Beef bourguignon is a classic comfort food perfect for a cold winter's night. This recipe eliminates the more tedious steps to making this wine-infused, slow-cooked dish.
Ingredients
- ½ pound pancetta, cut in ½
- 4 pounds beef stew meat ( such as beef chuck) in 1½ to 2
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup flour, divided
- 2 - 3 T canola oil, as needed
- 6 leeks, cleaned and sliced with white parts and light green parts only
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal into 1½
- 1 head garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 cups beef broth, divided
- ½ cup brandy
- 2 bottles pinot noir
- 1 pound mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
- 3 bay leaves
- ½ cup fresh thyme, chopped
- 4 t brown sugar
- 2 T tomato paste
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Directions
- 1Heat oven to 325. Chop your pancetta into ½" cubes. Saute in a dutch oven until crisp. Remove pancetta from the pot, leaving the rendered fat in the pot, and let drain on a paper towel. Set aside.
- 2Dry the beef cubes well, and season on all sides with salt and pepper. Put half the beef in a bowl and sprinkle with ¼ cup flour. Toss to coat well. Repeat with second half of beef and remaining ¼ cup of flour.
- 3Working in batches with plenty of room between the pieces of meat, brown the beef on all sides over medium-high heat. As meat browns, transfer to a bowl and set aside. The flour and fat will begin to stick to the bottom of the pan and form fond. This is good, just take care not to blacken it. Add a bit of canola oil as needed if you need more fat.
- 4Once meat is browned and has been transferred to the bowl, saute leeks and carrots in same pot for about 8 minutes, until they are soft and have begun to caramelize. As the vegetables cook, stir frequently, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. As the vegetables release some of their moisture, the fond will begin to loosen. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add vegetables to beef bowl and set aside.
- 5Turn the heat up to high and carefully add brandy or cognac to the pot. Vigorously scrape up the bits of fond from the bottom of the pot. Reduce the liquor to a few tablespoons. Add 1½ cups beef broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the liquid to about half.
- 6Return the pancetta, meat and vegetables back to the pot, along with any juices that may have accumulated. Add the remaining 1½ cups broth, wine, mushrooms, herbs, sugar and tomato paste. Liquid should just cover meat and vegetables. Bring to a boil. Stir deeply, scraping the bottom and cover. Place in the hot oven and cook for an hour and a half with the lid. Remove the lid and stir. Return to the oven for another hour and a half, stirring and checking every 30 minutes. Dish is ready when beef is fork-tender and the liquid has reduced to a thick broth. Garnish with chopped parsley.
