Start with an onion . . .: Beef Bourgignon

When we visit Laura in Germany, cooking is so much more exciting because I’m not always 100% sure what the ingredients are - nor how to prepare them. I’ve made spargel (white asparagus) three times now and it’s getting better each time - there’s definitely a trick to it. And as for the fish - not only are the German words unfamiliar to me, but so too are the northern sea and lake fish varieties themselves. Last trip, I cooked squid (Tintenfisch) which I would never do at home- because I had just learned the word and could pronounce it.

We also love browsing the local wine store in Recklinghausen. So many French and Spanish wines ... at unbelievable prices and with a special area where you can taste every single wine offered in the store. The challenge is whether to buy the 3 euro bottle because, well, because it's only 3 euro, or to go for the 10 euro bottle because we could never afford the $45 price tag for the same thing at home. I picked up a 4 euro ($6) bottle of Cote du Rhone one day and decided it was the perfect price point to make something I’ve never done before - boeuf Bourguignon. The original recipe comes from America’s Test Kitchen, but I had to change it a bit for the usual reasons - forgot to buy cognac, couldn’t find fresh thyme, bacon over here is not the same as bacon in Canada, yadda, yadda.

The general consensus was that it needed more salt, however the leftovers made the best shepherd’s pie ever. So the caveat is to taste the broth and make sure there’s enough salt before you pop it in the oven. I think where I went wrong was the beef broth, which was less salty than its Canadian counterpart.

This recipe requires a fair amount of time to make. There are a lot of steps and ingredients that need to be browned separately. But it's well worth the time. Ask Krista.

Note about the bouquet garni: (The original recipe called for 8 sprigs thyme, 4 sprigs rosemary, 2 bay leaves.) If I were at home, I would probably have doubled the herbs, but I didn’t have anything fresh except the rosemary so instead I added 2 leeks, 1 tablespoon frozen parsley, and a chunk of celeriac the size of a lime.

When I made this recipe again in Canada I had thyme but no rosemary.
You can see I used celery, parsley, thyme, sage and bay leaves.

Bundle the herbs and wrap kitchen string around them.
If you are using some combo of dried and fresh herbs, wrap the whole shebang in cheesecloth.

Note about browning the beef: If you pat the excess moisture off the beef and cook it in small batches you will get a very nice browning effect. If you throw all the beef in at once without drying it, all the moisture in the pan will stop the beef from browning. It will be more like boiling the beef and it won't taste as good. There's a scientific reason for this called the Maillard Reaction. My advice: Take the time to brown the beef in small batches and drain the liquid into the roasting pan between batches.

Note about the silverskin/pearl onions: I could not find these anywhere so I just didn’t add them, but I really wanted to. If you use fresh, you have to peel them. This is not too difficult if you blanch them for 1-2 minutes then dunk them in cool water. Cut off the ends, a little squeeze, and they pop out. I’ve heard rumours of frozen pearl onions. I’ll bet those would be perfect.

Boeuf Bourgignon

1/2 pound bacon, diced
2 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
salt
pepper
1 pound carrots sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
2 onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 - 750 ml bottle of good red wine - Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir
2 cups beef broth (you can use beef broth cubes dissolved in water)
2 tbsp tomato paste

Bouquet garni - see note, above
8 sprigs thyme, 4 sprigs rosemary, 2 bay leaves

Beurre manié

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

At the very end
1 pound whole silverskin onions (frozen, or blanched and peeled)

1 pound mushrooms, thickly sliced

1/2 cup parsley for garnish

Method
Preheat oven to 325º F.

Cook bacon over medium heat in sauté pan until nicely browned.

Remove from pan and place in roaster or Dutch oven.

Dry beef cubes with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Add olive oil to sauté pan and sear beef in small batches (single layers), browning on all sides.

Place beef and drippings in roaster with bacon and continue browning next batch of beef. (add olive oil if necessary for browning)

Next, saute the carrots, onions, 1 tbsp of salt and 2 tsp pepper, and a glug of olive oil in the same pan and cook for 10 - 15 minutes until onions are lightly browned. Stir occasionally.

Add garlic and cook one minute more.

Add carrot/onion mixture to the roasting pan with meat.

Pour bottle of wine into roasting pan and enough broth to almost cover the meat.

Add tomato paste and bouquet garni.

Bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Cover and braise in 325°F (160°C) oven until meat is fork-tender, 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

Meanwhile, sauté mushrooms in olive oil until lightly browned.

Prepare pearl onions, if blanching.

Make a beurre manié .

Using a fork, mash softened butter with flour.
When the beurre manié is whisked into a hot or warm liquid, the butter melts, releasing the flour particles without creating lumps.

When you remove the roasting pan from the oven, stir the beurre manié into the stew until the butter has melted and flour has been absorbed. Add pearl onions and mushrooms; bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until thickened and onions are tender, about 15 minutes. Discard herbs.

Serve spooned over mashed potatoes and sprinkle with chopped parsley.