Beef Bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon or Beef Burgundy a traditional French stew made out of beef braised in red wine together with garlic, onions, carrots, bouquet garni, pearl onions and mushrooms. This dish is a popular peasant dish during 1600′s in France and was slowly refined and made into haute cuisine (dishes that are elaborately prepared and presented in small amounts usually in high class restaurants and hotels). It was Auguste Escoffier, a chef during the French chef in the late 19th and early 20th who popularized the dish and presented it for mainstream cooking. During the early days preparing this dish was a bit lengthy and time consuming as most of them were prepared for two days where tough beef cuts are lardoned, braised and slow cooked for long times.

Today the cooking process was modernized but the fundamentals stayed the same, where it is still fat rendered but with bacon and cooked with generous amounts of Burgundy wine and spices. Probably this is one of the easiest French dish that you will encounter, trust me the only hardest part is waiting for it to cook, so you what are you waiting for try it now.

Beef Bourguignon

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

3 hours

Total time

3 hours 15 mins

 

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 kg stewing beef, cubed
• ½ cup bacon, cubed
• 500 g button mushrooms, sliced in half
• 3 cups red wine (preferably Burgundy)
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 tbsp brandy
• 4 carrots, cubed
• 1 bouquet garni (6 parsley stalks, 2 celery stalks, 1 bay leaf, 6 peppercorns, 3 thyme sprigs, placed inside muslin and tied)
• 3 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 onions, chopped
• 12-15 pcs pearl onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tbsp butter
• olive oil

Instructions

1. In a heavy skillet add oil then brown beef pieces on all sides. Remove from skillet then set aside.
2. Add the carrots and cook for 4 minutes. Remove from skillet then set aside.
3. Add bacon and fry until light brown, add garlic and onions then sauté until onions are cooked.
4. Add half of the butter, flour and stir until it forms a roux. Add wine, beef broth, brandy, tomato paste, beef and place bouquet garni on top bring to a boil then transfer to casserole.
5. Bake for 2 hours at 150C preheated oven stirring occasionally and adding water as needed.
6. Place the carrots in the casserole then continue to bake for 30 minutes.
7. In a heavy pan add remaining butter then cook mushrooms and cocktail onions for 3 minutes. Add it into the casserole and give it a good mix. Continue to bake for 30 more minutes at 150C.
8. Season with salt and pepper, remove bouquet garni before serving.

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