Bœuf Bourgignon, a widely loved French classic dish, did not become popular for no reason. Although the name sounds really fancy (I guess everything sounds fancier in French), the ingredients are all easy to prepare. It is a simple, warm and hearty dish perfect for a cold winter day.
The beef in rich, flavorful red wine sauce is cooked to fork-tender. Not much technique or cooking experience is needed for making Bœuf Bourgignon. Let time do its magic, while you can just enjoy a glass of wine or two, and chill.
Ingredients (serves 2-3):
- 300g Beef for stew
- 60g Bacon or pancetta
- 100g Onions
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 2 Medium carrots
- 300ml Red wine
- 1/2 -1 tbs Tomato paste
- 1 cup Stock
- 2-3 sprigs each: Thyme, parsley
- 2 Bay leaves
- 100g Mushrooms
- 1/2 tbs Flour
Notes:
- Red wine: doesn’t need to be expansive, but use good quality brand. Light/medium-bodied, fruity red wine works well.
- Beef cuts good for stew include: round roast, shoulder roast, chuck, brisket.. this link can be helpful
Instructions:
1: Heat little vegetable oil in a non stick pan, add chopped bacon, saute over medium heat until browned. Transfer bacon to a bowl, keep the oil/bacon fat.
2: Sear beef chunks (~3cm) in the hot oil/bacon fat until browned on all sides, then transfer beef to a bowl (the brown substances stuck to bottom of the pan are called ‘fond’, they are where flavors are so don’t discard them)
3: Saute diced onion, carrot chunks with remaining oil until onion turns translucent, add minced garlic and saute for 1 min (drizzle additional oil if there isn’t much left)
4: Add all the ingredients except mushrooms and flour, bring to boil, transfer everything to a stock pot, simmer (low heat) for 1-1.5 hour(s) with lid on (adjust time based on size of beef chunk)
5: In the last 10 minutes of cooking time, heat little oil in another small pan, saute quartered mushrooms for a couple minutes. Add flour, stir the mushrooms so they are covered in flour
6: Add mushrooms to the pot, stir occasionally and continue simmering for another 5 min or so until sauce becomes a little thicker
Serve immediately. It is perfect on rice or mashed potato. One dish contains vegetables and protein, how convenient! I am sure you will enjoy this scrumptious, filling, balanced French cuisine!
French dishes made easy:
