Divinity Original Sin 2: Dwarven Stew

Last year, Divinity Original Sin 2 released its Definitive Edition with many enhancements and an improved second half story. Jeff and I have been making our way from a fresh start to get to the new content. This time around Jeff, and I have a few origin characters in our lineup. Both of us knew that the Red Prince and Beast were characters that were going to be in our party. It has been nice to see the additional story so far and it adds a nice little flair to the story. One of the major improvements I have been in love with the update is the inventory management. It was always a little tiresome to move items around in a multiplayer setting. There were many times prior to this where we would save the game, I’d leave the session, and then Jeff would just shuffle things on his own time. Now being able to unlock your bag and giving people access to your items makes it a breeze.

Rivellon is a world filled with adventure and many different tasty treats. One that I’ve been thinking about making for some time now is the Dwarven Stew. The in-game recipe is relatively light and requires a protein and beer. I immediately thought about a Belgian style stew that I had made a handful of times that would totally fit these requirements. This recipe is a meaty stew combined with the flavors of onion, brown sugar, and a Belgian style beer. My personal favorite beer to use is Chimay Grande Réserve. I’ve found that the flavor from this beer really compliments the beef and onion and I just love it. That said, it’s on the more expensive side, so feel free to substitute it for any darker beer, preferably of the belgian variety. This stew goes extremely well with a bowl of egg noodles and a nice loaf of sourdough bread.

Ingredients:
3 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes
½ cup (80 g) flour
2 tsp (8 g) salt
1 ½ tsp (2 g) pepper
2 tsp (3 g) dried thyme
1 tsp (1 g) ground sage
½ tsp (1 g) ground allspice
¼ tsp (0.5 g ) ground cloves
canola oil
4 onions, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, cut into bite sized pieces
⅓ cup (68 g) brown sugar
2 tbsp (30 ml) cornstarch
1 cup (250 ml) beef broth
1 ½ cups (375 ml) of a trappist ale
2 bay leaves

Preheat oven to 300°F. In a large ziplock bag, combine the flour, salt, pepper, dried thyme, ground sage, ground allspice, and ground cloves. Place several piece of beef, shake to coat, and transfer to a plate. This may have to be done in batches.

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat and add 1 tbsp of canola oil. Add a single layer of the beef but be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Brown all sides of the meat. Remove and place on a plate. Add additional canola oil and continue this process until all the beef has been browned.

Add the onions and, if needed, additional canola oil. Saute the onions until caramelized (about 15 minutes).

Add the brown sugar and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add the beef, any juices, and carrots on the plate and stir everything together.

Combine the beef stock and cornstarch together in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Add to the dutch oven and stir together.

Add the trappist ale to the dutch oven and stir together. Finally, add the bay leaves. Cover and place in the oven and cook for 2-3 hours, until the meat is tender. I do recommend checking and lightly stirring the stew every half hour while it cooks. During the last half hour of cooking, uncover. Serve with buttered noodles and sourdough bread.