Chef's Recipe: Boeuf Bourguignon

Beef bourguignon is a well-known, traditional French recipe. It is a stew prepared with beef braised in red wine, traditionally red Burgundy, and beef broth, generally flavoured with garlic, onions and a bouquet garni, with pearl onions and mushrooms added towards the end of cooking.

Ingredients:

5 ounces salt pork
3-1/2 to 4 pounds boneless beef
salt and freshly ground pepper

1-1/2 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 tsp fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic

1 large tomato, cored and chopped
2-3 cups hearty red wine
1-2 cups dark stock

18 small white onions
1-1/2 tblsp butter
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
10 oz fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup dark stock

beurre manié

fresh parsley

Method

  1. Cut the salt pork into strips and sauté for about 5 minutes until lightly brown. Remove the strips from the frying pan, leaving enough rendered fat to coat the pan.
  2. Cut the beef into 2″-3″ chunks and season with salt and pepper. Fry the chunks in the rendered fat, being careful not to crowd the pieces. Brown the chunks until well crusted on all sides. Remove browned meat to casserole.
  3. Drain and discard fat from frying pan. Pour a cup of wine into the pan and bring to a simmer, scraping up the browned bits in the pan bottom. Pour this liquid over the beef in the casserole.
  4. Pile the chopped onion and carrot, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic cloves on top of the beef in the casserole. Add tomato. Pour in enough remaining wine and stock to cover the meat chunks.
  5. Cover the casserole and place in a preheated oven (300 degrees). Cook for 2 hours until beef is fork tender. Remove from oven.
    Prepare onions and mushrooms: Blanch and peel onions. Trim and clean mushrooms. Place onions in saucepan with butter, sugar, salt, and 1/2 cup stock. Bring to a boil, cover pan, and cook for 10 minutes or until onions are barely tender. Uncover and continue cooking until all liquid evaporates and onions are glazed all over in the butter and sugar. Add the mushrooms to the pan, stir, and continue cooking over moderate heat until mushrooms begin to brown. Remove the onions and mushrooms and add to the beef. Deglaze the pan with a few spoonfuls of wine or stock and add that liquid to the beef.
  6. Prepare beurre manié by blending 2 tblsp of butter with 2 tblsp of flour in a small bowl to make a thick paste. Gradually whisk 1/2 cup or so of the stewing liquid into the paste. Blend this into the stew and bring the stew again to a simmer. Check and adjust sauce consistency, mixing and adding more beurre manié if necessary.
  7. When boeuf bourguignon is ready to serve, garnish with fresh parsley.

Serves 6

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