I finally did it - I channeled my inner Julia Child and made Boeuf Bourguignon. I have been wanting to do this since I saw "Julie & Julia," and with 2 more inches of snow coming, it seemed like the perfect time.
The recipe takes about 4-5 hours, but don't let that scare you. I am a little weird that way because I love spending hours in the kitchen, but about 1/2 of that is cooking time, so you can do it. It's not that the recipe is difficult, it just takes time, so pick a day when you don't have to be anywhere, turn on some great music and get cooking.
A few more tips that are not in "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." Ask someone in your family to be the dishwasher. I went through about 6 pots, 1 cookie sheet and several miscellaneous bowls. It's a lot of washing, but any grateful family member should be more than happy to help.
And, a few recipe notes. With all due respect to Julia Child, I did make some adjustments - I added some extra carrots, because 1 carrot for my family sounded too little. Also, there is a step where she boils bacon (gag) and I left that off. I also sauteed the garlic after the veggies are cooked, because adding raw garlic without a quick saute did not seem right. Lastly, the recipe calls for braised onions and sauteed mushroom, but it is not listed in the BB recipe. I have included that info, and by the way, Julia does not tell you the onions take 40 minutes.
You will need a dutch oven for this recipe, or some sort of flameproof/oven safe pot that can go from the stove to the oven in high heat.
This is a beautiful dish - hearty, depths of flavors, and with a chunk of artisanal Pain Au Levain to soak up the juices, if we closed our eyes, we could almost pretend we were somewhere in France.
Bon Appetit!
Serves 4-6 people. It fed our family of 4 for 2 nights, but if you have lots of men folk in your home, it will probably last one meal. Traditionally served with potatoes or noodles.
1 6-ounce piece of chunk bacon - diced
3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 lb carrots, sliced in 1" chucks. Looks nice if you cut them on the diagonal
1 onion, sliced
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups red wine, young and full-bodied. Please note I used 2 cups and it was fine.
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups brown beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
A crumbled bay leaf
18 to 24 pearl onions, peeled
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 pound mushrooms, quartered
Cooking Directions -
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Sauté bacon in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a dutch oven over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.
Dry beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Heat fat in casserole until almost smoking. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Remove to a side dish.
In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. When onions are done, add garlic and saute one more minute. Pour out the excess fat.
Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes.
Toss the meat again and return to oven for 4 minutes (this browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust).
Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees.
Stir in wine and 2 to 3 cups stock, just enough so that the meat is barely covered.
Add the tomato paste and herbs Bring to a simmer on top of the stove.
Cover casserole and set in lower third of oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily. (Please note I had to lower the heat to 200 to keep it from boiling, so periodically check the beef.)
While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.
Braised Onions
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with one and one-half tablespoons of the oil until bubbling in a skillet.
Add onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling them so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins.
Add 1/2 cup of beef stock, salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and simmer slowly for 30-40 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but hold their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. My liquid never evaporated, but the onion were tender. Set aside.
Mushrooms:
Heat 1 T butter over high heat, add mushroom and saute.Toss and shake pan for 4 to 5 minutes. As soon as they have begun to brown lightly, remove from heat.
When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Heat sauce until slightly reduced - it should lightly coat the back of a spoon.
Return the beef and veggies to the pan. Add onion and mushrooms to beef. Pour sauce into casserole, and heat for 2-3 minutes.
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