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Okay, so full disclosure: This meal takes some time.
If you don't feel like spending a large chunk of your Sunday standing around a crystal ball and struggling to channel the ghost of Julia Child (or - if you're in a pinch - Meryl Streep as Julia Child in "Julie and Julia"), then beef bourguignon may not be for you. But, should you be stranded indoors as a blizzard rages outside, then this warm and hearty French dish (yeah, it's French, I know - did the name not give it away?) could be just what the doctor ordered.
Clear your schedule, because things are about to get tasty...
Source: Marc Murphy, as seen on "Best Thing I Ever Made" (and as modified by someone who can't be bothered by buy either sherry wine or pearl onions)
Ingredients
Beef:
3 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bottle dry red wine - I used Chianti (liver and fava beans optional)
1/4 cup coarsely ground black pepper
Salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 pound thick-sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup beef broth (Trader Joe's, please)
Bouquet Garni:
One 4-inch piece celery
4 fresh parsley stems
4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 dried bay leaves
Stew:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt
1 pound white button mushrooms, quartered
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Directions
For the beef:
1. Place the beef into a large nonreactive bowl and add the wine. Cover and let marinate in fridge overnight. As Alton Brown would say: Your patience will be rewarded.
2. Drain the beef in a colander with a bowl underneath, reserving the marinade. Place the flour, pepper and some salt in a shallow plate and, working in batches, toss the beef in the flour, shaking off any excess.
3. In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, cook the bacon until the fat has been rendered and the bacon is slightly crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pot, leaving the fat in the pot and reserving the cooked bacon.
4. Working in batches, add the coated beef to the pot with the reserved bacon fat and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer the beef from the pot to a bowl and repeat with the remaining beef and seasoned flour until all the beef has been browned.
For the bouquet garni:
1. Using kitchen string (or completely unsanitary twine...), tie together the celery, parsley stems, thyme, and bay leaves, making a bouquet garni. Boom. Done with that step.
For the stew:
1. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat in the same pot used to brown the beef and add the garlic, carrots and onions. Cook until the onions are slightly golden, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the reserved marinade, beef broth, beef with juices, cooked bacon and bouquet garni, and bring to a simmer. Cook over medium-low heat, partially covered, until the beef is tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
2. Over high heat, melt the remaining tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet and saute the mushrooms until they are golden and all the liquid they have released evaporates, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Wait until the last 15 minutes of cooking the stew to add the mushrooms, and then cook for the remaining 15 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve stew over LITERALLY WHATEVER YOU WANT. I slathered mine over rosemary and thyme roasted potatoes, but my wife (very politely) informed me that she prefers her beef bourguignon with mashed potatoes. This dish also works great with any kind of small tube pasta or rotini. Or put it on your morning cereal! I don't care!
Maybe serve it over "freedom fries" if you're still really struggling with the whole "French" aspect.
(I would probably still stick with mashed potatoes though, you Francophobe...)
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