Is it possible we’ve not made boeuf bourgignon together? I thought it not possible, but my recipe page tells me differently. Now that the weather is starting to turn in that grey, cold, Autumn direction, I’d say it’s time to make it.
Boeuf Bourgignon means beef from the region of Bourgogne. If you want to pronounce it, take the vowel-sound from the word “could” and apply it to boeuf. (b-oul-f). Does that make sense? And then the rest is Boor-ghee-nyun.
I have a funny story to tell you. We had a friend come to visit with his partner from the States. When we had them over to dinner (where I made leg of lamb), his partner proudly told us that that they went to a very expensive restaurant where he ordered la bouffe. He pronounced it boof, and not as you’re supposed to – b-oul-f. He couldn’t understand why the waitor stared at him in such a way until we told him that la bouffe means Grub. Chow. Slop.
I’m sure Sir and I laughed over that one much harder than the waiter did.
I’ve made my boeuf bourgignon in a crockpot, but it’s perfectly acceptable to cook it for 3 hours in a dutch oven (or Le Creuset) at 325°. If you don’t have a dutch oven or a crockpot, you can also cook it on the stove over very low heat for just as long. But there’s something about working hard in the morning (allow 2 hours including clean-up to give yourself a wide margin) and having your house smell heavenly the entire day without you doing a thing that makes me say crockpot is the way to go.
Melt about this much butter and olive oil in a skillet.
I know, I know – I didn’t give you an exact amount. I like to do things “au pif.”( That is pronounced oh peef and means “winging it.”)
Slice 6 small green onions in half
and saute them. If pressed, you can skip this step.
Put them in the crockpot.
Next, take an entirely different pan (you’ll see why later) and cook about a cup of bacon. Get some bacon easy on the fat. If you don’t eat pork – can you find some other smoked, slightly fatty meat?
Put that to drain on a paper towel.
Now it’s time for the meat. I bought just over 3 lbs of beef, cut from the shoulder. While waiting for our kids to come out of school, I asked my friends for tips on this recipe, and they said to make sure to get good meat from the butcher for that purpose.
I responded that I had already gotten mine from the supermarket (but was thinking to myself – who goes to the butcher for meat?)
Oh right – the French do.
Remove any obvious fat or gristle
and cut the meat into small pieces.
Put some of it on a plate and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
I only sprinkled one batch with pepper because the kids were eating it too and I didn’t want it to be too spicy.
Then coat them well with flour.
I used gluten-free, of course.
Heat up that skillet that should still have butter and oil in it (not the bacon one) and when it’s sizzling, put the first batch of meat in.
I had to do three different batches so that everything could be evenly browned. You will need to add more olive oil for each batch of meat because the flour burns quickly. Put the meat and bacon in the crockpot, along with the onions.
It’s hard to see that it’s browned, I know. Very grey weather and I’m not a fan of flash.
Now the hardest part is out of the way – it’s easy sailing from here on in. Smash three cloves of garlic with the flat end of the knife.
And peel and thinly slice 3 medium carrots.
I went outside to get my bay leaves (to think I almost once paid $5 for a jar of about 7 bay leaves in Manhattan).
I used three leaves for this dish.
Then I got a sprig of thyme
You can also use 2 teaspoons of dried thyme.
Put everything in the crockpot and pour 3 cups of red wine over the mixture.
As most of you know by now, we use alcohol-free wine which really didn’t hamper the taste at all. If you are select, try a Beaujolais Village or Côtes du Rhone or Pommard.
Then heat up 2 cups of water with 2 beef bouillon cubes so the cubes melt.
Pour that in. Your mixture will be soupy.
But that’s okay. Since you dredged all the meat in flour, it will thicken the sauce as it cooks without forming any lumps. Your meat really should be covered by liquid so that there are no parts sticking out, which will get tough. If the liquid doesn’t cover the meat, add more wine until it does.
Cook it on low for up to 6-8 hours. I did find that, later in the day, it needed to be turned to keep the bottom from burning, but it was minimal, so if you want to leave it and go off for the day, it should be okay.
At the end, the sauce is thick. Put a heaping tablespoon of dijon mustard in.
Again, this is au pif. And the mustard is not a traditional part of the recipe, but it adds a depth to the flavor, and I know other Frenchies who do it as well.
Right before serving, take some cute little button mushrooms.
Fry them up in butter and add ‘em.
And your boeuf bourgignon is ready. It is traditionally served with noodles.
I buckled here and used the flash so the meat didn’t look as grey as the weather.
This is such a happy dish – truly. Rich, warm, home-cooked, happy smells that will transform your house on an Autumn day.
Now, all that awaits you is … la bouffe!
- 200 grams bacon (about 1 cup)
- 3-4 lbs of beef
- 6 green onions
- butter and olive oil
- salt and pepper and flour for coating
- 3 carrots
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tsp thyme or one large sprig
- 2 cups beef bouillon
- 3-4 cups of red wine
- 1 heaping tablespoon dijon mustard
- button mushrooms
- noodles to serve on the side
- Cut the onions in half and sauté the halves.
- Sauté the bacon in a different pan.
- Cut the beef and remove the fat.
- Salt and pepper the beef and dredge with flour.
- Brown the beef on all sides.
- Peel and smash the garlic, then peel and slice the carrots.
- Put all the ingredients and the thyme and bay leaf in the crock pot.
- Cover with the wine and beef bouillon.
- At the end of cooking time, add the mustard.
- Stir fry the mushrooms and add those.
- Serve piping hot over plain noodles.
Oh, this looks so delicious! I want to run right out and get the ingredients and fix it NOW! It’s a bright, crisp, fall day and what a perfect dish to warm up the house with. Thank you for this!