TF and I grew up with very different concepts of "stew".

For me, stew was a boiled dinner consisting of large chunks of meat, potatoes, and other vegetables (usually cabbage, turnip/rutabaga/swede, and carrots) in a thin, clear broth. The potatoes would be cut in half -- or even left whole if they were on the small side -- and the other veggies would be in similarly large pieces. You were expected to need a knife and fork to eat your stew with a spoon to finish off the broth.

TF, on the other hand, grew up with stew being a thick, brown meaty mixture with any veggies present being cut small enough and cooked long enough that they broke down and merged into the rich gravy that swathed the fall-apart tender meat.

TF is very fond of her family's stew. (As am I, for that matter.) So when I saw this recipe for bourguinon, I knew it would be an instant hit. It's basically her favourite stew, but with pancetta, a bottle of red wine, mushrooms, and an entire bag of pearl onions tossed in. So, you know, the same but better!

Beef Bourguinon

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1.5kg stewing beef¹
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground, divided
• ~1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 180g pancetta, diced
• 1-2 carrots, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 750mL red wine
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 450g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 24 thawed frozen pearl onions (give or take)

Directions

1. Sprinkle the 1/2 tsp. of the salt and 1/4 tsp. of the pepper over the meat.
2. Toss the meat with the flour to coat. Use extra flour as needed.
3. Heat the oil over medium-low heat.
4. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp (~5 minutes).
5. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pancetta to a bowl and set aside.
6. Raise heat to medium-high and, working in batches, sear beef on all sides. Transfer beef to bowl with pancetta.
7. Add carrot and onion to pot and cook until browned (~5 minutes). Transfer to bowl with meat.
8. Reduce heat to medium and add the wine.
9. Stir and scrape to deglaze the pan, then return meat and veggies to the pot.
10. Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaf, tomato paste, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.
11. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 2-3 hours.
12. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, melt 1 1/2 Tbsp. of the butter over medium heat.
13. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened and lightly browned (~5 minutes). Add a little water and cover the pan for a few minutes if they seem to need help cooking. Transfer to a bowl.
14. Add the pearl onions and the remaining 1/2 Tbsp. of butter to the pan and cook until golden (~10 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
15. Once the beef has cooked for 2-3 hours, add the mushrooms and onions to the pot.
16. Stir to combine and cook for another hour.
17. Once the stew is done, transfer all the solids to a serving dish.
18. Skim as much fat as possible from the liquids, then raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
19. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly (~2 minutes).
20. If you would like a thicker sauce, you can separate out a few Tbsp., allow it to cool slightly, and then mix in a couple tsp. of extra flour. Mix this slurry back into the sauce and cook for a few more minutes or until desired thickness is achieved.
21. Pour the sauce over the meat and serve. Ideally with a crusty loaf of fresh bread.

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We were a bit short on stew meat, so I cut up some sirloin steak to make up the difference. ^Back