Beef Burgundy

Ingredients

  • 3½ tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups red wine, young and full-bodied (like Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhone, Bordeaux, or Burgundy)
  • 2 to 3 cups brown beef stock
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 cloves mashed garlic
  • ½ teaspoon thyme
  • A crumbled bay leaf

Optional

  • 18 to 24 white onions, small
  • 3½ tablespoons butter
  • 1 pound mushrooms, fresh and quartered

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Dry beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Heat olive (or corn) oil in large casserole until almost smoking. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and sauté until nicely browned on all sides.

Once all the beef has been browned, add the sliced vegetables to the hot pan and brown for about 7-8 minutes until tender.

Add the tomato paste to the vegetables, stirring constantly until it is browned. (You will know when it is ready because they tomato paste is not bright red but brown, almost like light chocolate.)

Once the tomato paste is browned, add the garlic stirring continuously so the garlic doesn’t burn. Next, sprinkle on the flour and toss until the vegetables are coated. Add the beef to the pot and stir so the flour/vegetable mixture coats the beef.

Stir in wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove.

Cover casserole and set in lower third of oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily. Test the meat to see if it is tender. If not, cook for another 30 minutes or so.

Optional

Onions and mushrooms are traditional ingredients in beef burgundy. They are cooked separately from the beef and added 2 hours into the cooking.

Mushrooms. You can use any mushrooms you choose but white or porcini mushrooms are traditional. Once the beef is in the oven, clean and slice the mushrooms into ¼ inch slides. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until it sizzles, and then add the mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms until they have rendered their moisture and are tender. Take the mushrooms off the heat and hold. They should be added into the beef after it has been in the oven for 2 hours.

Onions. Pearl onions are the traditional ones used in beef burgundy. Buy a 1 lb. bag of frozen pearl onions for this recipe. Before you begin cooking the beef, thaw the onions and bring them to room temperature. I always put them in a colander so they drain; you will want the thawed onions to be very dry when you start preparing them. Once the beef is in the oven, dry the onions with paper towels. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a sauté pan and heat until the oil is very hot. Add the pearl onions, stirring them to ensure they brown on all sides. That should take about 8-10 minutes. Once the onions are brown, remove from heat and hold. The onions can be added after the beef has been in the oven for about 2 hours.

Beef Burgundy can be served with mashed potatoes or flat noodles. Green beans, Brussels sprouts, or other green vegetables can be served as a side. Apple/pear compote can also be served. To make the apple pear compote, use 6 granny smith apples and 4 pears. Wash, halve and core the apples. Toss them in 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of white sugar, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon on the apples. Bake in the oven at 350ºF for about 34 minutes. When they are soft, remove from the oven and let them cool. Use a potato masher to roughly mash the apples and pears before serving them.

 

 

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