Boeuf Bourguignon
The classic of French cuisine, beef, onions, mushrooms and lardons slowly stewed in a rich red wine sauce. One of the easiest and best dishes to serve to a crowd.
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Servings: people
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.
Notes
*you can add a small piece of oxtail to enhance the flavour. I tend to add when I remember. It's not vital, but it does further enrich/thicken the sauce.