Boeuf Bourguignon

[darkemeralds]

Because the lovely ravurian asked, here's one of my favorite recipes, illustrated.



I've modified this a little from The Barefoot Contessa's version, but it's essentially the same rich, generous, winter-day meal you make in a single pot.

For this recipe, you'll need a heavy cast-iron pot, 2.5 to 3 liters/quarts, with a weighted lid, that can go from stove-top to oven.

Prep time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: about 90 minutes (longer if you want to tenderize a tougher cut of beef)
Finishing time: 10 minutes
Makes, I dunno, about 6 servings? Maybe 8?

First there's shopping

You need

• Top sirloin - 1.75-2 lbs (less than 1 kg)
• Dark red wine - 1 bottle (I used Australian shiraz)
• Bacon (streaky)- 4 oz (120 grams)
• Carrots - 3 large
• Yellow onion - 1
• Mushrooms - 5-6 oz, 150 grams. It's nice to have them all the same size. I like the little brown criminis
• Bay leaf - 1
• Thyme - 2 or 3 sprigs fresh
• Tomato paste
• Beef stock (optional)
• Tiny potatoes (optional)
• Olive oil
• Butter
• Cornstarch

Preheat your oven to 300F - 150C - Gasmark 2.

Now for the slicin' and dicin':

• Cut the bacon into small pieces

• Cut the sirloin into smallish cubes--no bigger than an inch/2.5 cm

• Peel the carrots and slice them into good-sized diagonal chunks

• Dice the onion

• Snip the mushroom stems off even with the caps. If you bought big mushrooms, also halve or slice them

Next comes browning. You brown everything. It's a big part of the final flavor. Turn on the exhaust fan and/or open a window. Lay out some paper towels or bags for draining.

• Put the heavy pot on high heat and add a tablespoon or so of olive oil - 15 grams

• Add the cut-up bacon and let it brown and render

• Remove the browned bacon bits to draining paper (leaving the bacon fat in the pan) and add the cubes of beef in a single layer in the hot oil. This may take two batches. Don't bother setting the draining paper on fire. I tried this and it's a nuisance. Brown the beef well on all sides

• Remove the beef cubes to paper and add the carrot chunks to the pot. You can add more olive oil if things are looking a little syrupy at this point. Cook till golden at the edges and beginning to soften

• Remove the carrots to paper and add the diced onion to the pot. Cook the onions till well browned, reduced, and beginning to carmelize.

Assemble!
Put the bacon, beef, and carrots back in the pot and add a bay leaf, the sprigs of thyme, and a good dollop (maybe 20 grams) of tomato paste. Stir so that the contents are mixed.


Pour in the bottle of red wine. If you can't fit the whole 750mL in there, gosh, you might have to drink some. If the wine doesn't actually cover all the ingredients, fall back on beef stock.


Slow-cooking time:
Remove the pot from the stovetop, put the lid on, and place in a slow oven (300F - 150C - Gasmark 2).

Lindsay? Can you go to the basement and get me a new lightbulb for the oven?

Cook for an hour. Add the trimmed mushrooms. (If you want to add tiny potatoes or chunks of potato, put them in with the mushrooms).


Return to the oven and cook for another half hour, until the beef is very tender and the mushrooms (and potatoes if any) are done. Remove from the oven.

Finishing touches:

• Fish the thyme stems and the bay leaf out of the pot
• Make a paste of 2 tablespoons (30 grams) softened butter and about the same volume of cornstarch. Add half of this to the pot and stir carefully to thicken the liquid. Use the other half as needed to get the desired thickness
• This would be the place to add salt if you feel like it needs any

Let the stew rest for a little while before serving. If you didn't add potatoes, you can serve it over mashed potatoes. Traditionally it's served with oiled and grilled baguette slices. I like it over rice. I've been known to encase dollops of it in gluten-free pastry and bake them in muffin cups for hand-pies, too.

ETA: crossposting to LJ

Comments

[ruric]

Hungry now! I may make a batch of this next weekend if I get up to the Farmer's Market.

[darkemeralds]

It's pretty yum. The recipe is all about the umami--browning, bacon, red wine, tomato paste--and the result is something delightfully, carnivorously savory and satisfying.

I was sitting here goggling at the timestamp and wondering what on earth you're doing up at 4:30 a.m. Then I remembered how, last night, and possibly the night before, I was up reading fic till a similar hour. I love being on stay-cation.

[ravurian]

I can follow this recipe! And I will! Thank you! I am so hungry looking at this...

[darkemeralds]

Well I can't wait to hear if you do! My sis and I just sat made a dinner of it (like most soups and stews, it matures and gets better for a couple of days) along with some gluten-free biscuity-sconey things I made. Deeply satisfying on a snowy New Year's Eve.

[executrix]

A lot of people's dutch oven has a phenolic resin knob that's iffy in the oven--in that case, just take it off with a screwdriver before the pan goes into the oven, screw it back on when the pan comes out.

[darkemeralds]

I read about those Dutch ovens (part of the reason I went with this French one of mine by Staub). This recipe goes in at such low temperature that even the resin knob will probably survive, but that's a good tip to insure the longevity of other brands.

The best value might be Lodge, the American cast-iron cookware company's version. Not enameled, but they have that cool spiral-wire handle for cooking over a real campfire.

Ferrous Wheel

[executrix]

I'm too lazy to take care of cast iron! Also, you can cook acidic foods like tomato sauce in enameled cast iron, you can taste the iron if you use plain cast iron.

[ranunculus]

Ok, now I have to try this, minus the mushrooms. Weeps openly.
Hmmm, wonder what I could substitute?

[darkemeralds]

The classic recipe calls for pearl onions AND mushrooms. I don't care for the onions so I never use them. I've often substituted tiny potatoes. You could just use more carrots, too. The mushrooms do add a certain je ne sais quoi, but this is a pretty basic, forgiving recipe, and the main consideration would be to add something sturdy enough to hold up to the longer cooking time and not be too watery.

I hope you try it. It's insanely rich and satisfying.