Friday, February 5, 2010

Beef Bourguignon: traditional stew for meat lovers

Beef Bourguignon

Since I’m French, it’s a must for me to know how to cook this dish. Even if beef is not my favorite meat, I always enjoy preparing a Boeuf Bourguignon for my family and friends. The best way to prepare this stew is using your pressure cooker: it reduces the cooking time and you do not have to check your pan all the time. It’s great if you are planning a diner with several people. The meat cooks slowly in wine which gives an incredible flavor to the meat: it becomes so tender that it melts in your mouth. Prepare everything in advance and start cooking 1 hour before diner time: it’s ready when you sit at the table and you can enjoy your guests!

Serves 2
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour (with pressure cooker)
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds beef for stew, cut in cubes
- 50g bacon cut into small pieces
- 1 bunch of fresh thyme + 2 bay leaves + 1 bunch rosemary (the latter is optional)
- 6 carrots
- 2 cups dried wild mushrooms (optional)
- 1 big onion
- 1 1/2 cups red wine
Note: you must chose a wine that you like. It does not need to be super expensive but to your taste.
- 1 cup stock (usually beef stock, but you can use vegetable stock)
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons butter + 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt, pepper

Start by cutting the beef into cubes and the carrots into big slices. Prepare the dried mushrooms according to the directions on the package.
In the pot of your pressure cooker, heat the butter and the olive oil over medium heat. Add the beef until slightly browned, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add the bacon and the onion, and continue stirring, for about 2 minutes.
Add the flour and stir until the beef pieces are well coated.
Then add all the other ingredients to the pot, starting with the veggies (carrots and mushrooms), then the herbs (thyme, bay leaves and rosemary if you like) and finally the liquids (wine and stock -the meat should be completely covered; if not, add more wine!-). Add salt and pepper.
You can now close your pressure cooker: start on high heat until the pressure regulator starts rocking. Then, reduce the heat to low and cook for at least 1 hour.
Check the seasoning and serve hot. You can serve with pasta or boiled potatoes.

Variation, without pressure cooker
You can follow the same steps but you’ll need to let the stew cook longer. Remember this: the longer, the better because the meat will be more tender. Use a pot which can go in the oven: start on the stove top and after adding the liquids and the seasoning, let cook in the oven for about 2 1/2 hours.

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