As the winter months grow colder, there’s nothing like a full-flavoured, tender, home-cooked meal. Beef Bourguignon is a dish that originates in Bourgogne, or Burgundy, a region of Eastern France. It’s exceptionally exquisite taste is in part due to the fact that the beef is braised in wine, typically a wine from the Bourgogne region, and to the choice cut of meat, which is meant to be well marbled and produces particularly succulent results. However, this meal was not always associated with the fine dining it is now. The recipe finds its roots in French peasant society and it is widely understood that the slow cooking style of preparation was due to the fact that they were unable to obtain high quality cuts of meat. Today, Beef Bourguignon has evolved into a dish considered to be haute cuisine.
Using only the finest ingredients, such as fresh onions, carrots, and mushrooms, we made our beef bourguignon in the traditional style. If time allows, you should prepare your beef bourguignon one day ahead of when you plan to serve it. The day of rest allows the flavours to develop and the dish tastes even better. What’s more is that when you chill your beef bourguignon the excess fat solidifies and can be removed easily with a spoon before reheating.
When the weather has you shivering, there’s nothing like the taste of hearty, comfort food. This Beef Bourguignon recipe will produce a meal to satisfy your loved ones appetites and ward -off the chills of the winter.
Ingredients:
- ¼ pound of bacon cut into squares
- 2 pounds of cubed beef
- 1 cup of chopped onion
- 3 tablespoons of flour
- 1 ½ cups of beef stock
- 2 cups of dry red wine
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon of fresh chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of fresh thyme
- 1 pinch of pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 12 whole small onions
- 3 carrots cut in rounds
- 1 ½ cup of mushrooms, cut in quarters
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- On the stove top, in our Remy Olivier Cast Iron Oval Casserole, cook the bacon until it starts to golden. Add the cubes of beef and cook until they have browned and then remove.
- In the same casserole, add in the chopped onion and cook until browned. Sprinkle in the flour and mix it in. Add the cubed beef back into the casserole. Gradually pour in the beef stock, while stirring constantly. Mix in the wine (making sure the beef is covered completely), tomato paste, parsley, salt, thyme, pepper and the bay leaf and bring it to a boil.
- With the cover on, place the casserole in the oven and let it simmer for 2 hours or until the beef is tender.
- While it is cooking, in our cast iron skillet, melt the butter on medium heat. Cook the mushrooms for 5 minutes or until they are soft.
- About 30 minutes before the Beef Bourguignon is cooked, add in the mushrooms, carrots and small onions.
- When the beef is tenderized to your liking, serve your Beef Bourguignon in ramequins.
Serving a gratin and roasted root vegetables such as rutabaga, turnips and brussels sprouts as accompaniments would be a scrumptious way to complete your meal. For wine, staying true to the origins of the recipe, a full-bodied red wine from the Bourgogne wine region, best enjoyed in our Riedel stemware, would complement your meal. However, any full-bodied red wine, for example, one from Cahors or Bordeaux would go beautifully with the delicious rich taste of the beef bourguignon.
Here to help you warm-hearts with good cooking during the cold winter months,
