simmer, covered for 3 hours. At this point, I closed my pressure cooker and let it cook under pressure for about 45 minutes - 1 hour. I think next time I'll just throw it all in the crock pot. I just didn't plan ahead enough, but it is definately a crockable recipe.
5. About 10 minutes before serving, uncover and let the sauce thicken. At this point, stir in the toasted gingerbread cubes.

Serve with some boiled potatoes or home fries!
This is a meaty meal, so add a salad for some vegetable freshness. I just didn't have any left because the dragons ate it all (Eric didn't mind.) Since I didn't have gingerbread, I toasted some white bread and sprinkled a little cinammon, nutmeg, and ginger on it. I'm not sure it's a real replacement, but it was very tasty!