Sunday was the first snow of 2016 and one of my favorite days so far this year. Watching the snow fall was so peaceful and I indulged myself by laying in bed longer than I should have and watching one of my favorite movies, Julie and Julia.
The snow inspired a Jeep drive with my husband, a stop for breakfast, and an escort to the grocery store. We spent over an hour deciding on what to make for dinner and were finally inspired by Julia Child herself. The meal? Beef Bourguignon.
Truth be told, I wasn’t super excited. Beef stew seemed to be an uninspired, boring meal to me. Luckily, the cold weather and the 5 inches of snow made me rethink my opinion. Two pounds of beef, a bottle of wine, and some pancetta and onions later, the Beef Bourguignon sat bubbling on my stove. To my surprise, this was one of the best meals I have ever had!
So, here is the recipe, with my twist.
Ingredients
- Two pounds of stew meat, cut into cubes (I would recommend steering clear of grass fed meat for this recipe. You need the fat!)
- 1 ½ cups beef stock, hot
- 1 1/3 cups red wine (I used a French Burgundy)
- 4 ounces pancetta
- 1 large Spanish onion, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 bouquet garni (2 bay leafs, 6 sprigs Italian parsley, 8-10 sprigs fresh thyme)
- 2-3 ounces of baby portabella mushrooms, diced
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Canola oil
Note: What is a bouquet garni? Just a bunch of herbs tied together! Leave enough length on the kitchen twine so that it hangs outside of the pot you are cooking in. Just pull out the garni when you are ready to serve!
Preparation
Remove your stew meat from the refrigerator and pat dry with paper towels. Salt and pepper your meat well. Set aside.
Heat a tablespoon or so of canola oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven (I used my 7 ¼ quart Le Creuset for this). Add the pancetta and onions and cook until browned. Remove the pancetta and onion mixture and set aside. Leave the fat from the pancetta in your dutch oven. If there is not a lot of fat remaining, add some additional canola oil and let it heat in the dutch oven until the oil starts to get shiny.
Brown the stew meat. You may need to do this in multiple batches. Once all of the meat is browned, return all of the meat to the pot and add the flour. Stir until the flour is incorporated and has started to brown. Add the hot stock and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen all of the browned bits. Stir in the wine and the pancetta/onion mixture. Add the bouquet garni and bring to a simmer. Cover your dutch oven and let it simmer on the stove top for two hours. Remember that simmering and boiling are two different things. You want to see only a few bubbles popping up before you cover the pot. Turn your heat down to medium low to achieve this. The bubbles are the key; adjust the heat to get the right amount of bubbles!
This next step is the most important…pour yourself the remaining Burgundy, plant yourself in front of a nice warm fire, and breathe in the most amazing aroma from that pot cooking on the stove! There are not words to describe what happens during that time. You will fall in love with that deep pancetta/wine/onion essence that will invade every corner of your house!
After two hours, remove the cover, add the mushrooms, cover the dutch oven, and cook for another 30 minutes. This is your opportunity to warm up some bread, make some buttery mashed potatoes, and set the table. Once that 30 minutes have passed, remove the bouquet garni, give the stew a stir, pour yourself another glass of wine, bring that dutch oven to the table, and serve!
I’m not someone who loves french food, but after making this meal, I fell in love first with the aroma of the meat cooking and then next with the flavor. Make this on the next cold and snowy day. You won’t regret your decision!
And, like every great meal, top it off with a warm, gooey dessert. Our choice? Apple crisp with vanilla cranberry ice cream!
As always, in the spirit of Julia, Bon Appetit!
Have a comment? You can reach me at Tina@Madonia.Kitchen