Recipe of the Week – Beef Bourguignon
May 18, 2009
(From The Beef EntréeCollection at emealsforyou.com)
Beef Bourguignon
I’m back from my trip to New Jersey; five days of good family, good friends and good food. I look forward to these trips as I get a chance to spend some time being the “home handyman” and enjoy the challenge of giving my mother-in-law a break in the kitchen. I say challenge as we are an eclectic group when it comes to the table, one doesn’t eat meat, one is gluten intolerant, and I don’t eat fish. Add the fact that there are usually 8 -12 of us around the table and you have my own Food Challenge show going. We brought most of the desserts with us, frozen, from Ohio, too many of my clothes are telling me but the main meals were made on the spot.
Ravioli in Vodka Sauce, Italian Pork Chops, Sea Bass and Bouillabaisse were on the menu but my favorite was the Beef Bourguignon. When I would make this for my father he would call it beef stew, which is what is really is, he just wanted to rub in that I was an “effete snob” in the kitchen. Anyway this is the ideal meal when you want something you can cook in advance and requires very little effort to warm it up, add a salad and some crunchy bread and dig in. Beef stew or Bourguignon, call it what you may, it is still a great meal to turn a family gathering into an elegant dinner party or an elegant dinner party into a family gathering.
Beef Bourguignon
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 10 |
| Category: | Beef Entrée |
| Meal: | Fall French (Distinctive Dinners) |
| 0.5 | lb | bacon |
| 4 | lb | beef, cubes |
| 3 | cloves | garlic, chopped |
| 1 | 10.5 oz can | beef consommé |
| 1 | bottle | wine, dry red |
| 3 | Tb | tomato paste |
| 4 | medium | bay leaves, whole dried |
| 0.25 | tsp | thyme, dried |
| 2 | Tb | butter, salted |
| 1 | package | onions, pearl frozen |
| 1 | lb | mushrooms, white button |
| 3 | Tb | butter, salted |
| 3 | Tb | flour |
| 1 | Tb | salt and pepper to taste |
Cut bacon into small pieces. Brown bacon in large pan, remove and reserve bacon. Brown beef in pan, add garlic, sauté 2 minutes, add consommé, wine (reserve 1 cup), tomato paste, bay leaves and thyme. Reduce heat and cook covered for 40 minutes, or until beef is fork tender. Add butter to a second pan; sauté onions and mushrooms for 3 minutes until slightly brown. Remove onions and mushrooms from pan; add to beef pan, deglaze onion pan with remaining cup of wine, and pour into beef pan. Make a roux with the butter and flour, cook roux until just slightly beige, stir into beef pan. Cook until thick. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Hints: Make Bourguignon up to a day in advance and cool. Reheat when ready to serve.
(From The Fall French Distinctive Dinners Meal Plan at emealsforyou.com)
Entry Filed under: Dinners. Tags: beef, beef bourguignon, beef stew, easy French meal, elegant meal, family dinner.
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