CREATIVE COOKING IN THE TIME OF CORONA
a blog about food
BOEUF BOURGUIGNON
À LA JULIA CHILD
The first time I made Julia Child's iconic Boeuf Bourguignon, I took a few shortcuts because there are a lot of steps to this recipe and I thought I was being clever. It was still delicious. The second time I made it, I didn't take as many shortcuts and it was still really good. The third time I made it, I followed the recipe almost to the letter and it was beyond superb. (I couldn't find any fresh parsley in Kuching so that was the only diversion - a little dried parsley instead of the fresh stuff. It was fine but I bet Julia would not have approved.) So if
you decide to make this, I suggest you have patience and stick to the recipe. I also suggest making this over two days so that you're not overwhelmed with fatigue at the end of the day and the meat gets a chance to absorb all the wonderful flavours you're going to add. I've learned that when you follow a master like Julia, you don't mess with her brilliant, authentic recipes. I served this with simple boiled Desiree potatoes and some petits pois (baby peas!) No need for fancy veggies with this masterpiece.
INGREDIENTS
DAY ONE
For the stew:
225g (6oz) bacon lardons (1 inch chunks)
1 tbsp olive oil
1.36kg (3 lbs) lean beef chuck, cut into 5cm (2 inch) cubes
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 onion, peeled and sliced
2 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp plain flour
3 cups of full-bodied red wine, like a Bordeaux or Burgundy
2-3 cups beef stock (I used a good quality, ready-made one)
1 heaped tbsp tomato paste
2 - 4 garlic cloves, mashed
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
DAY TWO
For the braised onions:
a generous 25 - 30 white pearl onions, peeled
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup beef stock
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
2 sprigs parsley (or 1 tsp dried parsley)
For the sautéed mushrooms:
454g (1 lb) white button mushrooms, peeled and quartered (don't wash)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
METHOD
DAY ONE
1. Bring a pot of water to the boil and add the bacon lardons. Simmer for about ten minutes. Dry the lardons and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 230C (450F).
3. Put the 1 tbsp olive oil into a large fireproof casserole (mine is a 40-year old cast iron Le Creuset) and warm over moderate heat.
4. Sauté the lardons for a few minutes until they brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.
5. Dry off the pieces of beef and sauté them in the same oil, a few pieces at a time until nicely browned on all sides.. Remove to the side plate with the bacon.
6. In the same oil/fat, sauté the onion and the carrots until onions have softened.
7. Pour off the fat and return the lardons and the beef to the casserole with the carrots and onion.
8. Toss the contents of the casserole with the salt and pepper and sprinkle with the flour.
9. Set the uncovered casserole in the hot oven for four minutes.
10. Toss the contents of the casserole again and return to the oven for another four minutes.
11. Lower the heat of the oven to 150C (300F) (Julia says 160C but I found that too hot) and remove the casserole from the oven.
12. Add the wine and enough stock to barely cover the meat.
13. Add the tomato paste, garlic and herbs and mix through
14. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove.
15. Cover and place back in oven for about 3 hours, adjusting the heat so that the liquid is just kept simmering. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
16. Let cool in room temperature and then place in fridge overnight. Day One is done!
DAY TWO
For the braised onions:
1. To easily peel those little pearl onions, simply place them in boiling water for about three minutes. Refresh under cold water. Cut off the root end and pinch them so that the onion easily slips out of its delicate skin.
2. Heat the butter and the oil in a large frying pan and add the peeled onions. Sauté gently over medium heat for about ten minutes, rolling the onions so they brown as evenly as possible, without breaking apart.
3. Pour in the stock, season to taste, add the herbs and cover. Simmer over a low heat until onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape. (Julia recommends 40 - 50 minutes but I think that's far too long. Mine disintegrated over that time! (Probably firmer onions in France.) So maybe half an hour should do it, as long as most of the liquid has evaporated.)
4. Remove the onions and set aside.
For the sautéed mushrooms:
1. Heat the butter and oil in a heavy frying pan over a high heat, add the mushrooms and toss until the mushrooms are lovely and brown and very fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
To finish the stew:
1. When the meat is tender, remove the casserole from the oven and empty its contents into a sieve set over a large saucepan. (This is the bit whereI took a shortcut the first two times. I didn't do this. I just carried on adding the onions and the mushrooms to the pot. But do it! It makes such a huge difference.)
2. Wash out the casserole and return the beef, bacon and carrots to the pot, discarding the herbs and mushy onion which remain in the sieve.
3. Distribute the mushrooms and baby onions over the stew.
4. Skim the fat off the sauce and simmer it for a minute or two. You should be left with about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit more stock. If it's too thin, reduce to a thicker consistency.
5. Taste for seasoning.
6. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.
7. Place the covered casserole over medium low heat and simmer for 2 - 3 minutes and that's it.
8. You can do as I did and serve with simple boiled potatoes and peas or you can serve with noodles or rice if you prefer but I love the authentic French way the best ❤️
9. BON APPETIT! as Julia would say.
PS If you haven't seen the movie Julie and Julia with Meryl Streep as Julia Child, it's fantastic!