This is Somerset --
The words boeuf bourguignon conjure up the "ultimate beef stew" for winter months. I recently extolled the virtues of such a meal with a glass or two of Beaujolais Nouveau – plus of course a goodly bottle to stiffen the stew! Yes it's fine to use Burgundy or Beaujolais, but don't restrict yourself when attempting to create this heavenly dish.
But before we start, a few words of history tell us that, yes, it originates in Burgundy – and this is where Charolais is King Beef. It feeds in hay and grass and has a legendary light marbling of fat, making it suitable for slow braising, as here. To ape this flavoursome dish I use shin or blade of beef, trimmed of excess sinews before cutting into large pieces.
Slosh a bottle of red wine into a non-reactive saucepan with a few peppercorns, a carrot, onion, celery stalks and leaves and maybe a few herbs tied into a Bouquet Garni, followed by rapidly boiling for 30 minutes or so to reduce the acidity of the wine. Cool and strain.
In a suitable ceramic bowl, mix the cooled marinade and 1kg of beef. Mix thoroughly, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Remove the beef, strain and keep the wine and herbs, but discard the vegetables, followed by thoroughly drying the beef.
Now is the time to cook the Bourguignon. In a large sauté pan heat a scant amount of sunflower oil. Place the dried pieces of beef, being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook either side until scorched (not burned) for around five minutes per side. In a large casserole dish, heat more sunflower oil and two rough-chopped carrots, onions and stalks of celery and sauté for two or three minutes until colouring. Add the browned beef and mix thoroughly on a hot heat for five minutes.
Turn down the heat and add sifted flour (gluten-free if wished) to coat the beef and vegetables – mix again to absorb all the warmed oil. Add the strained red wine marinade and turn up the heat whist stirring all the time. Add some good strong beef stock to the mix.
Place in a medium oven and cook for 2½ hours.
Sauté approximately 200g of peeled shallots and diced smoked bacon in a large pan for five minutes or until lightly browned. Add this mix to the casserole and cook for another 30 minutes. Check for tenderness. Taste for seasoning, being careful of the salt content from the added bacon.
Leave to cool and refrigerate overnight.
To serve, gently reheat, being careful not to break up the beef pieces.
Remove some beef to a warmed plate, followed by a mixture of vegetables and a rough chop of parsley plus a side of egg pasta or simple boiled potatoes. Serve hot with a bottle of your favourite (rustic) red wine for a truly warming classic.
Stephen Barrett is a wine and food writer and owner of Plymouth restaurant Bistro One. He welcomes correspondence via his website, bistro-one.co.uk. Reported by This is 2 days ago.
The words boeuf bourguignon conjure up the "ultimate beef stew" for winter months. I recently extolled the virtues of such a meal with a glass or two of Beaujolais Nouveau – plus of course a goodly bottle to stiffen the stew! Yes it's fine to use Burgundy or Beaujolais, but don't restrict yourself when attempting to create this heavenly dish.
But before we start, a few words of history tell us that, yes, it originates in Burgundy – and this is where Charolais is King Beef. It feeds in hay and grass and has a legendary light marbling of fat, making it suitable for slow braising, as here. To ape this flavoursome dish I use shin or blade of beef, trimmed of excess sinews before cutting into large pieces.
Slosh a bottle of red wine into a non-reactive saucepan with a few peppercorns, a carrot, onion, celery stalks and leaves and maybe a few herbs tied into a Bouquet Garni, followed by rapidly boiling for 30 minutes or so to reduce the acidity of the wine. Cool and strain.
In a suitable ceramic bowl, mix the cooled marinade and 1kg of beef. Mix thoroughly, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Remove the beef, strain and keep the wine and herbs, but discard the vegetables, followed by thoroughly drying the beef.
Now is the time to cook the Bourguignon. In a large sauté pan heat a scant amount of sunflower oil. Place the dried pieces of beef, being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook either side until scorched (not burned) for around five minutes per side. In a large casserole dish, heat more sunflower oil and two rough-chopped carrots, onions and stalks of celery and sauté for two or three minutes until colouring. Add the browned beef and mix thoroughly on a hot heat for five minutes.
Turn down the heat and add sifted flour (gluten-free if wished) to coat the beef and vegetables – mix again to absorb all the warmed oil. Add the strained red wine marinade and turn up the heat whist stirring all the time. Add some good strong beef stock to the mix.
Place in a medium oven and cook for 2½ hours.
Sauté approximately 200g of peeled shallots and diced smoked bacon in a large pan for five minutes or until lightly browned. Add this mix to the casserole and cook for another 30 minutes. Check for tenderness. Taste for seasoning, being careful of the salt content from the added bacon.
Leave to cool and refrigerate overnight.
To serve, gently reheat, being careful not to break up the beef pieces.
Remove some beef to a warmed plate, followed by a mixture of vegetables and a rough chop of parsley plus a side of egg pasta or simple boiled potatoes. Serve hot with a bottle of your favourite (rustic) red wine for a truly warming classic.
Stephen Barrett is a wine and food writer and owner of Plymouth restaurant Bistro One. He welcomes correspondence via his website, bistro-one.co.uk. Reported by This is 2 days ago.