For those of us who have seen the movie "Julie and Julia", we saw the wonderful French dish called "Beef Bourguignon" made in the movie, and have wanted to try it.
If you looked up Beef Bourguignon, you would see it is a daunting recipe, labeled as "difficult", for advanced cooks. So most people will not attempt to make it.
What is Beef Bourguignon? Bascially, its a beef stew, but yet SO MUCH MORE! The richness of the flavors are far and above any of the basic beef stews you may of had in the past.
Well, I have taken the daunting recipe, and modified it to make it MUCH more simple, keeping all the cooking on the stove top, and omitting the pearl onions, which are the biggest pain in the rear to peel and prep. Instead of using "lardons", I substituted regular sliced bacon.
So try out this modified recipe of mine, and enjoy the rich flavors with out undertaking a major task.
Beef Bourguignon (modified)
6 ounces Bacon
3 pounds Stew meat, Cut in 1" cubes
2 medium Onions, Diced
1 each Carrot, Sliced
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons Flour
3 cups red wine, full bodied, liked Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone or Burgundy
3 cups Beef stock, Use more or less as needed
1 Tablespoon Tomato paste
1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme (if using dry thyme, reduce to 1/2 teaspoon)
1 Each Bay leaf, crumbled
1 stick butter (1/4 pound or 8 tablespoons)
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 Each Spring onions, Sliced, including most of green stem
3/4 cup Beef stock
1 pound Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
3 pounds Stew meat, Cut in 1" cubes
2 medium Onions, Diced
1 each Carrot, Sliced
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons Flour
3 cups red wine, full bodied, liked Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone or Burgundy
3 cups Beef stock, Use more or less as needed
1 Tablespoon Tomato paste
1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme (if using dry thyme, reduce to 1/2 teaspoon)
1 Each Bay leaf, crumbled
1 stick butter (1/4 pound or 8 tablespoons)
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 Each Spring onions, Sliced, including most of green stem
3/4 cup Beef stock
1 pound Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
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1. Heat dutch oven over medium high heat. Medium dice the bacon and add to dutch oven and redner the fat, letting the bacon crisp, but NOT burn. Remove bacon from pot with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel.
2. Dry beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Heat the bacon fat in same pot until almost smoking. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Remove beef from the pot and set aside.
3. In the same fat, saute the diced onions and carrot, until just turning brown. Pour out the excess fat.
4. Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
5. Sprinkle on the flour and toss to coat the beef lightly. Let cook over medium high heat until the beef developes a nice brown light crust.
6. Stir in wine and 2 to 3 cups stock, just enough so that the meat is barely covered.
7. Add the tomato paste, thyme, bay leaf and bacon. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Slow simmer for about an hour, checking meat for tenderness. If meat is still tough, let slow simmer longer.
8. While beef is simmering, melt the 1 stick of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and let the butter and garlic simmer for about 2 minutes, then add spring onions and the mushrooms and saute until mushrooms until mushrooms are nicely browned. Add the 3/4 cup beef stock and let simmer until the mushrooms have absorbed the liquid, or reduced. Set aside.
9. Keep checking the beef, adding more stock if needed to keep the meat covered. This dish is meant to be very thick, not liquidy.
10. When beef is ready, add the mushrooms.
2. Dry beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Heat the bacon fat in same pot until almost smoking. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Remove beef from the pot and set aside.
3. In the same fat, saute the diced onions and carrot, until just turning brown. Pour out the excess fat.
4. Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
5. Sprinkle on the flour and toss to coat the beef lightly. Let cook over medium high heat until the beef developes a nice brown light crust.
6. Stir in wine and 2 to 3 cups stock, just enough so that the meat is barely covered.
7. Add the tomato paste, thyme, bay leaf and bacon. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Slow simmer for about an hour, checking meat for tenderness. If meat is still tough, let slow simmer longer.
8. While beef is simmering, melt the 1 stick of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and let the butter and garlic simmer for about 2 minutes, then add spring onions and the mushrooms and saute until mushrooms until mushrooms are nicely browned. Add the 3/4 cup beef stock and let simmer until the mushrooms have absorbed the liquid, or reduced. Set aside.
9. Keep checking the beef, adding more stock if needed to keep the meat covered. This dish is meant to be very thick, not liquidy.
10. When beef is ready, add the mushrooms.
This is great served over home made egg noodles (see this recipe in my blog as well).
