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Hachee
More Dutch food that you won’t find in many restaurants!
This here is a typical Dutch winter stew. Kinda like the Dutch version of Boeuf Bourguignon. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a Dutchman who didn’t grow up on hachee in some way. Mainly family recipes. Nowadays it’s near impossible to miss the scent coming from kitchens all over town when walking down the streets of Gouda.
My guess is we blatantly stole the name from the French hâché. Doesn’t make it any less good though. It’s a hearty and laid back beef and onion stew that is traditionally served with (mashed) potatoes and braised red cabbage.
This one’s for your comfort food deluxe file and believe me when I say that the time spent on cooking this will be well worth it. Just put it on your stove on a lazy and cold Sunday afternoon and forget all about it until the scent of Holland fills up your house.
Ingredients:
2 pounds stewing steak
4 big onions
3 tbsp flour
water (about 4 to 5 cups)
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 tbsp molasses (of appelstroop)
2 slightly sweet and sour apples
1 small can tomato paste (3 oz)
1 rosemary sprig
2 bay leaves
4 cloves
10 peppercorns
salt and pepper
butter
Optional: adding a little brown ale or red wine intensifies the flavor of the stew
Directions:
2 pounds stewing steak, cut in roughly 1 inch pieced and pat dry with a paper towel. Meat will not brown properly if damp.
4 big onions. This stew relies heavily on onion for flavor. Happy sigh.
Give them a rough chop.
Season the beef cubes with a generous amount of salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Heat some butter and sauté the beef cubes a few pieces at a time until nicely browned on all sides. Don’t overcrowd the pan or they won’t brown properly.
While browning the beef, you also peel the apples. I’ve used Goudreinette, a slightly sweet and more sour apple. Dice them.
As soon as the last batch has browned, transfer all the meat to a big Dutch oven. Provided you didn’t start out with a Dutch oven in the first place.
Cook the onions. Oh man, there’s nothing I love more than the smell of cooking onions. Okay, the scent of my baby’s hair, but that’s it.
They don’t have to be cooked all the way. Just a little browned and translucent is fine. Add them to the beef cubes.
Spoon 3 tbsp flour on top, stir in and let it cook for a minute.
Stir in the tomato paste and give it an extra minute to sweeten up.
Pour in just enough water to submerge the meat.
This will end out to be somewhere around 4 to 5 cups.
Add the diced apples, thyme (use more thyme if you like) cloves, peppercorns and beef bouillon cubes.
If you have trouble finding bouillon cubes that don’t contain MSG, try the whole food shop. They usually have an even more amazing variety including tomato bouillon cubes that are to die for! Well, not literally.
Spike the stew with 2 tbsp molasses (or appelstroop). When you’re in the Netherlands I urge you to add a crumbled up piece of ontbijtkoek. It’s divine.
Two or three bay leaves and one fresh rosemary sprig. I think the rosemary makes a huge difference.
Depending on how salty the bouillon cubes are add a little extra salt. Remember you can always add more later. I stuck to a tsp.
Bring it to a boil. Put the lid on and forget all about it for the next, say 2 and a half to 3 hours. You can stir now and then if you really want to, though.
Here’s what mine looked like after 3 hours. Still a bit high on liquid and we want that to be more of a gravy, so I took the lid off and let it cook down.
Keep in mind that the longer you’ll cook this stew, the better it will taste! So it’s a perfect stew for your slowcooker as well.
Here’s my personal preference. I use my masher to break up the beef. Then I let it simmer for another 30 to 45 minutes until the gravy had the consistency I was looking for. Check the seasoning and add pepper! A generous amount.
Discard the bay leaves, rosemary sprig, cloves and peppercorns. If you can find them, that is.
This was a quick shot taken right at my dinner table: mashed up aromatic beef, gravy, red cabbage and fluffy mashed potatoes. This is the life.
Hachee freezes very well, so cook a double batch if you like easy access later on!
| Hachee | |
| Ingredients |
4 big onions 3 tbsp flour water (about 4 to 5 cups) 2 beef bouillon cubes 2 tbsp molasses (of appelstroop) 2 slightly sweet and sour apples 1 small can tomato paste (3 oz) 1 rosemary sprig 2 bay leaves 4 cloves 10 peppercorns salt and pepper butter |
| Directions |
Heat the butter and brown the beef a few pieces at a time. transfer them all to a Dutch oven and cook the onion until slightly brown and translucent. Spoon 3 tbsp flour on top, stir in and let it cook for a minute. Add the tomato paste and give it an extra minute. Pour in enough water to submerge the meat. Add the rest of the ingredients and season with a pinch of salt. Simmer the stew for 3 hours. Use a masher to break up the beef if you like. Simmer for another 30 to 45 minutes without the lid on until the gravy is thick enough for you. Check the seasoning and add coarsely cracked black pepper. |
| Meal type: | main course |
| Servings: | 4 to 6 |
| Copyright: | © kayotickitchen.com |
my mouth is watering looking at your photo…
I think I love you!
Ik heb altijd geleerd om hachee te maken met bier en een boterham met mosterd bovenop, die zorgt dan voor de binding. Ik gebruik nu tegenwoordig dragonmosterd. hmmmm
Your hachee looks amazing! I love the smell of onions sizzling in the pan as well. Kay, what is the meat you used called in Dutch?
Magda
That looks great! I wouldn’t mind a recipe for your red cabbage, either…
Keep the ’typical’ Dutch recipes coming…please!
I’ve been to many nations, eaten dozens of wonderful exotic dishes. But they all pale in comparison to Dutch winter food like Hachee and Boerenkool.
I think every Dutchman -or woman has fond memories of coming home to s steaming plate of Boerenkool with smoked sausage on a cold, dark winter evening
Thanks for the recipe, Kay!
This looks fantastic! Beautiful presentation also. You have a lovely site here full of wonderful recipes.
Cheers~
This looks wonderful! It’s suppose to rain here this weekend, this will be perfect in the slow cooker. As usual, your pictures are amazing!
This looks absolutely delish!
This title caught my eye because I live in the town of Waxahachie which is more commonly known (to the locals) as Hachie. :)
How is it that it is super hot outside and yet I cannot stop thinking about your hachee?
Now that’s my kind of stew. :)
@ Magda:
These were riblappen!
I’m so happy that I’ve found your website.
I’d made your Dutch Pasta yesterday and your hachee is filling my house with his delishious smell… hmmm can’t wait to taste it.
Thanks for sharing this!
Groetjes Désirée (NL)
@Kay: I thought so! Thanks :)
Hi Kay,
This sounds delicious!
I am from Brazil and I have being living in The Netherlands for 3 years.
I have one question about Dutch food. I have seen also here you recipe for stoofvlees. My question is: Which is the difference between hachee and stoofvlees? Which one is more typically Dutch? Or are both equally typical?
Thank you! :)
Not sure exactly what cut of meat that is, but I am going to try this with chuck roast! Another recipe on my list for next week! Fabulous! Thanks, Kay!
Just linked to your site through Pioneer Woman and am loving your recipes! I just picked up some stew meat today and now I know what I’m going to do with it - this is such an interesting combination of flavors that I’ve never seen before and I can’t wait to give it a try!
Ik wil dit recept ook gaan maken maar wat bedoel je precies met Dutch oven?
I’m so happy to have found this blog! I made this yesterday along with the mashed potatoes and braised red cabbage. It was absolutely delicious! Sweet, but not overly sweet. A nice change from the american version of beef stew that I normally make.
I found your blog because I was looking for comfort food to serve my Dutch fiance. Now this is my favorite food blog. We have loved everything we tried (yes even the non Dutch food).
He is truly looking forward to having this for dinner tonight. It is a chilly 9 degrees F and this will be the perfect winter meal.
I made this today with the red cabbage and it was so yummy. Def. will be making this agin.
My husband found your recipe Kay and made this fabulous dish. The aroma in the house was spectacular and when it was ready to eat, well… My taste buds fell in love. Yum!
Mooie ‘reportage’, puik fotowerk ook. Ga zo door.