Beef Bourguignon (fr. bœuf bourguignon, “beef in the Burgundy style”) – is one of the most famous dishes of French cuisine, originating from the Burgundy region. Here, excellent wines have long been produced, and cattle have been raised, so it is no surprise that local chefs devised a way to combine these two ingredients in one unparalleled recipe. Once, beef bourguignon was considered peasant food, as long simmering allowed even the toughest cuts of meat to become tender. However, over time, the dish won the hearts of gourmets around the world and became a true classic of French gastronomy.
We decided to prepare beef bourguignon, slightly adapting the classic recipe. We omitted shallots, which are traditionally used (we simply couldn’t find them and thus didn’t purchase them), and we stewed the dish not in the oven, but in a pot on the stove.
Time required: up to 4 hours (+ 2-3 hours for the broth)
Difficulty: 3.5 out of 5
Cost: above average
We will need:
1.3 kg of beef
250 g of bacon
1 onion
1 carrot
1 head of garlic
1 bunch of parsley
dry thyme
salt, pepper
tomato paste (140 g)
butter
300 g of mushrooms
500 ml of beef broth
500 ml of dry red wine
Preparation
An important step is preparing a rich beef broth. We cooked it the day before from beef bones to achieve a deep flavor and rich aroma.We start cooking the beef with the bacon. We fry it in a pan to render the fat, then set it aside.
In the same fat, we sauté pieces of beef about 5 cm by 5 cm, which we have thoroughly dried with paper towels beforehand. It is important that the meat does not stew in its own juice, but rather browns, so we do this in batches over medium heat. The browned pieces are immediately sent to the pot where they will be stewed.
In the same pan, we brown the carrot cut into large quarters, the chopped onion, and the grated garlic.
As soon as the vegetables begin to caramelize, we transfer them to the meat. At this stage, we add salt and pepper, and sprinkle everything with flour, shaking the pot to distribute it evenly.
Next, we pour in the broth and dry red wine – these liquids should completely cover the meat. We add the tomato paste, thyme, and finely chopped parsley.
Now all that’s left is to wait – we stew the meat over low heat for 2-3 hours until it becomes tender and soft.
Separately, we prepare the mushrooms. In butter, we first sauté the grated garlic for literally 30 seconds – this will add a special aroma to the dish. Then we add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook until all the moisture evaporates. We set them aside for the final stage.
When the meat is tender, we drain it along with the vegetables into a separate pot, and pour the sauce into another.
We return the pot with the sauce to the heat. It needs to be reduced a bit to thicken. During this process, we skim off the excess fat – this takes about 10 minutes. When the sauce reaches the desired consistency, we return the meat, vegetables, and mushrooms to it, mix thoroughly, and stew for another 5-7 minutes over low heat.
The finished beef bourguignon has a rich, intense flavor, combining the tenderness of the beef, the sweet notes of the carrot, the aroma of the mushrooms, and the subtle acidity of the red wine.
Traditionally, beef bourguignon is served with boiled potatoes, as well as pasta with butter or rice. As a side dish, buttered beans are also possible. All these products and dishes will help fully reveal all the flavor nuances of the stewed beef. This is a classic of French cuisine that never gets old. Bon appétit!
