This has been ONE CRAZY WEEK for me. I look forward to visiting all of you on Monday!
Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon
While this recipe is a little time consuming, it is not difficult. If you haven't tried this recipe, you will thank me. Such a perfect dish for this cool October weather. ENJOY!
Ingredients
1 6 ounce piece
chunk bacon
3
1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds lean
stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 onion, sliced
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons
flour
3 cups red
wine, young and full bodied
3 cups beef
stock
1 tablespoon
tomato paste
2 cloves mashed
garlic
1/2 teaspoon
thyme
1 bay leaf,
crumbled
20 small white
onions
3
1/2 tablespoons butter
herb bouquet (4
parsley sprigs, one-half bay leaf, one-quarter teaspoon thyme, tied in
cheesecloth)
1 pound fresh
mushrooms, quartered
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Remove bacon rind and cut into lardons (sticks 1/4-inch thick
and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and lardons for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts
water. Drain and dry.
Sauté lardons in 1 tablespoon of the
olive oil in a flameproof casserole over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to
brown lightly. Remove to side dish with a slotted spoon.
.
4
Heat fat in casserole until almost
smoking. Dry beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Add beef, a
few pieces at a time, and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to
the lardons. In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the excess
fat.
.
5
Return the beef and bacon to the
casserole and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Then
sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly. Set casserole
uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat
again and return to oven for 4 minutes (this browns the flour and coves the
meat with a light crust). Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees.
.
6
Stir in wine and 2
to 3 cups stock, just enough so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato
paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove.
Cover casserole and set in lower third of oven. Regulate heat so that liquid
simmers very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it
easily.
.
7
While the beef is
cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with
one and one-half tablespoons of the oil until bubbling in a skillet. Add onions
and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling them so they will
brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot
expect them to brown uniformly. Add 1/2 cup of the stock, salt and pepper to
taste and the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until
the onions are perfectly tender but hold their shape, and the liquid has
evaporated. Remove herb bouquet and set onions aside.
.
8
Wipe out skillet and heat remaining
oil and butter over high heat. As soon as you see butter has begun to subside,
indicating it is hot enough, add mushrooms. Toss and shake pan for 4 to 5 minutes.
As soon as they have begun to brown lightly, remove from heat. When the meat is
tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan.
Wash out the
casserole and return the beef and lardons to it. Distribute the cooked onions
and mushrooms on top. Skim fat off sauce in saucepan. Simmer sauce for 1-2
minutes, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2
cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down
rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons stock. Taste carefully for
seasoning.
Pour sauce over meat and vegetables. Cover and simmer 2 to
3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve
in casserole, or arrange stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles or
rice, and decorated with parsley.
IF YOU MISSED
See you soon,
Teresa
xoxo