Boeuf Bourguignon

French Beef Stew in Red Wine with Bacon, Onions and Mushroom

Right from the oven.
(This may not look appetizing in my picture, but this is by far the most delicious beef stew I ever tasted.)

I finally have the guts to try what I think the most famous French beef stew, Boeuf Bourguignon. I first heard this dish on Julie and Julia some time ago. Towards the end of the movie, having a chance (Julie) to serve Julia Child a dish, she chose Boeuf Bourguignon. After watching, I really became curious on what this dish tastes like. Basically, it's beef stewed in red Burgundy wine and other aromatic flavors. Cooking this will take you around 4-5hrs, depending on the meat quality.

Following Julia Child's recipe (minus the bacon... I ran out of it), I was so nervous about the outcome halfway through. I tasted the stew before placing it in the oven and it was horrible. I was impatient to find out the end result, thinking that this will waste my time if not cooked properly. Praying that will turn out great, I trusted Julia's recipe, with a little hesitation. Besides, it's only halfway through. When the timer went off, I hurriedly took out the casserole and tasted it, and WOW! That's the best stew I ever had! Plus the fact that the beef is so tender. You can taste the flavor of the reduced Burgundy wine, the caramelized onions, and the beef in perfect harmony. Oh là là!!! It was perfect!

If you have the time to try cooking this dish, I swear, you got to do this one! Yes it's very long, not really tedious, but well worth it! You can use any good, dry red wine. Do not use the very expensive Burgundy wine. I used a younger Burgundy wine (read: cheaper than aged). You can use Pinot Noir if you have, or Boardeux, or any dry red wine of your choice. (Don't use sweet red wine)

(off topic: Today was a day of firsts for me. I met two kitchen-related accidents today while cooking this. Nothing serious, don't worry. First, while cutting some meat, I accidentally poked through my middle finger with the knife. It wasn't deep though, but very uncomfortable. Second was while getting the stew from the oven, my right arm accidentally touched the side wall of a 325F oven. Ouch! Don't get discouraged though. Every cook will encounter these small boo-boo's)

To make this awfully delicious Boeuf Bourguignon, you need the ff: (for 6 servings)

6 oz bacon, cut into 3-4 pcs per slice

3lbs (1.3kg) stewing beef cut into 2" cubes. (I used beef cubes from Monterey)

1 sliced carrot

1 sliced onion

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tbsp flour

3 cups red Burgundy wine

2-3 cups beef stock

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 cloves mashed garlic

1/2 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

18-24 small white onions braised in stock* (I used sibuyas tagalog)

0.5 kg qtr fresh mushrooms sautéed in butter (I used canned mushrooms)

Parsley for garnish

for braising the small white onions, you need:

oil

butter

1/2 cup brown beef stock, white wine, red wine or water

salt and pepper to taste

herb bouquet (4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf, 1/4 tsp thyme)

1. Sauté bacon in oil for 2 to 3 minutes until lightly browned.

2. Preheat oven to 450F

3. Pat dry the beef (Very important to pat dry meats. It won't brown if not dry). On a very hot casserole, sauté the beef until brown on all sides. Do not overcrowd the pan. Set aside with the bacon.

4. Using the same oil, brown the carrots and onions. When done, set aside. Discard the oil.

5. Return the beef and bacon into the casserole and toss with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with flour and toss to coat the beef lightly. Set the casserole uncovered in the oven for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, toss the meat around and return for another 4 minutes. Remove the casserole and cool down the oven to 325F.

6. Stir in the wine and beef stock until the meat is barely covered.  Add tomato paste, garlic, and herbs. Bring to a simmer on top of stove.  Cover the casserole and place it in the oven for 3-4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily. (I basted the meat every hour to prevent it from burning/drying up. But it's not necessary, hence the burnt mark on my arm)

*7. While the beef is cooking, remove the skin of shallots. (You can remove the skin easily by having the onion dip in a boiling water for a few seconds one at a time) In a small to medium pan, when the butter is bubbling, sauté the onions in oil and butter for 10 minutes. Pour in the liquid and season to taste. Add the herbs. Cover and simmer slowly for 40-50minutes until the liquid has evaporated. Set aside

8. Sauté mushrooms in butter and oil for 4-5 minutes.

9. When the meat is tender, pour the contents into a sieve over a saucepan. Return the beef and bacon in the casserole. Distribute the vegetables. onions and mushroom.

10. Skim most of the fat off the sauce. Simmer the sauce for a minute to skim off additional fat. If the sauce is too thin, boil rapidly until thick. If too thick, mix in a few tbsp of stock. Taste carefully. The sauce must be perfect after this. Pour the sauce over the meat.

11. Simmer for 2 - 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables. Decorate with parsley. Serve.

For later serving, wait until the stew cools. cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, simmer very slowly for 10 minutes.

Overall, it's pretty long cooking, but I assure you, it is really worth it! Just don't let anyone ruin this dish. I can't wait to do this for my lucky friends.