Rania's Recipe: Boeuf Bourguignon
Rania Harris stopped by Pittsburgh Today Live on Wednesday to kickoff the new year with a fantastic recipe. If you like to cook and try some new ideas in the kitchen be sure to give this recipe a shot!
Boeuf Bourguignon
5 ounces of fresh slab bacon – cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil (to cook the bacon)
4 lbs. lean sirloin, 1-inch thick, trimmed and cubed into 2-inch squares
More olive oil (if needed) to brown the beef
2 carrots – peeled and sliced
2 cups sliced onions
3 cups Burgundy wine
2 cups good quality beef stock (or more if needed)
2 bay leaves
2 – 3 sprigs fresh thyme
2-inch piece or orange peel
1 large tomato – chopped
1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste (or more to taste)
2 cloves of garlic – cut into halves
Sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
20 white mushrooms, medium in size, wiped with damp cloth to clean, cut into halves
2 cups frozen pearl onions, defrosted and drained
To finish the sauce:
3 tablespoons flour blended with 2 ½ tablespoons of butter
Herb Egg Noodles:
12 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked to package directions
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, 2 handfuls
1 bunch fresh chives, snipped or finely chopped
Directions for the Beef Bourguignon:
Heat a large deep skillet with a heavy bottom and a lid over medium high heat. Add bacon to the pan and brown. Remove crisp bacon bits with slotted spoon.
Add a bit more olive oil to the pan with the bacon drippings. Add the beef, in batches, to brown nicely on all sides.
Do not overcrowd the pot, as you don't want to steam the beef. It's important to brown the meat on all sides well.
Add the browned beef pieces into a casserole, while you continue to brown all the beef pieces.
Once the beef is browned, add carrots and onions to the pan and brown slightly. Using a slotted spoon, add the carrots and onions to the meat in the casserole.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Pour out the browning fat from the pot and add in one cup of the red wine, to deglaze the pot.
Stir up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot and then add this mixture to the vegetables and meat in the casserole.
Set the casserole on the stove and add in the remaining 2 cups of red wine and enough beef stock to barely cover the meat in the casserole.
Add in the bacon, bay leaf, thyme and orange peel. Add in the chopped tomato, tomato paste and garlic. Bring the mixture to a simmer and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place the casserole, covered, in the preheated 350 degree oven. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees and cook for 1 ½ - 2 hours or until the meat is tender, but not falling apart. The amount of time in the oven depends on the quality of the meat. Chuck will take much longer – this is why I recommend using a good quality sirloin.
While the stew is cooking, sauté the mushrooms in the same pot that you used to brown the meat with a little bit of butter.
Season the mushroom slices with salt and pepper. Sauté mushrooms 2 to 3 minutes and add onions to the pan. Continue cooking onions and mushrooms 2 to 3 minutes longer; then transfer to a plate until the stew comes out of the oven.
When the stew is finished, carefully remove the meat and vegetables from the sauce and set aside. Discard the thyme sprigs, bay leaves and orange peel.
Skim off any visible fat from the sauce left in the casserole. You should have about 3 cups of rich sauce. Boil down if your sauce tastes a bit weak, to strengthen the flavors.
You may also add in a bit more tomato paste and beef bouillon paste, if necessary. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter-flour mixture.
Return to the heat and cook, while whisking lightly, until the sauce begins to thicken. Simmer for a few more minutes.
Add the reserved meat, vegetables, mushrooms and onions to the casserole and cook until hot through. Serve over buttered noodles.
Herbed Egg Noodles:
Toss hot egg noodles with butter and herbs. Place a bed of noodles in individual shallow bowls and pour Beef Bourguignon over the noodles and serve.
