Boeuf A La Bourguignon

Serves: 3

Amos O'Hara

1 January 1970

Based on User reviews:

58

Spice

65

Sweetness

35

Sourness

36

mins

Prep time (avg)

6

Difficulty

Ingredients:

2 cups

Beef Stock

1 cup

Brandy

4 cloves

Garlic (sliced)

1 tsp

Dried Thyme

230 g

Slab Bacon

1 tbsp

Olive Oil

1 tbsp

Tomato Paste

1 pinch

Sugar

1 tbsp

Flour

Directions:

1

In a large bowl, combine the red wine, beef stock, brandy, onion, carrots, garlic, parsley sprigs, thyme, rosemary, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, and bay leaf and stir well

2

Add the beef and stir

3

Refrigerate, covered, overnight

4

Drain the beef and reserve the marinade and vegetables separately

5

Pat the beef dry with paper towels

6

Set the beef and vegetables aside

7

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F

8

Remove the outer rind of the slab bacon

9

Cut the bacon into lardons: 1 inch long strips about 1/4- inch thick

10

In a small saucepan, cover the lardons and the rind with cold water and bring to a boil

11

Lower the heat, and simmer for 3 minutes

12

Drain the lardons and rind, pat them dry, and reserve both

13

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat

14

Add the lardons and cook, stirring, until crisp and their fat has rendered

15

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lardons to paper towels to drain

16

Season the beef with salt and pepper, dredge in the flour, and shake off any excess

17

Raise the heat to high and, working in batches, brown the beef

18

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate

19

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat and return to high heat

20

Add the reserved vegetable mixture and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 5 minutes

21

Return all of the browned beef to the pot

22

Add the reserved marinade liquid, and reserved bacon rind

23

Bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper

24

Transfer the stew to the oven and cook, covered, until the beef is very tender, about 3 hours

25

Remove the stew from the oven

26

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate

27

Strain the liquid and discard the solids

28

Return the beef and strained broth to the Dutch oven with the lardons

29

Put the pearl onions in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of butter and the sugar

30

Cover the onions with water and season with salt and pepper

31

Simmer the onions over medium-high heat until almost tender

32

Raise heat to high, and reduce the cooking liquid to about 2 tablespoons

33

Continue to cook the onions, shaking the pan over the heat, until the onions are golden brown and glazed

34

Transfer the onions to the stew

35

Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in another skillet over medium-high heat

36

Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper

37

Cook the mushrooms, tossing often, until golden brown, about 7 minutes

38

Transfer the mushrooms to the stew

39

In a small bowl, cream together the tablespoon of softened butter with the tablespoon of flour

40

Roll the mixture into pea-sized pieces

41

Bring the stew to a simmer and, while stirring gently, add enough beurre manie, bit by bit, to lightly thicken the sauce

42

Divide the stew among 6 shallow soup plates and garnish each with a crouton

43

Serve immediately with pasta or boiled potatoes

44

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

45

Brush both sides of the bread with the butter and arrange them on a baking sheet

46

Bake the croutons until golden brown

47

Dip the edges of the bread in the stew to moisten; then in parsley to lightly coat the edges

48

Yield: 6 croutons