Bourguignon Beef, A Traditional French Recipe

Bourguignon Beef, A Traditional French Recipe

Recipe

Quantity for: 6 people
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours and 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1.6 kg of beef (beef chuck is the ideal, however using brisket is good as well)
• 750 ml of Bourgogne wine (or an Australian Pinot Noir is acceptable)
• A bouquet of herbs (thyme, bay leaf, and sage)
• 2 large onions
• 7 carrots
• 4 clove garlic
• 500g of Parisian mushrooms (small and fresh ones)
• 10 pearl onions
• 1 tablespoon of flour
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 250g of smoked bacon
• 2 beef stock cubes
• 50g of butter
• Some black peppercorns 
• Salt and Pepper
• Potatoes or pasta to go along with the beef dish 

Steps:

IMPORTANT: This first 4 steps should be (ideally) done the day before eating the recipe as the beef needs to marinate for around 5 hours in the wine.

1. Cut the beef in cubes of around 5cm (each side).
2. Time to prepare some vegetables:

• • Peel and cut in 8 quarters one onion,
  • Peel and cut (in small circles) two carrots,
  • Peel and cut in halves 2 garlic clove.

3. Put the cubes in a large cooking pot (in French, we call this a ‘terrine’ pot) and add all the vegetables listed in step 2 as well as a bit of pepper and the bouquet of thyme, bay leaf, and sage.
4. Pour the 750 ml of wine on the meat, mix, and let marinate for a minimum of 5 hours. The ideal thing to do is to simply let the beef and vegetables marinate with the wine overnight.
5. Plunge the piece of smoked bacon into a pan of cold water and bring it to boil for 5 minutes.
6. Drain and place the bacon on an absorbent paper and then cut into large pieces.
7. Peel the remaining carrots and big onion and cut them into small circles.
8. In a pan, lightly brown the bacon bits over high heat with a drizzle of oil. Then, place them in a strainer.
9. In the pan containing the cooking oil (used for the smoked bacon), melt two small cubes of butter on medium heat and add the carrots and onion. Cook for 5 minutes while continuously stirring. At the same time, add the tablespoon of honey.
10. When you notice the onions start to appear transparent (usually after 10 minutes), put all the vegetables on the side in a plate.
11. Prepare 500ml of broth with the two beef stock cubes.
12. Drain the meat cubes from the marinade and filter the marinade through a sieve, keeping only the liquid and the bouquet of herbs.
13. In a large casserole dish, brown the cube of meat on all sides using a knob of butter mixed with a drizzle of oil.
14. Sprinkle the meat with flour and mix well, then add the broth and leave on medium heat for 2 minutes.
15. After those 2 minutes, incorporate the carrots, the onions, the bouquet of herbs, the bacon bits, and the two remaining cloves of garlic. Sprinkle a little bit of peppercorns as well.
16. Pour the entirety of the filtered marinade on the meat, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 2 hours and 15 minutes on low heat.
17. Stir from time to time to ensure the meat does not stick at the bottom of the casserole.
18. In the meantime, wash the mushrooms and cut of the tails.
19. Melt 20g of butter in a pan on medium heat and add the mushrooms and half a glass of water. Add salt and pepper and let the mushroom cook until all the water has completely evaporated. Put the cooked mushrooms in a plate.
20. Peel the pearls onions and drop them in a pot, ensuring they do not overlap on each other, and add 20g of butter. Cover them with water (do not overfill) and place a small sheet of baking paper on the surface of the water and cook until the liquid has been fully absorbed by the sheet. At this point, make rotation movements in the pan to coat each onion with the glaze and, after browning them lightly over the heat, place them in a small dish.
21. In terms of the cooking of the beef, it should be very tender. Check that it is the case and degrease if necessary.
22. Remove the bouquet of herbs, apart from the two bay leaves, and add the mushrooms. Let it cook for 30 minutes on low heat.
23. 5 minutes prior to serving the beef bourguignon, add in the pearl onions.
24. You can serve the beef bourguignon with either steamed potatoes, fresh pasta, or roasted potatoes.