Beef Bourguignon

 Beef Bourguignon

Indulge in a delightful beef bourguignon featuring tender chunks of beef, carrots, pearl onions, and mushrooms simmered in a rich red wine sauce.  The French version of beef stew.

For the best results, choose high-quality dry red wine like Burgundy or Pinot Noir and use well-marbled sirloin or chuck roast. This dish improves overnight and freezes superbly—consider making extra!

6 Servings

Ingredients

2 ½ pounds sirloin or chuck roast cut into 1-inch cubes choose well-marbled stewing beef

8 oz smoked bacon chopped into pieces

Kosher salt

Black pepper

1 lb carrots cut into 1-inch chunks

2 cups pearl onions peeled

2 cloves chopped garlic minced into 2 tsp.

½ cup Cognac

3 cups good dry red wine like a Burgundy or Pinot Noir

2 cups beef broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tbsp. fresh

1 bay leaf

4 tablespoons butter divided at room temperature

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1-pound fresh mushrooms

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 º F

Cut bacon into pieces

In large Dutch Oven cook bacon over medium heat until slightly crisp.

Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, and set aside.

Pat dry beef cubes with a paper towel, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In batches, sautee beef in the bacon fat for 3 to 5 minutes, turning and browning on all sides. (don’t overcrowd the pan when searing beef, work in batches). Set aside with bacon.

Add carrots and pearl onions to the pan cooking until lightly browned.

Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.

Add Cognac to deglaze the pan, scraping all browned bits from the bottom.

Put meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices.

Add red wine and beef broth. Add more if needed to ensure the meat is covered.

Stir in tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaf.

Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a lid, and place in the oven for 1½ hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender.

Remove stew from oven and place on stovetop.

Using a fork combine together 2 tbsp. butter and flour then stir into the stew. Combine well.

In large skillet sauté mushrooms in 2 tbsp. butter until lightly browned then add to stew.

Return stew to oven to cook for an additional 30 minutes

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts from Phoenix University in Business Management, then a degree. Mass Communication and Cyber Analysis from Phoenix University, then on to Walden University for her master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist in her spare time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink, Gouche, and pastels. As a political operative having worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 7 blogs that range from art to life coaching, to food, to writing, Gardening, and opinion or history pieces each week. 

French Fare, Potpourri of Frugality. Kilbride