Beef Bourguignon

French Dinner Recipes

6 oz. blanched bacon 2-3 Tbsp. vegetable oil 4 lb. beef chuck, fat trimmed, cut into 2-inch cubes salt, pepper 1 c. sliced carrots 2 c. sliced onions 1 bottle red wine 2 c. beef stock 1 c. chopped tomatoes 1 medium herb boquet: (8 parsley sprigs, 1 large bay leaf, 1 tsp. dried thyme, 2 cloves, 3 cloves smashed garlic tied into a piece of cheesecloth) Buerre manié for sauce: 3 Tbsp. flour blended to a paste with 2 Tbsp. butter Garnish 24 small white onions, braised in butter 4 c. mushrooms (about 1.5 lb.), sautéd in butter

For those of us who can't spell in French, this is Beef Burgundy. Adapted from Julia's Kitchen Wisdom, by Julia Child. Delicious with a crusty bread, or with potatoes. My kids love it with noodles. Blanch bacon: Fill a large saucepan with 2 quarts cold water. Drop the bacon into it. Bring to a boil,. Reduce heat, simmer 6-8 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water to stop the cooking, then allow to dry on paper towels. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. oil. Add bacon to brown slightly. Remove bacon and set aside. Add beef cubes to skillet. Brown, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. When beef is browned on all sides, remove to a large baking dish. Cut bacon into bite-sized pieces. Add to baking dish. Pour out all but a little of the fat in the skillet. Add carrots and onions, saute briefly until onions are translucent. Add carrots and onions to the baking dish. Add a little wine to the skillet to deglaze the pan. Allow to cook for 3 minutes, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour wine from skillet into baking dish. Add beef stock. Add additional wine to almost cover the meat. Stir in tomatoes and add herb bouquet. Preheat oven to 325°F. Put baking dish in oven, bake 40 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove vegetables and meat from the stew, leaving just the cooking liquid – gravy in waiting. Whisk in buerre manié. Heat sauce over medium heat about 5 minutes, or until gravy-thick. Add vegetables back in. Heat until heated through. Fold in sautéed onions and mushrooms.

Submitted by Gretchen Grant
Contributed on: Monday March 27th, 2006 and modified on Thursday May 6th, 2010