I wish you could smell this pot!
Everyone has heard of Beef Bourguignon, right? It is a classic French stew, prepared with beef, that has been braised in red wine, and beef broth, then flavored with bacon, garlic, onions, carrrots, pearl onions and mushrooms. Is it a time consuming dish to prepare? Yes, but it does not require any special cooking skills (even a novice cook can prepare this dish). I would almost say that it is a relaxing way to spend an afternoon. In addition, it is best prepared several days in advanced! That is my kind of dish! Comfort food plus elegance all in one pot.
There are dozens of different recipes for Beef Bourguignon, but this one is my favorite. It is from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. She combines the classic components of the dish, but modernizes it in a way that the final result doesn't deviate from the original French, country dish of Burgundy. If you compare her recipe, to Julia Child's recipe, you will see what I mean. You can find Julia's recipe here. I am pretty confident that you will want to go with Ina's version. Julia's recipe is incredibly complicated and labor intensive (there are 45 steps to her recipe!!!). I am sure it is amazing, and if anyone wishes to prepare it, please save me a bowl.
There are a few tricks to making sure this dish comes out perfectly. I am all for shortcuts, when possible, but make sure to keep these tips in mind when preparing your Beef Bourguignon:
1 - You must use a heavy duty stewing pot, preferably made from enameled cast iron. Heavy stainless steel will work or another heavy nonreactive metal pot. It must be AT LEAST 7 quarts. If it is any smaller, divide the recipe between two smaller pots. Finally, the pot must have a tight fitting lid, or, you can use two sheets of heavy duty foil to cover the pot when it goes in the oven.
2 - Do not substiture a lean cut of meat for the beef chuck. The marbling fat keeps the meat moist during cooking, and anything much leaner will be tough and stringy.
3 - Don't drink the wine intended for the stew. You truly need the entire bottle for the recipe! No cheating!
4 - Serve your beef bourguignon with a starchy side dish to soak up all of those delicious juices. My recipe (correction.... Ina's recipe) suggests grilled bread....YUM! Other suggestions are rice, garlic mashed potatoes or egg noodles.
Make sure to season the beef with plenty of salt and pepper.
Do not crowd the pan when browning the meat. I browned my beef in two batches. If you crowd the pan, the beef will never brown.
This is what the carrots and onions will look like when they are done cooking.
Bring all ingredients to a simmer before you put the pot in the oven.
Saute mushrooms in butter before adding to pot after cooking in the oven.
This is what your butter and flour mixed together will look like...a big clump of goo, but it will thicken your stew perfectly. Remember to start with room temperature butter!
But worth all the effort in the end! Look how gorgeous this looks! It tastes as good as it looks, and it will be even better the next day, and the day after that. We enjoyed this dish with mashed potatoes, and it was LOVED by all. The mashed potatoes soaked up all of the gravy from the Beef Bourguignon, and became an entirely new dish of its' own.
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