Description
Barefoot Contessa's boeuf bourguignon recipe rocks. This savory stew made with red wine and beef is a great hearty meal that will have everyone coming back for seconds. Plus it tastes even better the next day!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon good olive oil
- 8 ounces thick bacon, diced
- 2 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast cut into 1-inch cubes
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks or baby carrots
- 2 yellow onions, sliced thin
- 3 teaspoons chopped garlic (3 cloves)
- 1/2 cup Cognac or good brandy
- 1 (750-ml) bottle good dry red wine, such as Burgundy or Pinot Noir
- 2 to 2 1/2 cups canned beef broth (as needed)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 pound frozen small pearl onions or shallots or fresh pearl onions parboiled for 1 minute
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thickly sliced (not Portabellas)
- Fresh Italian Parsley, chopped for garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset. Add sliced bacon and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bacon is lightly browned. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.
Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear beef in hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.
Toss the carrots, onions, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 2 teaspoons of pepper into the fat in the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add minced garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a lighter to burn off the alcohol. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Add the wine plus beef broth if needed, to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a boil, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and place it in the oven for about 11⁄4 hours, or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and place on top of the stove.
Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the parboiled onions. In a medium pan, sauté the mushrooms in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned, and then add to stew. Bring the stew to a boil over medium heat then lower the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Season to taste.This is to thicken the stew. Do not let liquid boil away!
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
Notes
Boeuf Bourguignon can be made 1 day ahead and I prefer it this way. Reheat with lid on low until mixture is simmering and hot. More beef broth can be added if needed but I found there was plenty of liquid.
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