Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg beef (The author used “galinette de bœuf”; the exact cut translation is unclear.)
• 200 g bacon (Cook until browned; reserve some for adding to the stew near the end.)
• 1 onion (Cut into small pieces.)
• 2 carrots (Use thick carrots or cut them into thick chunks.)
• 1 celery stalk (Cut into small pieces.)
• 250 g mushrooms (Cook separately until soft and caramelised.)
• small pearl onions (Amount not specified; cook until soft and caramelised.)
• red wine (1 bottle; bottle size not specified.)
• 1 tbsp flour (The transcript says this was added after about 2 hours when the author realized it had been omitted earlier.)
• bouquet garni (Amount not specified.)
• salt and black pepper (Season the beef before browning and season the stew again after returning the beef to the pot.)
• butter (Used to cook the mushrooms and pearl onions; amount not specified.)
• dark chocolate (A small piece, added to the separately reduced sauce.)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 150°C (302°F).

2. 2

   Cut the onion and celery into small pieces. Cut the carrots into thick chunks.

3. 3

   Season the beef with salt and black pepper.

4. 4

   Heat a large ovenproof pot. Brown the bacon until cooked and caramelised, then remove it and set it aside.

5. 5

   Working in batches, brown the seasoned beef in the same pot until nicely caramelised on all sides. Remove the beef and set it aside.

6. 6

   Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the pot. Cook for a few minutes, scraping the browned bits from the bottom as the vegetables soften.

7. 7

   Return the beef to the pot and season it again with salt and black pepper.

8. 8

   Add the red wine and deglaze the pot, scraping the bottom to loosen the browned bits.

9. 9

   Add the bouquet garni and bring the mixture to a simmer.

10. 10

    Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Cook at 150°C (302°F) for about 4 hours, or 4 to 4½ hours according to the transcript, until the beef is very tender.

11. 11

    After about 2 hours of cooking, add the flour to the stew. This timing follows the transcript, which notes that the flour was added late after initially being forgotten.

12. 12

    While the stew cooks, heat butter in a separate pan. Add the mushrooms and pearl onions and cook them until soft and caramelised.

13. 13

    After about 3 hours of oven cooking, add the cooked mushrooms, pearl onions, and reserved cooked bacon to the stew.

14. 14

    Reduce the sauce separately over medium-high heat until it is less liquid. Add the small piece of dark chocolate and stir until it melts into the sauce.

15. 15

    Return the stew and its contents to the reduced sauce, then serve.

Notes

The author says marinating the beef in the wine is optional and personally skips it. The author prefers serving the stew with mashed potatoes rather than pasta or boiled potatoes. The exact amount of pearl onions, red wine, butter, bouquet garni, salt, pepper, and chocolate is not specified. The source does not state a precise sauce-reduction time or a precise point at which the sauce is separated from the stew.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• French
• beef stew
• slow-cooked
• oven-braised
• red wine
• comfort food
• gluten-containing