Beef Bourguignon

I think every home should have a Beef Bourguignon dish in the family’s roster of Sunday dishes. The dish demands patience (time)  to be successful, little kitchen skill and a keen eye to some quality ingredients. Beef Bourguignon is translated as “beef in the style of Burgundy”…from the Burgundy region of France, of course. The region’s best ambassador is its wine which lends itself to its complimentary rich gastronomical dishes. The region is located smack in between Strasbourg and Lyon and visitors to the area would also delight in a taste of Gougeres, smoked meats, snails, poultry dishes or Charolais beef. I must also pay homage to the region of Burgundy as one of favourite condiments also comes from here…Dijon mustard!

The madame who’s been often credited with bringing French cuisine into the homes of American (and Canadian) homes is Julia Child. My earliest recollection of “Julia” was watching her on the PBS affiliate located in Buffalo, New York (just 3 hours south of Toronto). Later, I would again see Julia appear on TV cooking with other pre-eminent American chefs and I really enjoyed her cooking series with Jacques Pepin.

The “go-to” recipe for Beef Bourguignon seems to be Julia’s, as included in “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”, which I finally acquired last year. Julia’s recipe for Beef Bourguignon builds layers of flavours for this popular French dish with browning the beef, then sauteing the vegetables, browning the onions and mushrooms and ultimately, adding delicious French wine (Burgundy of course) and beef stock in what inevitably becomes one of the most delicious sauces you will ever have tasted. Her (Julia’s) recipe is a tried and true winner and I’ve not veered by the ingredients list but her method will also leave one with a lot more clean-up. I’ve taken a different approach to her recipe with an empathetic eye towards the homemaker who dreads washing so many pots/pans and instead, everything gets browned, sauteed, browned, simmered and braised all in the same Dutch oven.

Choose a heavy, good quality Dutch oven or oven-proof baking vessel that comes with a lid. A heavy-bottomed vessel will allow you to properly brown your meat without burning and my Kitchen Aid 7-quart Dutch Oven did the trick! The beef I used was chuck (or shoulder) as it has some fat on it, has a flavour similar to short rib and lends well to slow-cookin’. White or Cremini mushrooms are best for the dish and you, of course need small onions. Your choice of stock should be beef (of course) and traditionally a Burgundy (red) should be used but as long as you use a quality red that you like to drink – your dish will turn out just fine!

Your choice of side dishes range from the very traditional boiled potatoes to buttered noodles, rice or my choice for today – a garlic mashed potato.

Beef Bourguignon (adapted from Julia Child)

(serves 4-6)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 kg. (2.5lbs)  of chuck (or beef shoulder), cut into large cubes

coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper

4 rashers of bacon

1 large onion, sliced

1 large carrot, sliced

5-6 cloves of garlic

2 bay leaves

5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 heaping Tbsp. of all-purpose flour

20-24 small/pearl onions, skins removed

1 heaping Tbsp. of unsalted butter

2 cups of white or Cremini mushrooms, halved or thickly sliced

2 cups of red wine (Burgundy)

approx. 4 cups of hot beef stock

1 heaping Tbsp. of tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)

heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (approx. 7-quart capacity)

1. Season your cubes of beef with coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Place your Dutch oven on your stove-top over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and then add your cubes of beef (don’t overcrowd your, cook in batches). Brown on all sides and reserve on a plate. Remove the fat from the vessel and reduce heat to medium, add your bacon, onions, garlic carrots, bay leaves and thyme and stir. Cover and allow the vegetables and bacon to sweat for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally to pick-up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot.
2. Remove the vegetables, bacon (and herbs) with a slotted spoon and if there’s not enough fat in the pot, add a tablespoon of olive oil and now add your pearl onions and brown on all sides for a couple of minutes. Now add your butter and as soon as it melts and then begins to sizzle, add the mushrooms along with some salt and pepper and stir and brown on all sides. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and reserve (along with the pearl onions).
3. Add the reserved onion/carrot mixture back into the pot and sprinkle the flour over them and stir to coat. Now add your browned beef, the wine and the tomato paste. Bring to a simmer while stirring and pre-heat your oven to 350F. Pour enough beef stock to just cover your meat and stir in. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. Cover and place the Dutch oven in your pre-heated oven (middle rack) for about 90 minutes. Remove the baking vessel from the oven, uncover and add the mushrooms and stir-in. Taste and adjust seasoning and should the sauce too dry, add another cup of stock or water. Place the pearl onions on top and cover and return to the oven for another 75-90 minutes. Your sauce should be thick and coat a wooden spoon. Remove the bay leaves and sprigs of thyme and keep your Beef Bourguignon covered on your stove-top/keep warm.
4. Prepare your side dish of garlic mashed potatoes, buttered noodles or rice and serve with your Beef Bourguignon topped with chopped fresh parsley and a red Burgundy wine.

Note: When I was removing the bay leaves and thyme sprigs I was also looking to remove the bacon but they had totally broken-down and melted away into the dish – awesome!

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© 2007-2011 Peter Minakis