Boeuf Bourguignon is a fantastic meal for large family gatherings and undoubtedly one of the most popular ‘stews’ or casseroles of all time. At the height of its fashion in the 1960s/70s, boeuf bourguignon was the go-to supper party dish and star of the 70’s ‘Fork Supper’.
Elizabeth David and Julia Child made Boeuf Bourguignon or Bœuf à la Bourguignonne famous in those early days. Both were keen to bring the French kitchen into the homes of the English and American housewives. But, today, with the vast choice of worldwide cuisines at our fingertips, we can sometimes feel that recipes from the traditional cuisine française stable have become somewhat ‘dépassé‘.
But, for me, nothing is more enjoyable than creating a large pot of beef bourguignon, especially just before Christmas, to feed all the incoming friends and family. It’s so easy: once prepared, you leave it in the oven to slowly stew and fill the house with that undeniably French aroma, singing family gathering and Christmas loudly from the rooftops.
Simple French Cuisine
Historically, boeuf bourguignon has been described by the French as cooking in the ‘housewife-style’. In other words, simple and easy home cooking. Since then, it has been adapted by many top-flight chefs with the addition of anything from tandoori spices to chocolate and orange. However, Bourguignon is simple, everything into the pot and then left to braise slowly while you do something else. Perfect.
As Elizabeth David said, “…such dishes do not, of course, have a rigid formula, each cook interpreting it according to her taste”.
Quite right. I had to think carefully before writing down the recipe. It changes every time I make it. Should it have carrot, do we need to marinade the meat, a dash of brandy, a cube of chocolate (perish the thought), lean stewing steak or some other cut of meat, and must it be vin de Bourgogne – surely any old cheap wine will do. I only have large mushrooms – can I quarter them – ditto the onions? Yes, of course you can. For the record, pearl onions are traditional, but I prefer small shallots.
The Meat
So, for the meat, it is stewing steak, in other words, chuck or shoulder, but you want fat on the meat. It will dissolve during cooking and enrich, thicken and flavour the sauce. Plus, a small piece of oxtail makes for perfection. Beef cheeks are another good option.
Pinot Noir, Brandy and Browning (the meat)
Bourgogne Pinot Noir is the wine of choice, but it may only be affordable if you live in Dijon. So, within your budget, choose a dry, fruity red that you would be happy to drink. I rarely marinade the meat, but if you do, only for a couple of hours and thoroughly dry it before cooking. Keep the marinade and use it in the stew. The absolute must is to brown the beef carefully on all sides. If marinated, it tends to boil rather than seal, which is a disaster. Hence, the need to dry it.
Chocolate is the secret to many rich French Montagnard-style stews – I sometimes add a date or a tiny dash of date syrup. De-glazing the seared meat with a brandy (cooking brandy is fine!) adds an extra layer of flavour and is well worth it, but it is not a game changer. I recommend browning the mushrooms and shallots/pearl onions. I prefer shallots, but they are a little more pungent in taste. The bouquet garni is paramount.
But remember the words of David: there is no rigid formula. Take my recipe and make it your own.
Perfectly boiled potatoes with butter and parsley or creamy mashed potatoes and garlicky green salad are the perfect accompaniment.
And of course, the wonder of this dish is it’s always better the next day – so cook in advance and gently re-heat for your guests. The recipe is for 2 kilos of meat, which is a generous amount for 8 – would easily stretch to 10.😃
Boeuf Bourguignon
Equipment
- large cast-iron casserole with a tight-fitting lid
Ingredients
- 2 kilo *stewing steak cut into 3-4cm cubes chuck or shoulder – its needs to be a little fatty
- 2 tbsp flour mixed with freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large onion – roughly chopped
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- 4 allspice berries
- 1 cloves
- 2 cloves garlic – roughly chopped
- 250 g lardons or bacon cut into 2-3 cm pieces preferably not smoked
- 2 large carrots – peeled and cut into rounds optional
- 1 large date roughly chopped or dash of date syrup optional
- 50 ml cooking brandy
- 1 *bottle of red wine – Pinot Noir from Bourgogne is ideal
- 300 ml beef stock
- 1 bouquet garni (bunch of thyme, bunch of parsley and two bay leaves)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 400 g small chestnut button mushrooms – stalk removed and peeled no need to peel if they are organic
- 24 shallots or 450g pearl onions
- olive oil and butter
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Start by peeling the onions. A quick and easy method is to boil a pan of water. Drop in the onions for a minute or two to blanch them. Drain and drop immediately into an ice bath (a handful of ice cubes in a bowl of cold water). Drain again, and when cold enough to handle, cut off the root end of the onion, squeeze the stem end, and the onion will pop out of its paper skin. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 140 °C. In the casserole dish, sauté the chopped onion and lardons in a little olive oil and butter until soft and golden. Set aside.
- Do the same with the shallots and the mushrooms. Gently sauté until coloured on all sides. Set aside.
- Toss the meat in the seasoned flour. Fry the beef in olive oil in the casserole dish. It is better to do this in small batches to have plenty of space to fry the meat so as not to lose the oil temperature. Make sure the meat is sealed on all sides. Don't skip this step – it's crucial for the dish's success.
- Put all the meat back in the dish and add the brandy. Scraping down the sides and any caramelised bits.
- Add the chopped onion, garlic, chopped date, lardons, carrots, tomato paste, bouquet garni and HALF the beef broth. Heat for a minute and add all the wine.
- Bring briefly to a boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer, cover, and seal the lid.
- Place the casserole in the oven on the middle shelf at 140 °C. If the lid does not fit tightly – add a layer of foil to help the seal. After two hours add the mushrooms and onions.
- Cook for another hour/hour and a half or until the meat is tender and is easily pulled apart with a fork. Check during cooking to ensure it doesn't dry out – add a little more stock or wine. Stir once or twice during cooking.
- The sauce is naturally rich and should not require any more thickening. However, if you prefer a thicker sauce, add a tablespoon of cornflour with some water and stir it into the sauce – about half an hour before taking it out of the oven.
- Serve with a green salad, a garlicky vinaigrette, and creamy mashed potatoes or potatoes boiled with butter and parsley.
Reader Interactions