Beef Bourguignon

I have wanted this one for a long time. I've wanted to make it. I've wanted to eat it. Stew is food of the soul; it's rich, hearty, and warms your very being. But this dish is much more than just a stew.

Beef bourguignon is a well-known French dish, one popularized by Julia Child for U.S consumption. Bourguignon translates to ‘of Bourgogne’. This refers to Burgundy, a wine region in France. A land of quality beef and wine, this dish is a logical creation. With first mentions of this dish taking place in the 1870s, beef bourguignon did not initially receive raving reviews. More of a catchall stew, it evolved in the late 1800s closer to the dish that Julia Child showcased her culinary adroitness with in the 1960s.

I had it recently at Epcot, visiting the France area (obviously). I know, most people don't consider Epcot to be much by way of authenticity, but in knowing many employees of Disney, I've heard quite a bit about menu development. Many of the sit-down restaurants are owned or feature menus developed by chefs from the countries. I tried to find a good resource for this, but no luck. I did, however, find a piece about the history of locations in Epcot. Here, I learned that the restaurant, Les Chefs de France, was opened in 1982 and was started by Roger Vergé, Gaston Lenôtre, and Paul Bocuse, legendary French chefs. Currently, it is still run by Bocuse's son.

Long story short, I went, I ate, I conquered. I needed more in my life. The tender beef with the red wine sauce and vegetables were a smash hit in my very being.

I used stew beef for this. Generally chuck or round, these cuts are typically "tougher" cuts, ones that if you tossed on a grill, would be hard to chew. But when braised in liquid, the slow simmer makes everything tender and fall apart. Think brisket: formerly a cheaper cut, the smoking and slow cooking process has made this an in-demand piece of meat.

For this recipe, I scaled back the recipe to accommodate a smaller amount of beef, making an overall smaller batch. There's one rather important change I shall call out: I skipped the bacon part of this dish. I don't eat pork, and though I know 

After heating the oil in a large skillet, I browned the outside of the beef lightly. This wasn't so much about cooking the beef throughout, but searing the sides. Once they were lightly browned on all sides, I removed them from the pan and placed them on a plate.

Next, I added some onion and carrot to the pan and coked it for 5-7 minutes. Add garlic for the last minute.

Return beef to the pan. I tossed the beef in small amount of flour, then mixed it in the sauce and cooked everything together for 4-5 minutes. 

I added the pearl onions, tomato paste, beef stock, seasonings, and wine. I then covered the pan, heated it to a boil, and lowered the heat to low. I let it simmer for an hour and a half.

Look at that difference! Everything came together and the meat was perfectly tender. I knew it was ready when I stuck a fork in a piece and it shredded apart.

I opted to serve this with mashed potatoes because let's face it, mashed potato people are a special breed and we love our potatoes.

The wine and the slow cook time brought so much flavor to this dish. Some things are better slow cooked.

It paired well with the starch; I used plain potatoes, mashed but not mixed with cream. There was ample flavor in the sauce.

We are getting fancy! I may be no Julia Child, but I could certainly respect her drive to cook this wonder. The tender beef was a delight, and the flavors of the beef stock and wine were impeccable. Beyond being straightforward to make, this dish was filling and hearty - perfect for the cooler months. And since in Florida, we hit temperatures below 75 degrees recently, one could say we are ready for winter.

Beef Bourguignon Recipe

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons cooking oil (I used avocado)

1 pound stewing beef (brisket, chuck, or round), cut into 2-inch chunks

1/2 carrot, sliced (about 1/4 cup)

1/4 cup diced white onion

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon flour

2 tablespoons pearl onions

1 cup red wine (Merlot or Pinot Noir)

1 cup beef stock

1 cup water

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 beef bullion cube, crushed

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 bay leaf

8 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms

1 tablespoon butter

Instructions:

Add cooking oil to a large dutch oven or heavy based pot and heat to medium-high. Add cubed beef to the pan and cook for 4-7 minutes, turning frequently to lightly cook all sides. Remove from heat and set aside. In the remaining cooking oil, sauté the carrots and diced onions for 3-4 minutes over medium heat, until softened, then add the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Add beef back into the pot. Sprinkle meat with flour and toss well to coat. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Mix in the pearl onions, wine and enough stock and water so that the meat is barely covered. Then add the tomato paste, bullion and herbs. Cover and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is tender and falling apart. Stir occasionally. Separately, cook mushrooms in a large skillet. Melt butter in a saucepan, then add mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, until they are soft. Add mushrooms to the dutch oven and let simmer for 5 more minutes.

Top with fresh parsley and serve with potatoes, rice or noodles.

adapted from beef bourguignon