Boeuf Bourgignon

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 lb thick-sliced bacon
  • 3 lbs boneless beef chuck, cubed to 1 1/2″
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • 1 (4-inch) piece of celery
  • 4 fresh parsley stems (no leaves)
  • 4 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves (not California)
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped into 1/4″ slices
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 (750ml) bottle dry red wine
  • 1 lb small boiling onions or pearl onions
  • 1 lb mushrooms, quartered
  • Special equipment: kitchen string

PREPARATION

  • Cook bacon in boiling salted water 3 minutes, then drain. Season meat with salt and pepper and dust with flour.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a wide 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat, brown beef well on all sides in 2 or 3 batches, without crowding, adding oil as needed. Transfer meat to a bowl.
  • Pour off excess oil from pot, then add brandy to pot. Boil over high heat 1 minute, stirring and scraping, then pour over beef.
  • Tie celery, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and cloves together with string to make a bouquet garni. In 1 tablespoon butter sauté bacon 2 minutes. Add chopped onions, garlic, and carrots. Stir in tomato paste, cook 1 minute. Add wine, meat with juices, and bouquet garni and simmer gently, partially covered, until meat is tender, 3.5 to 4 hours.
  • While meat simmers, blanch boiling onions in salted water, then peel and sauté in 1 tablespoon butter. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2 cups water then simmer, partially covered, until onions are tender, 15 minutes. Boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to a glaze, 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Heat remaining tablespoon of butter and sauté mushrooms until golden brown and any liquid is evaporated, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in onions and mushrooms, cook 10 minutes. Remove bouquet garni and skim fat from surface of stew. Season with salt and pepper.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
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