Boeuf bourguignon recipe

Recipes

Daniel Galmiche
3 Comments

This is an iconic French dish, and if you want to make it as the French do, you will probably use Charolais beef and a full-bodied burgundy red wine. You don't need to use prime cuts of beef – the braising cuts, such as brisket, silverside, blade, cheek or even shank are more economical and give the dish much more flavour. In France, the process of cooking boeuf bourguignon often begins two days before serving, to soften up the meat and conserve the aromas – but a three-hour marinade will do just as well.

Ingredients

800 g Beef brisket, cut into large cubes
1 l Full-bodied red wine
2 Thyme sprigs
4 Garlic cloves, crushed with the flat edge of a knife or your hand
3 tbsp Cognac
100 ml Sunflower oil
2 tbsp Plain flour
600 ml Veal stock or chicken stock
2 Carrots, peeled, halved lengthways and cut into chunks
12 Silverskin onions
100 g Small button mushrooms
100 g Pancetta, diced
1 handful Flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 pinch Salt
1 pinch Freshly ground black pepper
1 Bouquet garni (made with 1 parsley sprig, 1 thyme sprig and 1 small bay leaf)

28.2 oz Beef brisket, cut into large cubes
1.8 pints Full-bodied red wine
2 Thyme sprigs
4 Garlic cloves, crushed with the flat edge of a knife or your hand
3 tbsp Cognac
3.5 fl oz Sunflower oil
2 tbsp Plain flour
21.1 fl oz Veal stock or chicken stock
2 Carrots, peeled, halved lengthways and cut into chunks
12 Silverskin onions
3.5 oz Small button mushrooms
3.5 oz Pancetta, diced
1 handful Flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 pinch Salt
1 pinch Freshly ground black pepper
1 Bouquet garni (made with 1 parsley sprig, 1 thyme sprig and 1 small bay leaf)

28.2 oz Beef brisket, cut into large cubes
4.2 cups Full-bodied red wine
2 Thyme sprigs
4 Garlic cloves, crushed with the flat edge of a knife or your hand
3 tbsp Cognac
0.4 cup Sunflower oil
2 tbsp Plain flour
2.5 cups Veal stock or chicken stock
2 Carrots, peeled, halved lengthways and cut into chunks
12 Silverskin onions
3.5 oz Small button mushrooms
3.5 oz Pancetta, diced
1 handful Flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 pinch Salt
1 pinch Freshly ground black pepper
1 Bouquet garni (made with 1 parsley sprig, 1 thyme sprig and 1 small bay leaf)

Details

Cuisine: French
Recipe Type: Main
Difficulty: Medium
Preparation Time: 200 mins
Cooking Time: 135 mins
Serves: 4

Step-by-step

In a deep dish, mix together the beef, wine, thyme, garlic and Cognac. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
Drain the meat into a bowl, using a colander, and reserve the marinade.
Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan or cast iron pot over a medium hear. Add the meat and cook for 20 minutes until brown, season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with the flour and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.
Add the stock and reserved marinade and bring to the boil. Skim the foam off the surface and add the bouquet garni, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender. By that time you should have a rich, silky sauce.
About 50 minutes before the end of the cooking time, heat another medium saucepan with 1 tablespoon of the oil over a medium-low heat. Add the carrots and onions and cook for 10 minutes or until soft and pale gold in colour, then add to the meat saucepan.
When the beef is almost ready, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the mushrooms and pancetta and fry 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, then add them to the beef. Check the seasoning adjusting the salt and pepper, if necessary, throw in the parsley and stir gently without breaking the delicate pieces of beef.
Serve with hot creamed mash potatoes for a perfect winter warmer.

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Commissioned Photography by Yuki Sugiura / Duncan Baird Publisher

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