BOEUF BOURGUIGNON
Beef Stew in Red Wine
Based on recipes from two Julia Child books: Mastering the Art of French Cooking and The Way to Cook, and Simple French Food by Richard Olney
for 6 to 8 servings
6-8 oz. lean salt pork or bacon
Cooking oil or Clarified Butter
1/3 cup flour
2 to 3 cups beef stock
3 to 4 lbs. boneless beef stew meat, such as the top round and knuckle or chuck, cut into 1-1/2 to 2-inch cubes. (save your money: roasting cuts like the rib and rump will fall apart, and something like the eye of the round will shred.)
1 sliced onion
1 sliced carrot
3 cups (1 bottle) full bodied young red wine
2 or 3 large unpeeled cloves garlic, smashed
2 cups tomatoes (1 whole unpeeled tomato, cored and chopped, plus canned drained Italian plum tomaotes.)
1 imported bay leaf
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp. thyme, or a spring of fresh thyme
Salt
1/2 the recipe below of brown roux, plus more if needed
24 brown-braised onions, recipe below
3 cups quartered fresh mushrooms, sauteed as in recipe below
Chopped parsley
A covered 3-quart casserole, flame-proof if possible, and a 12-inch skillet
Cut the rind off the salt pork and reserve. Cut the rest into lardons (sticks 1/4 inch wide and 1/1/2 inches long.) Simmer both the rind and lardons in 1-1/2 quarts of water for 10 minutes to rid them of salt. Drain.
Heat the casserole over moderate heat. Add the flour and enough clarified butter to make a paste. Cook the roux, stirring, until it was walnut brown. Whisk in 2 cups of the beef stock to make a sauce base.
Meanwhile, heat a little clarified butter in the frying pan and sauté the lardons until browned and the fat is rendered. Remove with a slotted spoon to the casserole
Dry the pieces of meat--damp meat won't brown. Heat the frying pan with its rendered fat until very hot but not smoking. Brown the meat in batches, as many pieces as will fit in one layer without crowding, turning to brown all sides. Transfer to the casserole as they are done.
In the same fat, brown the onion and carrot. Transfer to the casserole with a slotted spoon.
Pour any remaining fat out of the frying pan and deglaze it with a cup of the wine. Pour into the casserole. Add the rest of the wine, the garlic, tomatoes, herbs, and salt to taste. Add the blanched pork rind. Top with enough beef stock to barely cover the beef.
Preheat oven to 325*F. Bring the stew to the simmer on top of the stove, cover, then transfer to the oven and cook at a very slow simmer for 2-1/2 to 3 hours, or until fork tender. (It may take longer, so allow plenty of time, or even better make the stew a day or two ahead. It's flavor will improve while resting.) If your casserole is not flame-proof, then set it in a 425*F oven until the simmer is reached, about 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 325*F.
Pour the contents of the casserole into a colander set over a shallow pan; wash out the casserole and return the pieces of beef to it. Press juices out of the residue in the colander, then pick through them for the pork bits to add to the beef .
Put the pan over medium heat off-center, letting it simmer at one side while fat and other gunk collects at the other. Skim off fat and skin several times while the sauce reduces by about half. This trick is from Richard Olney, and it produces a delicate, velvety sauce.
When ready to serve, reheat gently and fold in the prepared onions and mushrooms. Serve with boiled potatoes or noodles. Sprinkle with parsley.
BROWNED BRAISED ONIONS
Small onions, 1 inch in diameter
Clarified butter or oil
Chicken or beef broth
Salt
Herbs, optional
Drop the onions into a pan of boiling water for exactly 1 minute; remove with a slotted spoon. Shave off the root and stem ends, keeping the onion layers attached at the root. Slip off the skins, and pierce a cross 1/8-inch deep in the root ends to help prevent bursting.
In a pan just roomy enough to hold them in one layer, sauté the peeled onions in a little fat, swirling the pan to turn them; they will not brown evenly, but will take on a decent amount of color. Then add broth to come halfway up. Season lightly with salt and perhaps a bay leaf or a pinch of dried herbs. Cover and simmer slowly 25 to 30 minutes, until the onions are tender when pierced but still hold their shape.
SAUTÉED MUSHROOMS
The point here is to saute them so their juices do not exude, which is mostly a matter of high heat and not too many mushrooms in the pan at once.
Clarified butter or oil (or a mixture of fresh butter and oil)
Fresh mushrooms, trimmed, washed, dried, and quartered or sliced
Chopped shallots or scallions
Salt and freshly ground pepper
A large frying pan, preferably no-stick.
Heat a little butter and/or oil until very hot over high heat. Add the mushrooms and toss frequently, swirling the pan by its handle, for several minutes, while the mushrooms absorb the butter. In a minute or two it reappears on their surface; toss with the chopped shallot or scallions a moment or two more. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve as soon as possible.
Beef Stew in Red Wine
Based on recipes from two Julia Child books: Mastering the Art of French Cooking and The Way to Cook, and Simple French Food by Richard Olney
for 6 to 8 servings
6-8 oz. lean salt pork or bacon
Cooking oil or Clarified Butter
1/3 cup flour
2 to 3 cups beef stock
3 to 4 lbs. boneless beef stew meat, such as the top round and knuckle or chuck, cut into 1-1/2 to 2-inch cubes. (save your money: roasting cuts like the rib and rump will fall apart, and something like the eye of the round will shred.)
1 sliced onion
1 sliced carrot
3 cups (1 bottle) full bodied young red wine
2 or 3 large unpeeled cloves garlic, smashed
2 cups tomatoes (1 whole unpeeled tomato, cored and chopped, plus canned drained Italian plum tomaotes.)
1 imported bay leaf
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp. thyme, or a spring of fresh thyme
Salt
1/2 the recipe below of brown roux, plus more if needed
24 brown-braised onions, recipe below
3 cups quartered fresh mushrooms, sauteed as in recipe below
Chopped parsley
A covered 3-quart casserole, flame-proof if possible, and a 12-inch skillet
Cut the rind off the salt pork and reserve. Cut the rest into lardons (sticks 1/4 inch wide and 1/1/2 inches long.) Simmer both the rind and lardons in 1-1/2 quarts of water for 10 minutes to rid them of salt. Drain.
Heat the casserole over moderate heat. Add the flour and enough clarified butter to make a paste. Cook the roux, stirring, until it was walnut brown. Whisk in 2 cups of the beef stock to make a sauce base.
Meanwhile, heat a little clarified butter in the frying pan and sauté the lardons until browned and the fat is rendered. Remove with a slotted spoon to the casserole
Dry the pieces of meat--damp meat won't brown. Heat the frying pan with its rendered fat until very hot but not smoking. Brown the meat in batches, as many pieces as will fit in one layer without crowding, turning to brown all sides. Transfer to the casserole as they are done.
In the same fat, brown the onion and carrot. Transfer to the casserole with a slotted spoon.
Pour any remaining fat out of the frying pan and deglaze it with a cup of the wine. Pour into the casserole. Add the rest of the wine, the garlic, tomatoes, herbs, and salt to taste. Add the blanched pork rind. Top with enough beef stock to barely cover the beef.
Preheat oven to 325*F. Bring the stew to the simmer on top of the stove, cover, then transfer to the oven and cook at a very slow simmer for 2-1/2 to 3 hours, or until fork tender. (It may take longer, so allow plenty of time, or even better make the stew a day or two ahead. It's flavor will improve while resting.) If your casserole is not flame-proof, then set it in a 425*F oven until the simmer is reached, about 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 325*F.
Pour the contents of the casserole into a colander set over a shallow pan; wash out the casserole and return the pieces of beef to it. Press juices out of the residue in the colander, then pick through them for the pork bits to add to the beef .
Put the pan over medium heat off-center, letting it simmer at one side while fat and other gunk collects at the other. Skim off fat and skin several times while the sauce reduces by about half. This trick is from Richard Olney, and it produces a delicate, velvety sauce.
When ready to serve, reheat gently and fold in the prepared onions and mushrooms. Serve with boiled potatoes or noodles. Sprinkle with parsley.
BROWNED BRAISED ONIONS
Small onions, 1 inch in diameter
Clarified butter or oil
Chicken or beef broth
Salt
Herbs, optional
Drop the onions into a pan of boiling water for exactly 1 minute; remove with a slotted spoon. Shave off the root and stem ends, keeping the onion layers attached at the root. Slip off the skins, and pierce a cross 1/8-inch deep in the root ends to help prevent bursting.
In a pan just roomy enough to hold them in one layer, sauté the peeled onions in a little fat, swirling the pan to turn them; they will not brown evenly, but will take on a decent amount of color. Then add broth to come halfway up. Season lightly with salt and perhaps a bay leaf or a pinch of dried herbs. Cover and simmer slowly 25 to 30 minutes, until the onions are tender when pierced but still hold their shape.
SAUTÉED MUSHROOMS
The point here is to saute them so their juices do not exude, which is mostly a matter of high heat and not too many mushrooms in the pan at once.
Clarified butter or oil (or a mixture of fresh butter and oil)
Fresh mushrooms, trimmed, washed, dried, and quartered or sliced
Chopped shallots or scallions
Salt and freshly ground pepper
A large frying pan, preferably no-stick.
Heat a little butter and/or oil until very hot over high heat. Add the mushrooms and toss frequently, swirling the pan by its handle, for several minutes, while the mushrooms absorb the butter. In a minute or two it reappears on their surface; toss with the chopped shallot or scallions a moment or two more. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve as soon as possible.