Zuurvlees is the dish of Limburg: rich and sweet-and-sour, originally made with horse meat, but at least as good with beef. Ask ten Limburgers for the recipe and you will get eleven answers; this is the version I grew up with.
Zoervleisj (Limburg sour beef stew)
Region: Limburg
Zoervleisj (Limburg sour beef stew)
Region: Limburg
Method
01
Marinate
Mix water and vinegar (1:1) in a bowl. Add salt, pepper, bay leaves and cloves. Put the meat in the marinade and leave for 24 hours in the fridge.
02
Brown
Take the meat out of the marinade, let it drain well (keep the marinade) and pat dry. Remove the bay leaves and cloves. Heat butter in a frying pan and brown the meat on all sides. Transfer to a casserole and pour the strained marinade over it.
03
Add the onions
Coarsely chop the onions and fry them dark brown in the same pan. Add them to the meat.
04
Braise
Bring to the boil, add the soft brown sugar and apple and pear syrup and simmer gently over a low heat for at least 2 hours (traditionally 3–4 hours).
05
Thicken and finish
Crumble the ontbijtkoek and stir it into the sauce for the last 30 minutes or so, until it thickens nicely. Taste and season with extra salt, pepper, sugar or vinegar until you have your own balance between sweet and sour. If the sauce isn’t thick enough, add a little potato starch.
Tips & notes
Zuurvlees is even better the next day, so feel free to make it a day ahead. Serve the way it should be: with thick frites, apple sauce and mayonnaise. Keeps for 3–4 days in the fridge, and freezes very well (up to 3 months); the flavour often deepens further by the next day.
Variations
- Zuurvlees with horse meat, as it was originally made in Maastricht; ask your butcher for horse steaks.
- Add 50 g of ontbijtkoek instead of (some of) the sugar for extra spicy thickening, an old Limburg trick.
Contains:
Gluten
Milk
Sulphites
Serve with
| Calories | 696 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 41 g |
| Carbohydrates | 62 g |
| Fat | 30 g |
| Fibre | 2 g |
Estimated values, calculated from standard nutritional values per ingredient.
