FRANCE
Boeuf Bourguignon
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Braise time: min. 2.5 hours
4 persons
Easy
Boeuf Bourguignon is an authentic dish from Burgundy, a region in France known for its rich culinary traditions. This dish originally originated as a simple peasant stew, in which tough cuts of beef such as beef cheeks and chuck steaks were slowly cooked in red wine to make them buttery soft and full of flavour. Today it is a beloved classic recipe that has even been picked up and refined by French haute cuisine. The combination of red wine, fresh vegetables and fragrant herbs gives Boeuf Bourguignon that characteristic deep flavour that French cuisine is so famous for. It is a dish that proves that with a few good ingredients and a little patience, you can put something delicious on the table. Serve with crusty bread, potatoes or pasta. Perfect for those grey winter days!
Preparation
Step 1: Prepare the meat
- Cut the beef into cubes of about 3 cm
- Remove large chunks of fat
Step 2: Fry the onions
- Cut the onions into small pieces
- Fry them in a pan with butter until they are translucent
- Place the fried onions in a cast iron skillet or casserole dish
Step 3: Roast the meat
- Fry the pieces of meat in the same pan, in several batches, so that they color evenly.
- Add extra butter in between for extra flavor.
Step 4: Deglazing
- Once all the meat has been roasted, deglaze the pan with a dash of water or red wine.
- Bring to the boil and scrape any bits off the bottom for extra flavor.
- Season with salt and pepper and pour this mixture into the roasting pan with the meat and onions.
Step 5: Let it stew
- Pour enough red wine into the casserole dish to just cover the meat and onions.
- Cut the carrots into slices and add them together with the bouquet garni.
- Let the mixture simmer gently for at least 2.5 hours to allow the flavours to infuse.
Step 6: Serve the Boeuf Bourguignon
- Serve your Boeuf Bourguignon with crusty bread, potatoes, mashed potatoes or fresh pasta for a classic French meal.
- This dish can be even better the next day. Let the stew simmer gently for at least 2 hours the next day, if necessary in several batches. Add extra wine or water if necessary to keep the meat tender and juicy.
Ingredients
- 600 g beef
- 4 carrots
- 4 onions
- 1 bouquet garni (1 sprig of thyme, 2 bay leaves, a few sprigs of parsley)
- 100 g butter
- 1 bottle of good red wine
- Salt
- Pepper
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Bon appétit!
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