Beef Bourguignon.
We are currently snowed in and going crazy. We might have power back by Friday. Needless to say, I should probably be concerned with important things like our pipes freezing, but I am really just worried about all the yogurt, bacon, and tasty leftovers that will probably go to waste.
Leftovers that include this beef bourguignon.
Ever since I watched Julie and Julia, I wanted to make beef bourguignon so badly that I could already taste it.
It was time consuming. Much more time consuming that I initially thought.
It also called for these itsy bitsy onions, which I had never worked with. Until recently, I disliked onions. Then my husband begged for them every single day for 3 months, and they started to grow on me.
The root ends are supposed to be trimmed off. I, carelessly not paying attention to the root ends, chopped off the top instead. Whoops. My beautiful, pearl shaped onions soon became sharply-edged ovals.
The recipe calls for the carmelization of these onions and mushrooms. I didn’t complain.
Usually, I am not overly excited to feed my husband dinner. I love cooking, most of it comes naturally to me, and I get enjoyment from watching him enjoy it, but it is also occurs daily.
This dish was different. I could smell the beef browning, the aroma of the carmelized onions, and when I added the wine and brandy? Pure heaven. I knew this was going to be good.
So imagine my discontent when my husband send me a text message saying that he was skipping the gym and coming straight home. Aaagh! The dish still wouldn’t be finished for 2 hours.
And not only that, but this certain text message meant, ‘I’ve had a terribly long day at work, have a headache, am exhausted, and am going to come home, skip dinner, act cranky as hell, and fall asleep by 6 pm. Oh, and by the way, did I mention I will be skipping dinner, too?’
Knowing my husband, who eats each and every meal as though he has never seen food before, he doesn’t intentionally skip dinner on nights like these. He falls asleep, and trying to wake him is similar to waking up a toddler from a car-ride sleep. It is that fun.
So, he did fall asleep. Prior to closing his eyes, I threatened his life if he did not wake up in time to eat. I also told him that I would let everyone know his 36 year-old-self was giggling to Bolt right before he fell asleep. Oops.
My first attempt at waking him up failed.
I decided to get myself a bowl and eat because I could no longer contain my excitement over the dish.
I was 2 bites in when a figure resembling Amy Winehouse after a long night out appeared at my side.
He was awake, alive, and hungry.
Granted, he ate the first 6 bites with his eyes closed. I think he enjoyed it.
We added some garlic roasted potatoes, which were delicious. My husband kept commenting how ‘good’ this ‘soup’ was. I hit him over the head with a frying pan and enjoyed the rest of the pot on my own.
Beef Bourguignon
from Williams Sonoma
3 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1-2 inch chunks
6 slices bacon, fried, drained, and cut into chunks
2 yellow onions, diced
2 carrots, chopped
3 tablespoons flour (I used whole wheat)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups sliced white button mushrooms
2 cups assorted pearl onions, peeled
1/4 cup Cognac or brandy
3 cups full-bodied, burgundy wine (I used cabernet)
2 cups beef stock
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 bay leaf
fresh parsley to garnish
salt & pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 325.
Pat meat dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven on medium-high heat. Brown beef in batches, setting it all off to the side once it is finished.
Turn heat down to medium, and saute chopped yellow onions and carrots until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle flour and stir until incorporated. Add in beef and bacon.
Add in brandy, red wine, 1 1/2 cups beef stock, garlic, and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and cover. Braise in the oven for 2 hours.
In a skillet on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Carmelize the mushrooms, removing when finished. In the same skillet, add the pearl onions and let brown. Add in 1/2 cup beef stock and cover, letting the onions soften. Set aside with the mushrooms.
When the beef bourguignon is finished, taste and season if needed. Stir in the pearl onions and mushrooms. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Serve with potatoes or noodles.
This dish is an absolute favorite. Even though it took me hours to make, it was worth the work. It is a perfect, comforting dish for a snowy day.
Sort of like today. I’d say 24 inches qualifies as a snowy day.
Too bad my beef bourguignon is stranded in Antarctica.
57 Comments on “Beef Bourguignon.”
I made this in my culinary class, most delicious ever! we paired it with potato duchesse (sp?) DELICIOUS!
My sister is addicted to your website so I thought I would give one of your recipes a try. I am not great in the kitchen, in fact I had to look up what a dutch oven was! To my surprise I had a Le Creuset one deep in the dungeons of one of my kitchen cupboards. Having just watched the Julie/Julia movie and absolutely loving it, I had to try this recipe. It was very easy to follow and to my surprise I had it in the oven in an hour. Off to school to get the kids and when I came back I was not sure about the smell in the house (I dont usually like to cook with wine)…….WELL I had to have a taste of the liquid to see if it tasted too winey and OMG it was to die for….. THEN I had to have a taste of the meat and it MELTED in my mouth! I have followed another comment and made the duchess potatoes. I am now waiting for family to get home so we can eat……maybe will have to have one more taste just to check it!!!! I am hooked on cooking now….
This is one of those tedious dishes to prepare and cook.
The pearl onions which can be the hardest to acquire due
to the season, patting dry the beef….,however the
look of delight and feeling of being a goddess of
kitchens (Julia Child) incarnate naked it worth while
Also after letting cool all the way and bringing it back
to a simmer the next day is AMAZING! Even more
delicious the next day.
My favorite and signature dish! Try adding some thyme! :)
I love this recipe! I’ve made it several times now and follow it pretty much to the letter except two tiny things.
Because the recipe calls for bacon anyway, I just cut it up small, fry till crispy in the dutch oven, remove and drain. Then brown the beef in the drippings, remoistening the pot with olive oil as needed.
For the pearl onions and mushrooms, I put the onions in the pan first, cook them till soft, add the mushrooms and caramelize them at the same time then simmer in stock.
I have limited space in my kitchen so when I can use one dish or utensil instead of two I tend to go that way.