Beef Bourguignon: Over indulgence at its best

In the spirit of Extreme Holiday Decadence (said in a deep, booming, Monster Truck Event Announcer Voice), over indulgence and total utter gluttony, why not totally push yourself over the edge of fatness with a beef bourguignon?! You have next year to live up to your New Years Resolution to get back on track, start exercising (again), stop drinking (ha!), eat less meat, and eat more veg. With only a few more days to go, this year is already a total write off. You will not lose those stubborn 5 remaining pounds...and the 5 more gained this past week.  Just go out with a bang as you say goodbye to 2015 and good riddance to all of your broken promises. You'll be good next year. I promise. Fingers crossed. But for now, go big or go home.

Did I mention that there is wine....required for both the recipe and for the cook? Well maybe I made that last bit up but wine for the cook keeps her happy and her happiness and love spills over into the food that she is making, which makes it all extra delicious. Good luck arguing that one. It's an essential ingredient in all the recipes at Bistro 164.... even if it never makes it into the recipe itself. As the cooking time for beef bourguignon is low and slow,  it's best prepared on a lazy weekend when the weather is inclement and it's far more appealing to stay inside and relax with your sous chef (whose job it is to pour the wine for the cook in this case.)

Besides, who doesn't love a good stew? And this one is French so it's obviously decadent and rich. I will stop there.  And it's full of yummy, tender meat unlike a previous bourguignon recipe that I've done here. If, for some reason, you are still feeling really guilty about over indulging or if you need a slightly healthier version of this recipe in order to stick to your Resolutions for the New Year, try the delicious vegetarian bean version here.  All the same fun but without the meat. But, until then, brown up that beef, get out that butter, slice up some white bread, pour yourself some wine, and get comfortable on the couch. You can spend the next 2-3 hours that it takes to braise the stew thinking up all your New Years Resolutions for 2016...that you will ultimately break in the first month.  Happy New Year from Bistro 164!

Beef Bourguignon

from Food & Drink magazine Autumn 2009

Serves 4 to 6
Cooking Time: A good slow, lazy, weekend meal, about 3 hours or so
Skill Level: Pretty easy
Taste: Rich and Decadent

2 1/2 lbs stewing beef, cut into 2 inch pieces
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
4 oz sliced bacon, diced
18 pearl onions, skinned (I used about 6-8 shallots instead, cut into halves or quartered)
8 oz small cremini muchrooms
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cups red wine
2 cups beef stock
1 head garlic, dry papery layers taken off and top third of bulb removed
1-2 bay leaves
2 stalks of fresh thyme

Beurre Manie
3 tbsp softened butter
3 tbsp flour

Directions

Preheat your oven to 300 F.  Season the stewing beef with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tbsp or so of oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and saute until it's slightly on the crisp side. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the pearl onions (or shallots) and saute for about 5 minutes, add the mushrooms and saute for another 5 minutes. The mushrooms should be browned and juicy and the onions should be softened. Remove the mushrooms and onions and set aside.

Add some more oil to the pot and add the meat. You will have to work in batches so as to not crowd the pot. Sear the beef on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Once all the beef has been browned, remove and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium. Add more oil if needed. Add the chopped onions, carrots and celery and salute until everything softens, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and scrape up any of the tasty bits that are stuck to the bottom. Bring to a boil for 1 minute, add the beef stock, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Return to a boil and skim off any of the foam that rises to the surface. Add in the browned beef.

Cover and bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until meat is nice and tender. Uncover, remove the garlic, bay leaves and thyme. Add in the bacon, pearl onions (shallots) and mushrooms. Put the pot back in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.

To make the beurre main, combine the butter and flour to make a paste.

If you find the sauce for the stew is not thick enough, scoop out some into a separate pot and add the beurre manie a little at a time until it's thickened the way you like it.  Season to taste and add back into the stew pot.