Hey Julia! Where’s the Boeuf?

Going into fall and winter meals tend to get a little more rich and little less health conscious.

I am finding myself going through recipes and adapting things. Recently, I found myself looking at a classic dish and how it’s made. Boeuf Bourguignon, the classic French dish we all associate with Julia Child and her renaissance of cooking in the late fifties and early sixties.

Use 1-2 Lbs beef. Usually a nicer cut of meat, but something reasonably priced.

Cut the beef into into “cubes” or nice healthy sized pieces.

Pat it dry and brown it in a pan. We all saw the movie and know this by now.

You want to seal in the natural juices this way and it keeps the meat nice and tender.

After the meat is browned pot on a plate and place it to the side.

I use one tablespoon Chile Olive Oil in the pan.

It has a good flavor without tainting the meat with too much olive.

getting your vegetables to start caramelizing is so important

Take at least a half a dozen large scallions and peal them.

Cut the top and the bottom off the scallions and peal the dry layer off.

At this time also add the 1/2 pound smoked bacon, get them both cooking. Personally I don’t like to have too much grease in the pot.

While the scallions and bacon are slowly sizzling clean the carrots. Use them as this a rustic dish, some people say no carrots. Use at least two pounds carrots. Scrub the dirt off and then quarter them lengthwise. I like to use a couple of colors of carrots as well.

Garlic- my preference is roasted and minced. 1/2 teaspoon.

Mix one cup tomato bullion, one cube with one cup water. Some recipes call for one tablespoon tomatoe paste, but who wants to open a can of paste for one tablespoon? I also like that the tomato bullion has chicken in it as well. Meat flavors are great fused.

Get your meat rolled in flour.

Add the bacon to the bottom of the pan you are using. I would recommend Le Creuset 6 3/4 quart Oval Dutch Oven. Start to place the carrots around the edge like a nest. Pace some of the meat that you have rolled in flower in the bottom of the pan.

Add some of the scallions in with the meat and add the garlic sort of here and there.

simmer on the stove top

Add more meat and carrots, and then more scallions. Build this up. Layer it all.

At this point what you need next is 1 cup Madeira, 4 cups Burgundy wine, the 1 cup of tomato bullion, 2 cups beef stock and three tablespoons butter.

Place the pot on the stove and turn it on to medium high.

Pre-heat the oven at 325-350 degrees depending.

While the oven is preheating, slowly add the Madeira around the outer edges and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Next add the tomato bullion. Just get it in there and let that simmer 5 minutes as well.

Go ahead and add the three cups Burgundy, bringing it up to a boil and place your butter on top. (I add fresh ground pepper on top at this point as well.)

place the lid on and allow to simmer more before placing inot a preheated oven

Cover it and let it simmer rapidly for about 20 minutes.

Take off of burner and put into 325-350 degree oven for 3 hours.

At this point add the last cup of Burgundy and place back inot oven for another 45 minutes.

I had to peak at it in the oven…steaming hot!

Make sure to get yourself some nice crusty bread or rolls to eat with this. You will need it to wipe every little spatter off your plate!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

2 lbs top cut beef

1 tablespoon Chili Olive Oil

1/2 pound smoked bacon

2 pounds carrots, get a good variety of colors.

1 pound scallions. Highly recommend those that are large with several cloves inside.

2 cups sliced mushrooms (no they were not mentioned because I did not use them, but you can)

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tomato bullion cube

2 cups beef stock

1 cup water

1 cup Madeira

4 cups Burgundy wine

3 tablespoons butter (your preference of salted or unsalted

Fresh ground black pepper

Good kitchen help is hard to find. LB likes to help clean up!

October 30, 2012 | Categories: in the kitchen | Tags: bacon, beef, boil, braise, burgundy, butter, caramelize, carrots, Chili Olive Oil, cook, cooking, Dutch oven, Frech, Garden, garlic, Julia Child, kitchen, Le Creuset, meat, mediera, oven, scallions, simmer, stove, wine | 2 Comments