Admittedly, Boeuf Bourguignon is a stew. And, as stews go, this one's a lot of work. But Boeuf Bourguignon is decidedly the King of Stew, and well worth the effort. It's not just the unctuous goodness of the meet braised in wine, but that Gallic balance of the holy trinity with a bouquet garni. This is the ultimate comfort food in my book.
Do not skimp on the wine, or at least use a decent one. I don't think you should cook with a wine or spirit that you wouldn't drink on its own and it particularly important here because the wine imparts its flavor so dominantly in this dish. In fact, if you make it your rule to serve a bottle of the same wine with your dish, you'll likely choose well.
Serve over new potatoes with butter and parsley with a side of a simple fresh vegetable - root veggies or a squash are great for Autumn or Winter, greens in the Spring.
INGREDIENTS
½ lb thick-sliced bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 lb boneless beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 ½ tbsp unsalted butter
½ cup brandy
1 piece of celery
4 fresh parsley stems (no leaves)
4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
2 onions, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (750-ml) bottle dry red wine - Pinot Noir, Merlot or a nice burgundy (use a bottle that you would enjoy drinking)
1 lb small (1 1/2-inch) boiling onions or pearl onions (frozen is fine)
½ lb mushrooms, quartered if large
Best served over peeled boiled potatoes tosseed with butter and parsley - new potatoes or fingerlings are perfect.
PREPARATION
Cook the bacon in boiling salted water 3 minutes, then drain.Pat the beef dry before seasoning and flouring. Salt and pepper the beffe, then coat with flour I like to put flour in a zip-lock plastic bag and shake handfuls of beef at a time in the bagHeat 1‚ tablespoons oil and 1½ tablespoons butter in a wide 6 or 8 quart dutch oven or heavy pot over meidum high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown beef well on all sides in 3 or 4 batches, without crowding, adding oil as necessary. Transfer to a bowl.Pour off any excess oil from pot, then add brandy to pot. Deglaze for one minute, stirring and scraping up brown bits, then pour over beef.
Tie celery, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and cloves together with kitchen string to make a bouquet garni.Stick cloves into celery so they don’t fall out.Clean the pot you've been using, then heat 1 tbsp butter over medium high heat until foam subsides. Sauté bacon, while stirring for 2 minutes.
Add chopped onions, garlic, and carrots and sauté, stirring, until onions are pale golden, about 5 minutes.Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add wine, meat with juices, and bouquet garni and simmer gently, partially covered, until meat is tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.Cut a cross about 1/8 inch deep on the bottom of each onion. While simmering the meat, blanch onions in salted boiling water for 1 minute and drain in a colander. Rinse under cold running water, then peel.Heat 1 tbsp butter in a saucepan over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté onions until browned in patches, stirring to keep them from burning and assuring they cook evenly. Season with salt and pepper.Add 1½ cups water to onions and simmer, partially covered, until onions are tender - 15 to 20 minutes. Boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to a glaze, 5 to 10 minutes.
Heat remaining tbsp butter in a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté mushrooms, stirring, until golden brown and all of the mushrooms' liquor is cooked off. Season with salt and pepper.Stir onions and mushrooms into pot with meat and cook 10 minutes. Remove bouquet garni and skim any fat from surface of stew. Season with salt and pepper.
