Continuing the French Nostalgia

With chuck roast on sale this week for $1.99/lb., three thoughts went through my head:

1. I now have an excuse to kick-start The Whole Cow.

2. I miss springtime dinners on Paris sidewalks.

3. Boeuf bourguignon, here we come!

So here it is, our version of bœuf bourguignon. It’s a little bit Julia and little bit Ina with some RGB thrown in. We first made it for ourselves in December 2008, and then pulled it out again to impress our friends during Valentine’s Day dinner. The recipe doesn’t stray too far from how everyone else is making theirs, but we think our garden herbs and local vegetables provide that extra je ne sais quoi. Serve with a double-serving of mashed potatoes. Enjoy! [K]

Click here to view a printable version of this recipe.

Bœuf Bourguignon

First Shared at New Year’s Eve-Eve Dinner

Winter 2008

~

~ Serves ~

6

~ Ingredients ~

• 4 slices bacon
• 1 ½ lb. beef chuck roast, cubed 1”
• ¼ cup flour with 1 tbsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper
• ½ lb. carrots (5 small), sliced into 1/3” cubes
• 1 medium yellow onion
• ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ cup Cognac (or brandy)
• ½ bottle Burgundy or other good dry red wine (drink the other half while making dinner )
• 1 cup beef broth
• ½ tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 branch fresh thyme (1 tsp. fresh thyme)
• 4 sprigs parsley
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 8-10 oz. white pearl onions
• 8 oz. fresh mushrooms

~ Preparation ~

Preparation Time: 3 hours

1. Preheat oven to 250º F.
2. Heat olive oil in Dutch oven. Add bacon and cook over medium heat until bacon is lightly browned. Cool and tear into ½” pieces. Save bacon grease in small prep. bowl.
3. Meanwhile, cube beef and pat dry with paper towel. Dredge with salt, pepper and flour. In batches in single layers, sear beef in leftover bacon grease in Dutch oven at high heat for 3-5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Set aside with bacon.
4. Dice carrots and slice onion. Smash garlic.
5. Chop parsley leaves. Save stems.
6. Toss carrots and onions in ½ tsp. of salt and ¼ tsp. of pepper in pan over medium heat with leftover grease and cook for 10 minutes, stirring until onions are lightly browned. If there isn’t any leftover grease, use 1 tbsp. olive oil. Add garlic, parsley stems, bay leaf and thyme and cook for one more minute. Add Cognac or brandy, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off alcohol. Put the meat and bacon back into pot with the juices. Add bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot and place in the oven for 2 hours.
7. Meanwhile, boil pearl onions for three minutes; then cool in ice water to stop cooking process. Drain onions. Cut off the root end of the onions and squeeze onions out from the outer layer. Set aside.
8. Remove mushroom stems and slice thickly. Sauté mushrooms in 1 tbsp. butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and set aside.
9. With 10 minutes to go on the stew, melt unsalted butter in saucepan and stir in flour to make roux.
10. Pull out the stew, place on stovetop and check consistency. Add roux into the stew until desired consistency is reached.
11. Add pearl onions and mushrooms into the stew.
12. Bring stew to a boil on the stove top, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf and thyme stems. Season to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley leaves and serve immediately.

Nutrition content per serving: 339 calories, 15g carbs, 25g protein, 18g fat, 1g fiber

Cost per serving: $ 3.97

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

Do you ever add wine to your recipes?

Tagged as: Beef