Boeuf Bourguignon or Beef Stew from Burgundy| Recipe

One of those French dishes that makes you realise why they made French cuisine a concept in the first place.

It’s a slow cooked stew based on beef with mushrooms, vegetables and herbs cooked in wine. There are different proportions to the ingredients in various recipes, but this one turned out quite well.

For five to seven people you’ll need 900 g of beef, 150 g of bacon, 2 carrots, 3 medium sized onions, 350 g of schallots, 200 g of mushrooms, 3.75 dl red wine, 4-5 dl beef stock, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 2-3 tbsp fresh thyme, 1-2 bay leafs, 4 cloves of garlic, butter, olive oil, flour, salt and pepper.

Cut the carrots into slices, halve and slice the mushrooms and slice the onions, garlic and bacon.

If using larger parts of beef, cut it into smaller pieces, 2.5-5 cm across. In a Dutch oven or similar pan, braise them in a mixture of olive oil and butter until they achieve a nice sear, then add salt and pepper.

While the beef is braising, add some olive oil and butter to another pan and fry the carrots, onions and garlic. Add the tomato paste and roughly 2 tablespoons of flour, evenly distributed, and let fry until very slightly browned.

Add the fried carrot-onion-garlic-tomato paste mixture to the pan with the beef, then pour the wine into the pan. Add beef stock until everything is covered. Beef stock, unless you have the time and ingredients to make it yourself, usually consists of water and enough concentrated beef bouillon to make it taste good.

Add the thyme and bay leaves, then turn down the heat and let simmer under a lid for up to 1 1/2-2 1/2 hours until the beef is thoroughly tender. The exact time is dependent upon the cut of beef and your level of hunger. Check the meat with a fork to determine when it is done.

While the beef is stewing, peel the schalots. Fry the bacon in another pan. When the bacon starts to release it’s fat, add the mushrooms and let fry until they’re browned, then remove the pan from the burner.

Add the bacon, mushrooms and schalots to the beef and let stew a while longer.

Check for taste, salt and pepper. If the stew is too thick add broth. If too thin, add some flour mixed into butter to the pan.

Serve with mashed or pressed potatoes, roasted vegetables or maybe just a baguette. Add a nice red wine and you’ll go “Sacré bleu, why am I not living in France already?” Except if you already are, you lucky bastard.

List of ingredients

Beef
Bacon
Carrots
Onions
Schallots
Mushrooms
Red wine
Beef stock
Tomato paste
Fresh thyme
Bay leaves
Garlic
Butter
Olive oil
Flour
Salt
Black pepper

About Boeuf Bourguignon
Also known as Beef Burgundy, it’s a classic French dish known for its rich flavours.
Boeuf Bourguignon originates from the Burgundy region of France (Bourgogne in French), which is renowned for its wines.
While the modern recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon became popular in the 19th and 20th centuries, its origins can be traced back much further. Similar dishes made with beef and wine have been prepared in the Burgundy region for centuries, with records dating back to medieval times.