Recipes to Rival: Boeuf Bourguignon

The recent release of the movie Julie and Julia has obviously created a boon in Julia Child's popularity. This month's Recipes to Rival recipe was in honor of Julia Child. And I was also asked to host the challenge as well! This is my second turn to pick a R2R recipe (last September as well) and like the first time, I had so much fun. Because I found it so mouthwateringly good to look at in the movie, I went with the Mastering the Art of French Cooking classic, Boeuf Bourguignon.

As much as I would like to say I eat super healthy and am more veggie in my flexitarianism, I love nothing more than a meal with a good bit of beef. Is it because I grew up in the Texas Panhandle with cows out the wazoo? I don't know...but I loves it I do. And Boeuf Bourguignon is all about the beef...and the wine but the beef is really the star.

One thing you need when doing this recipe is time management. This is not something that can be started at 5 in time for dinner. It's not overly complicated but it does take a bit of time. Certain parts need to be done before others and if you don't read the recipe carefully (like I did at first!) you could find yourself in a bind when you need to add them to the stew. If you plan ahead, it can certainly be done in one afternoon. You can also make it in advance for the next day. In fact, its even better the day after its made. I made mine on a Sunday afternoon and served it for dinner Monday night. Delicious!

A good wine is also key to developing the flavor of the sauce. An expensive wine you don't have to buy but a good quality red that you would drink is essential. Don't go for the cheap cooking wines. I used a moderately priced Chianti and was very pleased with the flavor.

I loved the Boeuf Bourguignon. Relatively simple but bursting with rich flavors. Next time I would serve it with the more traditional boiled potatoes. This time I used buttered egg noodles because I had the wrong kind of potatoes at home. The noodles were okay but I think the potatoes would stand up better to the flavors of the Boeuf Bourguignon.

Before watching Julie and Julie and this month's R2R, I had little experience with french cooking and Julia. Now that I have, I am eager to try more of both. Because the Boeuf Bourguignon was such a success for me, Mastering is definitely going to get a more thorough work out!

You can see more Boeuf Bourguignon at the Recipes to Rival blogroll!

Boeuf Bourguignon

Yield: For 6 people

Ingredients
A 6-ounce chunk of bacon
1 Tb olive oil or cooking oil
3 lbs. lean stewing beef cut into 2-inch cubes (see Notes)
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 Tb flour
3 cups of a full-bodied, young red wine such as one of those suggested for serving, or a Chianti
2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
1 Tb tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
½ tsp thyme
A crumbled bay leaf
The blanched bacon rind
18 to 24 small white onions, brown-braised in stock
1 lb. quartered fresh mushrooms sautéed in butter
Parsley sprigs

Directions
Remove bacon rind and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, ¼ inch thick and 1½ inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1½ quarts of water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.

Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2½ to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2½ cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.

Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

FOR IMMEDIATE SERVING: Cover the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.

FOR LATER SERVING: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About I5 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

Notes
Equipment: A 9- to 10-inch fireproof casserole 3 inches deep and a slotted spoon

Cuts of Meat for Stewing:

The better the meat, the better the stew. While cheaper and coarser cuts may be used, the following are most recommended. Count on one pound of boneless meat, trimmed of fat, for two people; three if the rest of the menu is large.

First choice: Rump Pot Roast (Pointe de Culotte or Aiguillette de Rumsteck)

Other choices: Chuck Pot Roast (Paleron or Macreuse a Pot-au-feu), Sirloin Tip (Tranche Grasse), Top Round (Tende de Tranche), or Bottom Round (Gîte a la Noix).

Vegetable and Wine Suggestions:

Boiled potatoes are traditionally served with this dish. Buttered noodles or steamed rice may be substituted. If you also wish a green vegetable, buttered peas would be your best choice. Serve with the beef a fairly full-bodied, young red wine, such as Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, Bordeaux-St. Émilion, or Burgundy.