This is not a simple Boeuf Bourguignon...It's Julia's Child Boeuf Bourguignon....I must say that when i saw the movie i thought "They must be exaggerating", "It can't be all that", but again i must say...Uau! That's really THE BEST i ever had....I give the recipe exactly as Julia wrote in her book.
Ingredients (Serves 6)
6-ounce chunk of bacon
9 to 10 inch fireproof casserole 3 inches deep
1 tb olive oil or cooking oil
3lbs. lean stewing beef cut into 2 inch cubes
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tb flour
3 cups of a full-bodied, young red wine such as Chianti
2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
1 tb tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 tsp thyme
a crumbled bay leaf
The blanched bacon rind
18 to 24 small white onions, brown braised in stock (how to make in the end of the page).
1 lb. quartered fresh mushrooms sautéed in butter. (how to make in the end of the page)
Directions
1. Remove the rind of the chunk of bacon, and cut the bacon into lardons (sticks,1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 min. in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
3. Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 3 min. to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before sauté the beef.
4. Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it's damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon. In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.
5. Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set the casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 min. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 min. more. Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.
6. Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheat oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
7. While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.
8. When meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.
9. Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.
7.1. Sautéed Onions - Oignons Glacés à Brun
18-24 peeled white small onions
1 1/2 tb butter
1 1/2 tb oil
1/2 cup of brown stock
salt and pepper to taste
A medium herb bouquet: 4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf, 1/4 tsp thyme tied in cheesecloth
Directions
When the butter and oil are bubbling, add the onions and sauté until they get lightly brown in moderate heat. Try not to break their skins. Then pour in the liquid, season to taste, and add the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 min. until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape and liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet.
7.2. Sautéed mushrooms - Champignons Sautés au Beurre
2 tb butter
1 tb oil
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, washed, well dried.
Directions
When the butter and oil start to bubbling, add the mushrooms. Toss and shake the pan for 5 min. As soon as they get lightly brown remove them from heat.
