A Perfect Sunday Supper: Beef Bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon.

Winter brings an opportunity to dive into the kitchen and perfect comfort food recipes, or try my hand at new ones. Ever since I saw the film Julie and Julia,  I have vowed to make Beef Bourguignon. This French classic does require a little bit of a commitment –– it’s not a meal to whip up in 30 minutes. Nonetheless, the result is absolutely delectable, but I would allow a minimum of three and possibly four hours from start to finish.

I consulted several recipes, including the most famous one from Julia Child, as well as Ina Garten’s, and Tyler Florence’s. I tweaked the amounts (increased the veggies) and the cooking times for what I think is a fantastic Beef Bourguignon. 

Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 slices thick-cut bacon (preferably applewood smoked) sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
3 pounds chuck beef cut into 2-inch cubes
1 large onion, sliced
3 large carrots, sliced on a diagonal into 1-inch chunks
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
Sea salt
Ground black pepper
1/2 cup cognac
1 bottle dry red wine, preferably French such as Burgundy or Cotes du Rhone
2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons fresh thyme plus sprigs for garnish 
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (separated)
2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
1 1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, if smaller, cut in halves, if larger, thickly sliced
1/2 bag frozen pearl onions
1 package wide egg noodles

Directions
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a Dutch oven, adding the bacon. Cook over medium heat for about 12 minutes, until the bacon is lightly crisp. Remove the bacon and pat the grease with paper towels. Set aside.

Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the rest of the olive oil and sear the beef in a single layer for 3 to 5 minutes in batches, browning on all sides. After cooking, remove the meat and keep it on the plate with the bacon. Continue searing until you’ve browned all of the beef cubes. 

Add the carrots and sliced onions to the pot and toss with 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are lightly browned and the carrots are cooked but not too soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.

This next step is tricky, so please be careful. The flame will shoot up 3-4 feet and if you’ve never done this before, it’s a little scary. Be sure to allow enough space between you and the cooktop. I always recommend keeping a fire extinguisher in the kitchen when cooking because accidents can happen.

Add the cognac to the pot. Stand back and ignite with a long kitchen match to burn off the alcohol for about 2-3 minutes. Once the flame dies down, put the meat and bacon back into the pot. Add the bottle of wine plus the beef broth, then the tomato paste and thyme. 

Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 2 hours. (I suggest that you start checking it after 90 minutes.) Cook until the meat and vegetables are soft and tender. Be sure to taste. Depending on your oven, you might need to cook up to 2.5 hours.

When tender, remove from oven. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour and stir into the stew.

In the meantime, bring 6 cups of salted water to a boil in a stock pot. Cook the egg noodles until al dente. Do not overcook. Drain and return to pot for a few minutes to keep warm. (Optional: you can butter the noodles if you like, but with the richness of the bourguignon, I didn’t think it was necessary.)

Take a large skillet and sauté the mushrooms in the remainder of butter for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the pearl onions for another 5-7 minutes. Once the onions are cooked, add the mushrooms and onions to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for another 15 minutes. Taste and add additional salt as needed. 

Serve Beef Bourguignon over egg noodles in a shallow bowl. Garnish with thyme sprigs. {Serves 8} 

 

And don’t forget to pour a nice big glass of red wine to accompany your Beef Bourguignon. 

Beef Bourguignon is a hearty winter dish, and worth spending time in the kitchen.