Boeuf Bourguignon

As the days turn cooler, comfort foods such as stew come to mind. What better than this, the grandest of all stews?

There are hundreds if not thousands of recipes for boeuf bourguignon, but, strangely, all of them are more or less identical. My recipe will be presented two ways. (Reasons: [1] My son hates mushrooms, the poor misguided child, and [2] some ppl like their beautifully sauteed mushrooms straight up.) The essential ingredients for boeuf bourguignon are, of course, bacon, beef, onions, and two (2) bottles of good red wine (one for the stew, the other for drinking). Additionally, I find that a Manhattan (shaken, not stirred) serves to keep me out of the wine until the food is well under way. In my Manhattan (a drink invented by Lady Randolph Churchill, Winston's mother, in case you’re of the opinion a whiskey drink is not ladylike), I place two Collins maraschino cherries with stems. Now, in this blog, Gudrun does not normally endorse any company, product, or institution, but just this once I'm going to make an exception. Collins cherries (found primarily in liquor stores) are much larger, plumper, and tastier than supermarket maraschinos. But you have to buy the big bottle... the ones in the little bottles are (or seem to be) smaller. It also helps if you marinate them in brandy. But I digress...


Technique #1 - Everything in the Pot

2.5 lbs beef - well marbled rump or chuck (rule of thumb - 1/2 lb per person)
1/2 in thick slice bacon
12-14 v small onions
salt & pepper
2 tblsp flour
good red wine (something you would enjoy drinking)
pinch thyme
bay leaf
4 sprigs parsely
small clove garlic
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, whole (if small), sliced, or quartered
1 tblsp tomato paste

Cut the meat into 1-1.5 inch cubes. Cut the bacon into small strips or cubes ("lardons"). Lightly brown the bacon in your nicest, heaviest stew pot, then remove and reserve the bits. Brown the onions in the fat, then reserve them with the bacon.

In the same pot, brown the meat thoroughly, tossing with salt and pepper, and letting the juices in the bottom of the pot get very dark. Add the onions and bacon, sprinkle with flour, and brown slightly. Add wine to barely cover the meat, and add the thyme, bay leaf, chopped parsley, and crushed garlic. (I use fresh parsley and garlic, not the stuff in jars.) Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours.

Clean and prepare the mushrooms. (Okay, I do buy fresh sliced mushrooms!) Add the mushrooms and tomato paste, simmering another half hour or so, and correct the seasonings if necessary.

Serve with a salad and crusty French bread and butter (for sopping up the gravy).


Technique #2 - Mushroom Lovers/Haters

Same list of ingredients. Cook the stew as above, but don't put in the mushrooms. Separate preparation preserves the delicate mushroom flavor for the aficionado, and segregates the mushrooms for those who don’t like them.

2 tblsp butter
1 tblsp oil
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, whole (if small), sliced, or quartered
Optional: 1-2 tblsp minced shallots

Clean and prepare the mushrooms. The mushrooms must be DRY and the skillet un-crowded.

Heat the butter and oil over high heat. As the butter foam subsides add the mushrooms. Toss and shake the pan. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat. This should take 4-5 minutes. Toss the shallots with the mushrooms if desired and sauté 2 minutes. Season to taste.


Wine: The obvious choice to cook boeuf bourguignon and accompany it would be a French Burgundy. While these have the reputation of being quite expensive, excellent bottles of “village” wine can be found in the $15-20 range. And red Burgundies are Pinot Noir (except for Beaujolais), so there are plenty of reasonably priced domestic examples of this variety (as well as Gamay) to choose from. But any full-bodied, young red will do. The dish would be great made with a Rhone, Bordeaux, Rioja, Chianti, domestic cabernet, or whatever. (~N.B. - See vintage chart in February 13th blog, "It Was a Very Good Year...")