Beef Bourguignon

After having the beef bourguignon at Joseph Leonard and watching Julia and Julie, I decided to give Beef Bourguignon a try. Except, I didn’t have any herbs because I finished with my Aerogarden. And, it was blizzarding outside so I didn’t want to go outside…although with my new jacket, I probably would’ve been safe. I also didn’t have any cognac or brandy that the recipe called for, so I substituted it with more wine. Overall, I changed the recipe quite a bit, but it turned out well.

Beef Bourguignon
Adapted from epicurious.com

8 ounces bacon, coarsely chopped
3 pounds well-trimmed boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes (from 7-bone chuck roast)
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 pounds boiling onions, peeled (I used one bag of pearl onions)
3/4 pound large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
12 large garlic cloves, peeled (left whole)

3 cups canned beef broth
1/2 cup Cognac or brandy (I used more wine instead of cognac or brandy)
2 750-ml bottles red Burgundy wine (I only used 1 bottle)
1 1/4 pounds mushrooms – omitted
1/3 cup chopped fresh thyme or 2 tablespoons dried – omitted
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar – omitted
1 tablespoon tomato paste
10 fingerling potatoes

Coursely chop up the 8 ounces of bacon:

Sauté bacon in heavy large Dutch oven over high heat until brown and crisp, about 8 minutes:

Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels:

Season beef generously with salt and pepper:

Coat with 1/3 cup flour, using all of flour:

Working in 3 batches, brown beef in same pot over high heat, about 5 minutes per batch:

Batch 3:

Transfer meat to large bowl. Prepare the pearl onions by removing the tips and the outer layer of skin:

Add onions and carrots to same pot and sauté until light brown, about 6 minutes:

I also added potatoes:

Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Transfer vegetables to bowl with beef:

Add 1 cup broth and Cognac to pot; boil until reduced to glaze, scraping up browned bits, about 8 minutes:

Return meat and vegetables and their juices to pot:

Add wine:

Tomato paste and 2 cups broth:

Bring to boil, stirring occasionally:

Cover pot and place in a preheated 325 degree oven. Cook until beef is tender, about 1 hour 20 minutes:

Before you serve the dish, cook up some egg noodles. The stew is very comforting on a very cold day and tastes great the day after:

Cost Breakdown

8 ounces bacon, coarsely chopped – $3.39
3 pounds well-trimmed boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes (from 7-bone chuck roast) – $12.10
1/3 cup all purpose flour – $0.50
1 1/4 pounds boiling onions, peeled (I used one bag of pearl onions) – $2.29
3/4 pound large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces – $1.19
12 large garlic cloves, peeled (left whole) – $0.35

3 cups canned beef broth – $2.29
1/2 cup Cognac or brandy (I used more wine instead of cognac or brandy) – $0.75
2 750-ml bottles red Burgundy wine (I only used 1 bottle) – $9.95
1 1/4 pounds mushrooms – omitted
1/3 cup chopped fresh thyme or 2 tablespoons dried – omitted
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar – omitted
1 tablespoon tomato paste – $0.30
10 fingerling potatoes – $3.00

Total: $36.11 – enough for 6 servings