Boeuf Bourguignon
By: Edie Tuck
Tags: Julia Child, Boeuf Bourguignon, French Cuisine, Beef Stew, Foodies

I’ve made beef stew many times in my life but had never attempted to make a bourguignon before. I remember it being one of the stars in the film, one of the recipes Julie fretted over the most, especially since she would be serving it to a special guest she wanted to impress.

I probably wouldn’t have chosen to start with this recipe, but the hubby had a craving. Not sure where the idea came from since we’ve never had it in the twelve and a half years we’ve been together, but whatever, I’m always down for trying something new!

I didn’t alter very much in this recipe because it’s already rather healthy. I did omit the bacon rind (mostly because my butcher didn’t have bacon in chunks so I had to get slices), and I didn’t blanch and use the onion rind. Also, I served it over roasted baby potatoes rather than boiled potatoes, and I used reduced-sodium beef broth.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

Ingredients (this serves 6 very hearty portions)

A 6 oz. chunk of bacon with rind (I used 6 thick slices, no rind)

1 Tbsp. cooking oil such as olive or canola (be kind to Mother-Earth and get certified non-GMO oil whenever possible)

3 lbs. stewing beef

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced in rounds or matchsticks

1 large onion, sliced — save rind (I didn’t save the rind, I skipped this step)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 Tbsp. flour

3 cups red wine (This calls for a full-bodied young red such as a Chianti — I just used whatever I had on hand and it worked just fine)

2–3 cups beef stock or bouillon (I used 1 carton of reduced-sodium beef broth)

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, mashed (I used jarred pureed garlic, about 1 tsp.)

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

A crumpled bay leaf

The blanched onion rind (yeah…I didn’t do this!)

18–24 small white onions, brown-braised in stock (I just sauteed mine with the mushrooms in butter.)

1 lb. quartered fresh mushrooms, sauteed in butter

Fresh parsley sprigs

In the kitchen, you’ll also need a fair-sized pot, a large saucepan or frying pan, a large (9–10") casserole dish with a lid, a slotted spoon, tongs, and a sieve (I just use a small handled-strainer because that’s what I had available, and it worked just fine.)

Instructions

They’re written pretty impeccably in the book, however, at the risk of being accused of plagiarism, I’m putting everything in my own words and hope it all makes sense! It’s a little bit involved, so be patient. I promise the end result is so worth it!

Set your oven racks so that your casserole will be sitting in the center of the oven, and pre-heat to 450°F.

Now, if you’re a super-organized type-A personality, you’re probably going to want to get all of the cutting and prepping done before you start. If not, maybe you’re like me and you just kind of fly by the seat of your pants. Either way works!

Start with the bacon. If you were lucky enough to find a big hunk of meat (get your mind out of the gutter already, we haven’t even touched the wine yet!)…start by cutting off the rind and then chopping it into lardons. Lardons are little sticks of bacon about 1.5" long by 1/4" thick.) I had slices, so I cut them in 1–1.5" squares. Simmer the bacon (and rind) in a pot of water for 10 minutes, then drain and dry. Yeah, I know it sounds weird to boil bacon; just go with it. Trust me! Once you’ve drained and dried your bacon, heat the olive oil in your saucepan or frying pan over medium heat, and then brown the bacon. It will take about two or three minutes. Take it out and set it aside, but leave the oil and bacon fat in your pan. Next, you’re going to want to dry your beef (Hey, I said out of the gutter!) Use paper towels or a clean tea towel to pat dry because it won’t brown properly if it’s too wet. Once the oil and bacon fat is smoking hot, add a few pieces of beef at a time, browning them on all sides, then add them into the same bowl with the bacon. Keep the fat, you’re not done with it yet! Sautée your carrot and onions in the pan. If there’s any fat or oil left afterward, spoon it out. I didn’t have anything left and actually added a little bit of butter to finish sautéeing. Add the vegetables to the meat, and then season with the salt and pepper. Sprinkle on the flour and toss to coat evenly; this will add a little crust to the meat. Add everything to your casserole dish and put it in the oven for about 4–5 minutes. Take out and toss and stir, and put it back in for another 4–5 minutes. Take it out, and turn the temperature down to 325°F. Time to pour the wine! Three cups, plus just enough beef stock so that your meat is almost covered. I had a big pot, so I used an entire carton of beef broth. (Bonus: if you’re using a regular-sized bottle of wine, there’s just enough left for half a glass! Enough to taste, but not so much that you’ll mess up the rest of the recipe!) On the stove-top, bring it all to a boil, then cover and put in the oven with your timer set at 2.5 hours. While that’s cooking, get your mushrooms and pearl onions ready. (This is where blanching probably would have been my friend. Who knew such tiny onions could make a girl cry so damn much!? …or maybe it was the wine…) The recipe calls for the onions to be “brown-braised in stock,” but I just threw them in the pan along with the mushrooms and garlic and sautéed it all together. Easy peasy. Make sure you don’t open that second bottle of wine you bought on impulse, because you won’t hear your timer go off! When the meat is cooked, pour through a sieve (I scooped it out with a handled-strainer and slotted spoon) and set in a serving dish and top with the mushrooms and onions. In a smaller pot, bring your sauce to a simmer. You should have about 2 or 3 cups of it. If it’s really thin, bring it to a fast boil to render it down and thicken it quickly. If it’s too thick, just add a few tablespoons of broth. Once you’ve got your desired consistency (should be thick enough to stick to your spoon), pour it over the meat and combine. Seriously, this recipe is all about the sauce. So good!

You can serve this over potatoes (the recipe calls for boiling, but I prefer roasted baby potatoes so that’s what I did), or egg noodles or your favorite rice. A side of greens is always a good idea — Julia suggests buttered peas and that’s what I did, because mmm, butter and peas!

That’s it, in a nutshell! Serve hot, or cool and keep for later! Oh. You can also decorate it with pretty sprigs of parsley, which I bought but totally forgot about. It just smelled so good, I couldn’t wait to dig in!

Out of 10, this recipe is definitely a 12! I highly recommend it to everyone (unless you don’t eat meat, in which case, um, maybe try it with tempeh and vegetable stock?) I would love to hear about your results if you decide to make it…and you totally should!