Boeuf Bourguignon, Burgundy-Style Beef

How to sear the beef

Homemade beef braised in wine can be made from any meat, but ordinary beef is best, neither “old” beef nor veal. Shoulder, trimmed of membranes and bones, is ideal. Plan on 250-300 g of meat per serving. If the meat has pieces of fat, cut them off so that only the lean meat remains.

Fresh vegetables for the sauce are available at any time of year. Every refrigerator has carrots, onions and garlic. Fresh parsley is also available year-round and keeps well if you follow simple tips on how to keep herbs fresh. Recipes usually call for button mushrooms, but oyster mushrooms or wild mushrooms are perfectly fine too.

1. Prepare the meat: trim the beef and cut it into large pieces of 80-100 g. Rinse the beef and pat it dry with paper towels.

   

2. Sear the beef. In a deep skillet with a lid, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and let it warm up for 2-3 minutes so the characteristic smell of natural oil disappears. Add the cut meat to the hot oil and fry over above-medium heat on all sides until the beef changes color and the first signs of browning appear.

   Never overcook the meat. It should be only lightly browned on all sides, no more, so that the beef cooks inside the seared crust. Don’t cover the skillet with the lid while searing, and turn the meat fairly often for even browning.

   

How to braise in wine

3. Add the tomatoes and garlic to the meat. Scald the tomatoes with boiling water and remove the skin, the seeds and the white core. Chop the tomato pulp with a knife. Peel the garlic and flatten the cloves with the flat of a knife. Add the tomato and garlic to the seared meat, stir and fry everything together for 1-2 minutes, stirring.

   In principle, you can use 1 tbsp of tomato paste (17 g) or tomato sauce if it is not the season for ripe tomatoes. But fresh tomatoes are always preferable.

   

4. Pour 1 cup of beef broth (200 ml) and all the wine into the skillet and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. So that alcohol vapors don’t build up, don’t cover the skillet with the lid for at least 5-10 minutes. Add the spices to the wine.

   Most recipes for Burgundy-style beef use salt, black pepper and a bouquet garni. This is the traditional French mix of aromatics. Behind the pretty name are sprigs of parsley, thyme and a bay leaf. Optional herbs are often added: basil, celery stalks, rosemary, tarragon, savory. The sprigs are wrapped in leek leaves and tied. It is enough to put the herbs and spices you need into a sachet bag, drop it into the wine and then take it out.

   

5. Cover the skillet with the lid and reduce the heat to the minimum at which the liquid still simmers. The beef will braise for more than 2 hours. In the end the meat should be soft and tender.

   

How to cook the vegetables and mushrooms

6. Fry the carrot with the onion. In another skillet, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Peel the carrot and cut it into cubes. Fry the carrot in olive oil until soft, without a lid.

   

   Peel the onion and cut it into thick strips. Add the onion to the fried carrot and fry the vegetables until the onion turns a nice golden color.

   

7. Add the button mushrooms and green onion and simmer. Cut the button mushrooms into quarters. Finely chop the green onion tops. Add the mushrooms and onion to the vegetables, stir and add 1 cup of beef broth (200 ml).

   

   Simmer the vegetables and mushrooms covered for 3-4 minutes, then turn off the heat. Let the vegetable mixture with mushrooms stand. Don’t add any spices.

   

How to combine the meat with the vegetables

8. Check the beef. The vegetables and mushrooms can be added when the braised beef is soft enough, a piece comes apart easily with a fork, and the amount of the wine and broth mixture in the skillet has reduced considerably. Take out and discard the sachet with the spices.

   If the beef is tough, don’t hesitate to braise it even longer, that is normal. Understand that if the beef stays tough, the charm of the dish is lost and you can get tired of chewing the meat.

9. Transfer all the prepared vegetables and mushrooms to the skillet with the braised meat and stir. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer, covered, over medium heat for 15 minutes. Then remove the lid and simmer for another 10 minutes. The result should be a fairly thick sauce of vegetables, mushrooms and wine with large pieces of beef.

   Recipes often add flour to the sauce as a thickener. If the meat is cooked properly, you won’t need it.

   

Serving

10. Spoon the vegetable sauce in which the beef was braised into a deep plate and arrange large pieces of braised beef on top. Sprinkle generously with finely chopped parsley.

    

    Serve the side dish you prefer separately or along the edge of the plate.

    

    Boeuf bourguignon, or beef with mushrooms, is served only hot, because the sauce and meat set a little as they cool. If you like, you can always cook the meat in smaller pieces or even one huge piece, if you have a suitable pot. As a side dish you can even use braised vegetables or fried rice, it is a matter of taste.