how to make a cow taste good - boeuf bourguignon

Now, I don't think any of us need reminding how disgusting carbonnade flamande was. I can just picture Martin's eyes welling with tears when he heard that it was on the menu. Awful. No other word for it, even though there was a whole bottle of Belgian beer in there...


The thing I hate most in a kitchen, other than washing a whole chicken - I find it feels like washing a headless little baby or something, very freaky! - but the second worst thing is cutting meat. In my perfect kitchen I would have one of those glass cases that they have when working with infectious or radioactive materials. You know the ones that you have to wear a funky white space outfit and work through two little holes in the wall? And then, best of all, it would have some kind of washing system. No more icky cutting board, no more jello-y fat pieces, no more feeling of dried meat juice on your fingers.
The first time I made this was when a cow at the farm was injured, the result: countless kilos of meat and bone piled up in the kitchen. Did it smell good? No. Did you want to eat it? No. Would someone even want to touch it? No. But anyways, mom and I started cutting through it, one knife at the time... schrimmmblllll.... no comment about the knives, sure a stone age silex would be sharper.


So anyways, a couple bottles of wine and quite a few hours later, we had a fantastic smelling big pot of boeuf bourguignon on the stove. I think Uncle Jacek had some for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have to admit, it was yummy.


I couldn't find the recipe we used when I was home this Christmas... didn't know Pani Prosze could read French... but anyways, so I used the Julia Child recipe and modified it a tad. Result: yummy :o). There are instructions for onions and mushrooms, it's up to you if you feel like adding them. I added the onions as Fredrik is not such a fan of mushrooms. Also the original recipe calls for draining the stew once it's cooked, i.e. remove the carrots and onions and only keep the sauce and meat, I think this is a waste so I kept them all in.



Boeuf Bourguignon
 
For the Stew

• 170 g bacon, solid chunk (always get more as you will probably throw out a lot as fat)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1.2 kg lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes (I use less, it makes more sauce and less meat to chew)
• 1 carrott, peeled and sliced
• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups red wine (a full bodied wine like Bordeaux or Burgundy or Chianti)
• 2-3 cups beef stock (or any kind of stock cube you have handy, beef is probably better though)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves, mashed (add more! – up to 4)
• fresh thyme – find a nice big branch (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
• 2-3 bay leaves, preferably fresh

For the braised onions

• 18-24 white pearl onions, peeled
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• salt & fresh ground pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig thyme
• 2 sprigs parsley

For the Sauteed Mushrooms

• 1 lb mushrooms, quartered
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. First prepare the bacon: cut off the rind and reserve.
2. Cut the bacon into lardons about 1/4" think and 1 1/2" long.
3. Simmer the rind and the lardons for ten minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. – this is really important, it gets rid of that yucky pigsty smell and all the yucky white froth
4. Drain and dry the lardons and rind and reserve.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 450°F.
6. Put the tablespoon of olive oil in a large fireproof casserole and warm over moderate heat.
7. Saute the lardons for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly.
8. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.
9. Dry off the pieces of beef and saute them, a few at a time in the hot oil/bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides.
10. Once browned, remove to the side plate with the bacon.
11. In the same oil/fat, saute the onion and the carrot until softened.
12. Pour off the fat and return the lardons and the beef to the casserole with the carrots and onion.
13. Toss the contents of the casserole with the salt and pepper and sprinkle with the flour.
14. Set the uncovered casserole in the oven for four minutes.
15. Toss the contents of the casserole again and return to the hot oven for 4 more minutes.
16. Now, lower the heat to 325°F and remove the casserole from the oven.
17. Add the wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered.
18. Add the tomato paste, garlic and herbs and the bacon rind.
19. Bring to a simmer on the top of the stove.
20. Cover and place in the oven, adjusting the heat so that the liquid simmers very slowly for three to four hours.
21. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
22. While the meat is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms and set them aside till needed.
23. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet and add the onions to the skillet.
24. Saute over medium heat for about ten minutes, rolling the onions about so they brown as evenly as possible, without breaking apart.
25. Pour in the stock, season to taste, add the herbs, and cover.
26. Simmer over low heat for about until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape and the liquid has mostly evaporated.
27. Remove the herbs and set the onions aside.
28. For the mushrooms, heat the butter and oil over high heat in a large skillet.
29. As soon as the foam begins to subside add the mushrooms and toss and shake the pan for about five minutes.
30. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat.
31. To Finish the Stew:
32. Distribute the mushrooms and onions over the meat.
33. Skim the fat off the sauce and simmer it for a minute or two, skimming off any additional fat which rises to the surface.
34. If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock.
35. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency.
36. Taste for seasoning.
37. If you are serving immediately, place the covered casserole over medium low heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
38. Serve in the casserole or on a warm platter surrounded by noodles, potatoes or rice and garnished with fresh parsley.
39. If serving later or the next day, allow the casserole to cool and place cold, covered casserole in the refrigerator.
40. 20 minutes prior to serving, place over medium low heat and simmer very slowly for ten minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.