The Sunday Chef: Beouf Bourguignon

Ingredients:

-1/4 cup olive oil

-8 oz button mushrooms, trimmed and quartered if large

-5 strips bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

-3 pounds boneless beef rump roast (or chuck) cut into 1-inch pieces

-Coarse salt and ground pepper

-Clove garlic, smashed

-Tbsp tomato paste

-2 tbsp flour

-3 cups dry red wine

-2 cups beef stock

-Bay leaf

-4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

-10 oz pearl onions, peeled

-2 tbsp butter, cut into pieces

-2 tbsp parsley, chopped (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2.In a 5-quart Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. 

3. Generously season beef with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pot and brown meat, in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per batch (add up to 1 tablespoon oil per batch as needed); transfer to plate. 

4. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon oil. Add bacon to pot and cook over medium until brown, 5 to 6 minutes. 

5. Add tomato paste, cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. 

6. Add flour, cook 30 seconds, 

7. Add wine, stock, bay leaf, garlic, and meat.  Bring to a boil, cover and transfer to oven. Cook for 1 1/2 hours. 

8. Remove from oven and add carrots and onions. Return to oven and cook until meat is very tender and vegetables are tender, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. 

9. 15 minutes before end of cooking remove, add mushrooms to pot. 

10. Remove from oven and stir in 1 tablespoon butter. Serve topped with parsley.

11. Optional--add a dollop of cream cheese on top when serving.

Review:

Oh my gosh!  Talk about nailing a recipe.  This meal is great on a cool fall day or cold winter day.  Don't fix this one in the dead of summer because you are going to heat up the house quite a bit.  This is not a set it and forget it dish.  There are chunks of time in between steps, but overall you cannot just let it be.  The result is definitely worth the effort though.  The meat comes out tender and moist.  The sauce is thick and flavorful.  The veggies are cooked just right, not too much.  I love adding the dollop of cream cheese at the end because it creates this creaminess.  I served this with egg noodles, but it would also be great with mashed potatoes.  Enjoy!