Hachee from the slow cooker

Ingredients

• 1 kg stewing beef (sukadelappen or riblappen)
• 4 large onions, cut into half rings
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 300 ml beef stock
• 250 ml dark beer (e.g., oud bruin)
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 cloves
• 6 juniper berries, lightly crushed
• 2 tbsp apple syrup (appelstroop)
• 3 slices of ontbijtkoek (Dutch spiced cake)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A splash of sunflower oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the beef into large chunks of about 3 to 4 centimetres. Pat them dry with kitchen paper and season generously with salt and pepper.Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan or use the sauté function on your multicooker. Brown the meat in batches until a deep golden brown, not too many at once. Set the browned meat aside.Fry the onion rings in the same pan or pot until soft and lightly golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for another minute.Deglaze with the red wine vinegar and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Add the beef stock, the beer, the bay leaves, the cloves, the juniper berries and the syrup. Stir everything together well.Put the meat back into the pot. Lay the slices of ontbijtkoek on top of the meat; they will dissolve and thicken the sauce. Set the slow cooker to low and stew for 7 to 8 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours.After cooking, stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning with extra salt, pepper or a splash of vinegar if the sauce needs more kick. Remove the bay leaves and whole cloves.Serve the hachee with stamppot (Dutch mashed-potato dish), boiled potatoes or rice and some pickled red cabbage. Enjoy.