Beef Bourguignon

 

Beef Bourguignon

This dish is similar to a beef stew but so much better due to the ingredients used. You see, in a stew, you only use beef cubes, potatoes, carrots, and onions with a few herbs such as bay leaf, salt, and pepper along with beef broth. However, in a Bourguignon, you use so much more. Let’s get started –

Ingredients:

 

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 slices center-cut applewood smoked bacon, diced

2 lbs chuck beef or braising beef, cut into cubes

Kosher salt

Black pepper, freshly ground

6 carrots, sliced into 1-inch chunks

2 Yellow onions sliced and diced

2-3 cloves of garlic chopped

½ cup of Cognac

1 bottle of red wine, I use Pinot Noir

1 can of Beef Broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon of dried

6 room temp tablespoons of butter

4 tablespoons of flour

Handful of frozen white onions small ones

1 lb button top mushrooms, sliced and remove the stems

 

Preheat oven to 250 Degrees F

In a large Dutch oven heat the olive oil with the bacon pieces on medium heat for about 10 minutes until bacon is crispy and slightly browned. Remove bacon from Dutch oven and set aside.

Be sure your beef cubes are dried with a paper towel then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In a single layer place half into the Dutch oven and brown for about 15 minutes be sure all sides are browned. Once all pieces have been cooked place on a dish with the bacon and set aside.

Now it’s time to cook the veggies. In the same pot toss in the carrots and onions with salt and pepper into the fat left over in the pot. Cook for approximately 15 minutes stirring occasionally until onions have sweated and browned. Now is the time to add in your garlic and cook for a minute or two. Then add in the Cognac stir then with a match or grill lighter set the liquid on fire to burn off the alcohol. Once the flame goes out add the meat and bacon back into the pot. Add the wine and enough broth to cover the meat. Add in the tomato paste and stir. Add in the thyme and stir again. Bring to a complete simmer, then cover the pot place the pot into the oven, and cook for about 1-1/2 hours or until the meat can be cut with a fork as well as the carrots.

After an hour and a half, remove from oven and place on stove top on medium heat. In a separate pot melt butter and once melted add the flour to the butter to make a rue. Then add the rue to the Dutch oven and stir completely. Add in your frozen pearl onions. In the same pot as the rue add in more butter and once melted add in your mushrooms and cook until slightly browned then add to the Dutch oven. Bring the Dutch Oven to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

When you serve this delicious dish be sure to have fresh sour dough, rye, or brown bread lightly grilled or toasted and covered with butter and garlic as the base on the plate then spoon beef mixture on top bit of parsley on top of the dish and enjoy.  

 

Artist and Author Elizabeth Kilbride is a former political operative, author, scriptwriter, historian, and journalist. business professional, creative artist, and life coach consultant. Ms. Kilbride holds a master’s in criminology and a BS in Business Management she stepped out of the loop for a while but is now back with a powerful opinion and voice in the direction of this country and our economy. As a life coach, she is available to counsel individuals to enjoy their dreams and a better life. Ms. Kilbride loves to travel and photograph her surroundings and is also a gourmet cook who loves to garden and preserve food for the winter months.