Beef Bourguignon Recipe. This rich dish is the perfect comfort food.
Serves 6-8
1kg grass-fed beef chuck, cut into 5cm cubes
170g slab bacon, cut into 1⁄4-inch lardons
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp flour
1 bottle red wine
2-3 cups beef stock
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 carrots, cut into 2.5cm chunks
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped from stems
1 bay leaf, crumbled
Braised Onions
11⁄2 tbsp butter
11⁄2 tbsp olive oil
2-21⁄2 cups pearl onions, peeled
1 bay leaf
4 stems parsley
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1⁄2 cup dry white wine
Buttered Mushrooms
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2-2 1⁄2 cups small, firm cremini mushrooms, brushed of dirt, trimmed, halved if large
To make the braised onions, heat the butter and olive oil in a medium enameled pan over medium heat until butter sizzles. Add the onions, sauté for about 10 minutes, occasionally agitating the pan so all the surfaces brown.
Wrap the bay leaf around the parsley and thyme sprigs, tie into a bundle with kitchen twine.
Pour the white wine into the pan with the onions and add the herb bouquet. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper and bring the mixture to a boil.
Lower the heat and cover, then allow to simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the onions are tender but still keep their shape, and
the liquid has evaporated. Remove pan from the heat and discard the spent herb bouquet. Set onions aside.
To make the buttered mushrooms, melt the butter and olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan. The butter will foam – wait until this subsides, then add the mushrooms. Sauté for about 5 minutes, regularly agitating the pan to move the mushrooms around. When the mushrooms are slightly browned, remove from the pan and set aside.
Pat the cubed steak dry and season with sea salt and black pepper. Preheat oven to 180°C.
In a Dutch oven or other heavy-based saucepan, brown bacon over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pot, reserving the fat. Place bacon on a large plate and set aside. In the same pan, brown the cubed beef in the bacon fat a few pieces at a time, turning onto each side to achieve a dark crust. Remove the browned beef as you go, adding it to the plate with the bacon.
Once all the beef is browned and removed from the pan, add the olive oil to the pan and sauté the chopped onion for about 7-10 minutes or until tender. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the browned beef back to the pan, scatter with flour to coat, and place on the oven’s centre rack for 4 minutes to toast the flour.
Remove the pan from oven, agitate it to toss meat a bit, and return for another 4 minutes.
Return the pan to the stove, set to medium heat, and turn the oven down to 160°C. Add the red wine and stock to the pan, so the liquid just barely covers the meat. Add the tomato paste, garlic, carrots, herbs, sautéed onions and bacon. Stir. Bring to a simmer, cover, and place in the lower third of the oven.
Slowly roast in the oven for 2-3 hours, regulating the heat so that the liquid bubbles slowly. The stew is ready when the meat is easily pierced with a fork. Add the braised onions and buttered mushrooms to the finished stew and give a good stir. Serve with boiled potatoes or crusty bread.
