Beef Bourguignon

Well, I did it! I made Ina's Beef Bourguignon today and was successful at it! There was a lot of chopping and dicing and I decided to use my knife from culinary school. :) It's simmering away on the stove and smells delicious! Lately, I've been cooking but having help with it. Today, I was the only one in the kitchen. I had my laptop downstairs with the recipe and kept referring back to it. Surprisingly It wasn't simple but it was straight forward. Drying the meat (man does it have a LOT of juice!!) sauteing the bacon, taking that out. Than searing the beef in batches, adding the onions and carrots and cooking those. I than added the beef back, added the red wine and beef stock. Pretty awesome huh? All I have to do now is make a roue with butter and flour, add that to the stew to thicken it, saute the mushroom and add that to the stew!

A lot of steps but it was easy to follow which is wonderful. I was afraid the wine might be overpowering for my liking but it isn't! I really enjoy cooking now. It gives someone a sense of satisfaction knowing they completed a dish successfully. I just can't wait til the time when I find that person who is meant for me. Someone who I can cook for and that we can even cook together. Ok, enough of that talk. LOL I'm just so proud of myself for completing it and doing it thoroughly!

Time to eat! :)
Lauren
  

Beef Bourguignon

Copyright: 2002. Barefoot Contessa: Family Style Cookbook

Ingredients

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• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 8 ounces dry cured center cut applewood smoked bacon, diced
• 2 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
• 2 yellow onions, sliced
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
• 1/2 cup Cognac
• 1 (750 ml.) bottle good dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir
• 1 can (2 cups) beef broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 pound frozen whole onions
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

For serving:

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• Country bread or Sour Dough, toasted or grilled and rubbed with garlic clove
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, optional

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. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost 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. Add the frozen onions. Saute 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 minutes. Season to taste.

To serve, toast the bread in the toaster or oven. Rub each slice on 1 side with a cut clove of garlic. For each serving, spoon the stew over a slice of bread and sprinkle with parsley.