Finally . . . Beef Bourguignon

Julie and Julia came out in the summer and the one dish that ran through the whole movie was beef bourguignon. You leave the movie wanting beef bourguignon. You crave it!

But alas, August and the heat of summer is not beef bourguignon weather. It's a fall and winter dish . . .

And so we waited for cooler weather to come to the prairie . . . and it finally came.

Beef Bourguignon is usually not the first cool weather dish I make -- a big pot of vegetable soup is . . . but I was still craving it (especially after the second and third watch of J and J).

And it met every expectation . . . the meat was meltingly tender, the vegetables perfect and the burgundy that went into it was perfect as well as the burgundy Husband Jim chose to drink with it.

I toasted bread and rubbed it with garlic. I put this in the bowl first and then ladled the bourguignon on top. It is so good this way!
I do have a confession to make, however. I did NOT use Julia's recipe -- I used Ina Garten's. I like Ina's and have made it frequently . . . I've never made Julia's (although I probably should). Ina's recipe must have roots in Julia's for you paper towel the meat dry!

It was as good the second day as it was the first.

Beef Bourguignon

1 T. olive oil

8 ounces bacon, diced

2 1/2 pounds chuck beef, cut into 1 inch cubes

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound baby carrots

2 yellow onions, sliced

2 cloves chopped garlic

1/2 cup Cognac

1 (750) bottle dry red wine (I used burgundy)

2 cups beef broth

1 T. tomato paste

1 t. fresh thyme leaves

4 T. butter, divided

3 T. flour

1 pound frozen whole onions

1 pound fresh mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

For serving:

Country bread toasted or grilled and rubbed with garlic clove

Preheat the oven to 350.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven (Le Creuset is perfect for this). Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.

Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batchs in single layers sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides.

Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.

Toss the carrots and onions, 1 T. salt and 2 t. pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol.

Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.

Combine 2 T. of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. Saute the mushrooms in 2 T of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

To serve, toast the bread, rub each slice on 1 side with cut clove of garlic. For each serving, spoon the stew over a slice of bread and sprinkle with parsley.