Last Friday my first piece of Le Creuset arrived- a delicate 2.5 quart dutch oven!! (=confession= It was second-hand which still fulfilled my frugal nature.) I scrubbed it clean, put it on the stove and grabbed a copy of Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon recipe.
There is no word in the English language to describe the depth of flavor that lay hidden in the bubbling heaven in my bowl. A surprisingly easy recipe, I know I will be making this dish quite often! While cooking with alcohol is something I usually avoid, diluted with equal parts of water, it was delicious!
Now, some of you may be saying, "This recipe isn't German". You are right. It's not. But, since the name of this blog is Guten Essen (Good Food), this recipe definitely meets the criteria!
Boeuf Bourguignon ala Chef Tae
I divided the following recipe in half to accommodate my smaller dutch oven.
It turned out perfectly and would easily provide 3 servings. As written, 6 servings.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 slices bacon, rough dice
- 2 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
- Kosher or Mediterranean Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup dry red wine
- 1 can (2 cups) beef broth (roughly)
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 4 tablespoons butter at room temperature, divided
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced
Directions
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.
Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.
Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices.
Add the wine, water, plus enough beef broth to cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.
Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Sauté the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 -20 minutes. Season to taste.
To serve, slice french bread into 1" slices, baste with melted butter, and pop in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up.
Thank you, Julia, for your dedication to making our lives better through new foods! As Julia Child would say, "Bon Appetit!"
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