Beef Bourguignon is fantastic. It is similar to Barefoot Contessa's recipe but with slight differences. I think my original recipe actually came from a book called Frugal Gourmet. I tweaked it several times over the years. I also think you will agree this recipe is great and requires less time in the kitchen preparing. Now that's something to smile about! :)
Ingredients:
6 slices of good bacon (like dry cured center cut applewood smoked bacon -- available at Whole Foods, which I try to get), but just use a good quality bacon if you can't find the Applewood
1 tablespoon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
3 pounds of good stewing beef (e.g., organic chuck beef, London broil, sirloin top round steak) cut into one-inch cubes. TIP: Freeze a little
4 cups of dry red wine (e.g., Pinot Noir, Bordeaux or Burgundy, Syrah, Merlot, Zinfandel)
1 to 2 cups of beef stock (I use Swanson's)
2 tablespoons tomato paste -- buy the type in a tube so you can store in frig.
4 cloves garlic (diced into small pieces)
1/2 cup Cognac or good quality Brandy
2-3 medium-size carrots (no wider than an inch) Carrots sweeten so only use a small amount
2 red medium size onions or 1 red and 1 yellow -- peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt to taste throughout different steps in recipe (go easy, can always add more if needed at end of cooking time)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound mushrooms, browned in butter - start with approx. 2 tablespoons, adding more as you cook each batch (I used Bella, but you choose)
Roux of 1/2 cup flour browned in 1/2 cup butter*
1 tablespoon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
3 pounds of good stewing beef (e.g., organic chuck beef, London broil, sirloin top round steak) cut into one-inch cubes. TIP: Freeze a little
4 cups of dry red wine (e.g., Pinot Noir, Bordeaux or Burgundy, Syrah, Merlot, Zinfandel)
1 to 2 cups of beef stock (I use Swanson's)
2 tablespoons tomato paste -- buy the type in a tube so you can store in frig.
4 cloves garlic (diced into small pieces)
1/2 cup Cognac or good quality Brandy
2-3 medium-size carrots (no wider than an inch) Carrots sweeten so only use a small amount
2 red medium size onions or 1 red and 1 yellow -- peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt to taste throughout different steps in recipe (go easy, can always add more if needed at end of cooking time)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound mushrooms, browned in butter - start with approx. 2 tablespoons, adding more as you cook each batch (I used Bella, but you choose)
Roux of 1/2 cup flour browned in 1/2 cup butter*
Directions: Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Cut bacon into large bite-size pieces (I use kitchen scissors). Brown well (almost to a crisp) in a large dutch oven. I find that bacon is sometimes stubborn to get to that "almost crisp" state. So, turn the pot off, let the bacon sit for a little while, turn the pot back on and it's almost like the second time around, the bacon gives in! lol! Once browned well, remove onto a large plate and set aside. Cut beef into one-inch cubes. Dry beef with paper towels (this aids the browning process of the beef). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In the bacon fat and olive oil, sear the beef in single layers for 3-5 minutes browning evenly on both sides. Note: the beef is not floured before being browned. Sear beef rapidly so that it is a lovely deep brown on all sides. Remove each batch onto a plate with the cooked bacon; set aside.
Cut bacon into large bite-size pieces (I use kitchen scissors). Brown well (almost to a crisp) in a large dutch oven. I find that bacon is sometimes stubborn to get to that "almost crisp" state. So, turn the pot off, let the bacon sit for a little while, turn the pot back on and it's almost like the second time around, the bacon gives in! lol! Once browned well, remove onto a large plate and set aside. Cut beef into one-inch cubes. Dry beef with paper towels (this aids the browning process of the beef). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In the bacon fat and olive oil, sear the beef in single layers for 3-5 minutes browning evenly on both sides. Note: the beef is not floured before being browned. Sear beef rapidly so that it is a lovely deep brown on all sides. Remove each batch onto a plate with the cooked bacon; set aside.
Add the onions and carrots together, add the freshly ground pepper and cook in the dutch oven with fat that has accumulated from searing the beef. You will need to add a little olive oil to pot as well. Cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are caramelized. Add the crushed garlic and cook 1 minute. For the next step, turn the heat off under the pan or remove the dutch oven to a burner that is off -- add the Cognac or Brandy and ignite using a long kitchen or fireplace match. This process will burn most of the alcohol off. Make sure the lid to the dutch oven is beside the pot in case the igniting process gets a "bit" out of hand. Cover the pot with lid to control flames out of control in case this should happen. Remember to not be wearing loose clothing and tie long hair back --grab the lid and cover pot if flames burst outside the pot. If the flames are high just for a small amount of time, that is fine -- they are burning off the alcohol, and you will have the lovely taste of Cognac in this dish. Cognac is a high quality brandy and when ignited with dishes such as beef will bring out a wonderful and rich flavor.
Add the beef and bacon back into the dutch oven, add the entire bottle of wine at this point plus enough beef broth to "just" cover the meat. I used a good Pinot Noir. Don't use a so-so wine that you couldn't stand to drink. Pick a good quality wine (doesn't have to be expensive), and serve the wine with the bourguignon. Add tomato paste, thyme, bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Test to see if you need a bit more salt at this point. Cover pot with its lid, bring to a simmer and once it simmers, place in pre-heated oven for about an hour and a half -- or until the vegetables and meat are tender. Test with a fork for doneness. Remove pot from oven and simmer on top of the stove on low heat. In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms in lots of butter for approximately 10 minutes until a light golden brown. Note: Don't crowd the mushrooms, they will become a soggy mess and just won't brown properly. Instead, saute in single layers until you cooking the entire pound. Mushrooms absorb butter like a sponge, therefore, saute in lots of butter and imagine how fantastic these delectable creatures will be when you're finished. Add the mushrooms to the dutch oven and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and allow to cook for another 10-15 minutes on low heat while you melt 1/2 cup of butter in a small saucepan. Once melted, add 1/2 cup of flour, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add the roux to the pot to thicken the bourguignon. Taste to adjust seasonings (salt and pepper) before serving.
Serve over egg noodles or white rice. Yum! You can sprinkle fresh parsley over your individual dish before serving, which I like to do.
*About the Roux: In this recipe, the roux is used for thickening purposes only. So you will be making a white roux. Traditionally, a roux uses clarified butter or other fats, but for this recipe, I simply melt 1/2 cup of butter in a saucepan and add 1/2 cup of flour, stirring until the roux thickens. Add this to the bourguignon and it will thicken perfectly. If you feel it's too thick, add a little beef broth
TIP: After frying the onions and carrots in the bacon grease and olive oil, I deglaze the skillet with a shot of wine -- scraping all the dark brown bits on the bottom of the pan and allowing them to remain while continuing on with the next step of the recipe. They add great flavor. Additionally, after each batch of beef, I would deglaze the pan each time scraping the brown bits loose and continuing on with the next step. The end result for me was a really rich flavor.
TIP: After frying the onions and carrots in the bacon grease and olive oil, I deglaze the skillet with a shot of wine -- scraping all the dark brown bits on the bottom of the pan and allowing them to remain while continuing on with the next step of the recipe. They add great flavor. Additionally, after each batch of beef, I would deglaze the pan each time scraping the brown bits loose and continuing on with the next step. The end result for me was a really rich flavor.
Bon Appetit
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