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Boeuf Bourguignonne

Source of Recipe

From "Bon Appétit, Y'all" by Virginia Willis


Recipe Introduction

"In classic French cooking, each dish has a name that indicates its precise ingredients and correct garnish. Bourguignonne is a term for dishes cooked in red wine, as some of the most famous French wines are from Bourgogne (Burgundy). These dishes are garnished with pearl onions, button mushrooms, and lardons of bacon. Never choose stew meat already in precut cubes. It's more expensive and you have no idea if you're getting, for example, leftover bits from the shoulder or rib-eye, two wildly different cuts that won't cook at the same rate."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 pounds lean rump roast, chuck pot roast, sirloin tip, top round, or bottom round, cut into 2-inch cubes
â—¦ 1 (750-ml) bottle red wine, preferably Pinot Noir
â—¦ 1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
â—¦ 1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
â—¦ 1 onion, preferably Vidalia, coarsely chopped
â—¦ 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into lardons
â—¦ 3 tablespoons canola oil, plus more if needed
â—¦ Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 ½ cups beef stock or low-fat, reduced-sodium beef broth
Bouquet garni (5 sprigs of thyme, 4 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley, 2 bay leaves, preferably fresh, 10 black peppercorns, tied together in cheesecloth)
â—¦ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
â—¦ 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
â—¦ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
â—¦ 24 pearl onions, trimmed and peeled
â—¦ 8 ounces white button mushrooms, halved or quartered if large


Recipe

To marinate the beef, place the cubes in a large nonreactive bowl. Add the wine, carrot, celery, and onion. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Line both a baking sheet and a large plate with paper towels.
Remove the beef from the marinade and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Pat the meat dry with paper towels. Strain the marinade, reserving separately both the vegetables and the liquid.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.
To cook the beef, heat a large, heavy-duty Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to the prepared plate to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan. Decrease the heat to medium, add 2 tablespoons of the canola oil and heat until shimmering.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Sear the beef in two or three batches without crowding until nicely browned on all sides, about 5 minutes; transfer to the prepared baking sheet when done. Add the reserved vegetables from the marinade and cook until they start to color, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle on the flour and toss again to lightly coat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the flour turns brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the beef to the Dutch oven. Add the reserved marinade liquid and enough stock to barely cover the meat. Add the bouquet garni, tomato paste, and garlic to the pan. Bring to a boil on high heat on the cooktop. Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is tender, 2 ½ to 3 hours.

Meanwhile, to make the garnish, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the butter over medium heat. Add the peeled onions, mushrooms, the remaining sprig of thyme, and the remaining bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.

Remove the bouquet garni from the Dutch oven and discard. Transfer the beef with a slotted spoon to a bowl. In the Dutch oven, using an immersion blender, purée the sauce and vegetables until smooth. Or, once the beef is removed, ladle the sauce and vegetables into a blender and purée until smooth a little at a time. Cook the puréed sauce over medium-high heat until the sauce coats the back of a spoon; if needed, thin with more stock to achieve this consistency. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Return the beef to the sauce and turn to coat.

Remove the sprig of thyme and the bay leaf from the mushrooms and onions in the skillet. Add the sautéed mushrooms, onions, and reserved bacon to the beef and sauce. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until warm and the flavors marry and blend, 5 to 7 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6