What seems like an eternity ago, I received a Martha Stewart Living magazine with a recipe for a French beef stew call beouf bourguinon. In addition to having never heard of this stew, I had no idea how to pronounce it (despite acing French my senior year of high school) much less make it. I have never backed down to a challenge and this time was no different. I invited my best buddy, Milos to join us (He of course being from Europe and having traveled to France many times would be my best judge). With my recipe in hand, I schlepped my two children at the time to the market to gather everything needed for dinner, including a nice crusty baguette that I thought I may or may not need. It was French at any rate and I wanted everything to be just perfect.
I was prepared. I had my menu planned. We would have a mixed field greens salad with toasted goat cheese and a walnut vinaigrette to start. I had made this many times before and knew it was a gold star. I wasn't sure of how long it would take to finish the stew, therefore I decided upon the very French option of a cheese course for dessert.
To make a long story short, it took much longer than I had planned. I had not thoroughly read the recipe and failed to read that the stew needed to braise in the oven for nearly 3 hours. Before finishing it off. Needless to say, we had the salad and then the cheese course while the stew stayed in the oven. Luckily, we had great conversation to pass the time and when it was finished, the beouf bourguinon was Wonderful! And my baguette was a must to sop up the rich saucy goodness.
This has now many years later became my standard cold season, autumn and winter, stew. I always make extra, yet there is very seldom any left for even a meager bowl. It is heart warming as well as delicious. This is a great meal to prepare when entertaining, just be sure to prepare well in advance!
Beouf Bourguinon, Martha Stewart Living, 2005
Ingredients
6 ounces slab bacon, rind removed, cut into 1/4-by-1 1/2-inch pieces
3 pounds stewing beef, such as lean rump pot roast, cut into 2-inch cubes, patted dry
1 carrot, thinly sliced crosswise
1 medium onion, sliced crosswise
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups red wine, such as Chianti, Beaujolais, or Cotes du Rhone
3 cups homemade beef stock or canned low-sodium beef stock, plus 1/2 cup
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic, crushed
1/2 dried thyme, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 dried bay leaf, crumbled, plus 1/2 bay leaf
4 sprigs fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus 1 tablespoon
24 cipollini or pearl onions, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes, and peeled
1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with oven racks set in the middle and lower-third. In a small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 quarts water to a simmer; add bacon and rind, simmering for 10 minutes. Drain; dry bacon and pot. Reserve rind.
2.Heat olive oil in a Dutch-oven over medium heat. Add bacon; cook until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon; set aside.
3.Increase heat to medium-high; oil should be just below smoking point. Test by placing one piece of beef in pan; it should sizzle immediately. Add beef in small batches and cook until well-browned on all sides. Remove meat, and set aside with bacon.
4.Add carrots and sliced onions; cook until browned. Drain excess; discard.
5.Return beef and bacon to pot; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle in flour, tossing to coat. Transfer pot, uncovered, to middle of oven; bake for 4 minutes. Toss meat and vegetables; bake for 4 minutes more. Transfer pot to stove. Reduce heat to 325 degrees.
6.Over medium-low heat, stir in wine and enough stock to barely cover meat. Add tomato paste, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1 crumbled bay leaf, and bacon rind; bring to a simmer. Cover pot, and transfer to lower-third of oven. Bake, regulating heat so stew simmers, until meat is fork tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
7.Meanwhile, make an herb sachet. In an 8-by-8-inch piece of cheesecloth, combine 4 sprigs parsley, 1/2 bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, and tie using kitchen twine. Set aside.
8.In a medium skillet, combine 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When butter is bubbling, add whole onions; saute until browned, about 10 minutes.
9.Add 1/2 cup stock to pan; season with salt and pepper, and add herb sachet. Simmer, covered, until onions are tender and liquid has evaporated, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove herb sachet, and discard. Set aside.
10.Wipe out skillet; place over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil; butter will begin to foam. As foaming subsides, add mushrooms; saute, stirring often, until lightly browned. Remove from heat; set aside.
11.Pour stew into a sieve set over a large saucepan. Rinse out Dutch-oven. Return beef and bacon to pot; add cooked mushrooms and onions.
12.Skim fat from sauce. Over medium-low heat, bring sauce to a simmer, skimming off additional fat, 1 to 2 minutes. Sauce should be thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. If too thin, bring to a boil and reduce to correct consistency. If too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over meat and vegetables.
13.Bring pot to a simmer, covered, over medium heat, basting meat and vegetables with sauce, 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with parsley; serve immediately.
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