New York Times Beef Bourguignon Food

BOEUF BOURGUIGNONNE

Steps:

• Using a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, add the cubes of salt pork. Cook, stirring with a slotted spoon, until they are crisp. Remove the cubes and set aside. Leave the rendered fat in the skillet.
• Add the cubes of beef to the skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and brown over high heat, stirring and turning the pieces often, for about 10 minutes.
• Add the garlic, onions and mushrooms, stirring often. Sprinkle with flour and stir to coat evenly.
• Add the wine and stir. Add the saltpork cubes, cloves, allspice, bay leaf, thyme and parsley; salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.
• Remove the bay leaf, parsley sprigs and any fat on top.

BEEF BOURGUIGNON

Steps:

• Put oil in a Dutch oven or casserole that can later be covered; turn heat to medium. Add bacon, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is crisp and has given up most of its fat, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, add meat, and turn heat to medium-high. Cook, turning cubes as they brown and sprinkling them with salt and pepper, until meat is brown and crisp all over, at least 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.
• Turn heat to medium, and add onions, thyme, bay leaves, garlic and parsley, with more salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add wine, and let it bubble for a minute, then return meat to pan.
• Cover and adjust heat so mixture simmers gently for about an hour, then add mushrooms, onions and bacon. Re-cover, and cook until tender, adding a little more liquid if mixture threatens to dry out. Depending on meat, dish could be done in as little as 30 minutes more, or three times as long. Taste and adjust seasoning, then garnish and serve, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days before reheating.

STEAK BOURGUIGNON

Steps:

• Rest the steaks at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the bacon to a large skillet and place over medium heat to cook until crisp, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the bacon to a plate or bowl leaving the fat behind and add in the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and cook until lightly golden, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cocktail onions and continue to cook until the mushrooms are golden brown, about 5 minutes.
• Peel and mince one clove of garlic and add to the pan. Cook for 30 seconds. Transfer to the plate with the bacon. Increase the heat to medium-high. Dry the steaks with paper towel and rub with olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Add the steaks to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until deeply golden brown and cooked to medium-rare. Use tongs to hold each steak on its side to render the fat cap, about 1 minute. Remove the steaks to a plate or cutting board, tent loosely with aluminum foil and allow them to rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the sauce.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter, thyme and remaining clove of unpeeled garlic. Cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk together, then add in the tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute. While whisking, slowly pour in the wine and beef broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes to thicken. Add the sugar as well as the mushrooms, onions and bacon into the sauce and continue to simmer until thick and heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm on low.
• Slice the steaks into 1-centimeter (1/2-inch) thick slices and divide between two plates. Spoon the sauce and veg over the steaks and serve topped with some fresh thyme leaves.

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON

Steps:

• Brown the bacon in a heavy 3 1/2-to-4-quart saucepan. When it has lightly browned, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a medium bowl, leaving the fat in the pan.
• Pat the pieces of beef very dry with a paper towel, then season all over with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to the pan, and when it's hot, brown half the pieces of beef over medium-high heat on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer the meat to the bowl of bacon. Brown the remaining beef and add to the same bowl.
• Keep the pan over the heat and sauté the onion and carrot until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Return the meats to the pot, sprinkle with the flour, season with a pinch of salt and pour in the wine and stock. Tuck the herb packet into the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and cook at a bare simmer until tender, 2 hours or more.
• Add the baby onions, baby carrots and potatoes, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until tender when pierced with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve yourself 4 to 5 chunks of meat with all the vegetables and a good French bread to mop up the sauce. The dish benefits from sitting overnight in the refrigerator.

JULIA MOSKIN'S BEEF BOURGUIGNON

Steps:

• In a heavy pan over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions and bacon and cook, stirring, until browned. Remove them and set aside; leave fat in pan.
• Add beef and brown on all sides (work in two batches if needed to avoid crowding).
• Sprinkle browned beef with flour, stir until browned and add stock. Stir, scraping bottom of pan, then add reserved bacon and onions, the wine and bouquet garni. Season with pepper.
• Simmer very gently for 2 hours.
• Add mushrooms and cook 30 minutes more. Season with salt and serve. Or, even better, reheat and serve the next day.

DIJON AND COGNAC BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Place salt pork in a Dutch oven over low heat, and cook until fat is rendered. Remove solid pieces with a slotted spoon, and discard. Raise heat, and add onion and shallots. Cook until softened but not browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a large bowl.
• If necessary, add 2 tablespoons butter to the pot to augment fat. Dust beef cubes with flour, and season with salt and pepper. Shake off excess flour, and place half the cubes in the pot. Cook over medium-high heat until well browned, almost crusty, on all sides, then transfer to a bowl with onions. Repeat with remaining beef.
• Add Cognac to the empty pot, and cook, stirring, until the bottom is deglazed and the crust comes loose. Add stock, Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon Pommery mustard. Whisk to blend, then return meat and onion mixture to pot. Lower heat, partly cover, and simmer gently until meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Add carrots, and continue simmering for 30 minutes, or until slices are tender. As they cook, heat 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium-high, and sauté mushrooms until browned.
• Stir mushrooms into stew along with remaining mustard and red wine. Simmer 5 minutes, then taste, and adjust seasoning. Serve hot.

MUSHROOM BOURGUIGNON

Steps:

• Add 2 tablespoons butter or oil to a large Dutch oven or pot and set it over medium heat. When the fat is hot, stir in half the mushrooms and half the pearl onions. (If it doesn't all fit in the pot in one layer, you might have to do this in three batches, rather than two.) Without moving them around too much, cook the mushrooms until they are brown on one side, about 3 minutes. Stir and let them brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes more. Use a slotted spoon to transfer mushrooms and onions to a large bowl or plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat with another 2 tablespoons butter and the remaining mushrooms and pearl onions, seasoning them as you go.
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Add another 1 tablespoon butter or oil to pan. Add leeks and carrot and sauté until the leeks turn lightly golden and start to soften, 5 minutes. Add the 2 minced garlic cloves and sauté for 1 minute longer. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then add wine, broth, 1 tablespoon tamari, thyme and bay leaf, scraping up the brown bits at bottom of pot.
• Add reserved cooked mushrooms and pearl onions back to the pot and bring to a simmer. Partly cover the pot and simmer on low heat until carrots and onions are tender and sauce is thick, 30 to 40 minutes. Taste and add more salt and tamari if needed. Stir in the grated garlic clove.
• Just before serving, heat a small skillet over high heat and add 1/2 tablespoon butter or oil. Add half of the sliced chanterelles or oyster mushrooms and let cook without moving until they are crisp and brown on one side, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with salt and smoked paprika. Repeat with remaining butter and mushrooms. Serve mushroom Bourguignon over polenta, noodles or mashed potatoes, topped with fried mushrooms and parsley.

BEEF BOURGUIGNON

Steps:

• Tip 1.6kg braising steak, cut into large chunks, into a large bowl with 3 bay leaves, a small bunch of thyme, 2 bottles cheap red wine and some pepper, then cover and leave in the fridge overnight.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Place a colander over another large bowl and strain the marinated meat, keeping the wine.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan, then brown the meat in batches, transferring to a plate once browned. When all the meat is browned, pour a little wine into the now-empty frying pan and bubble to release any caramelised bits from the pan.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large casserole and fry 3 large or 6 normal carrots, cut into large chunks, and 2 roughly chopped onions until they start to colour. Stir in 3 tbsp plain flour for 1 min, then add 1 tbsp tomato purée.
• Add the beef and any juices, the wine from the frying pan and the rest of the wine and herbs. Season and bring to a simmer. Give everything a good stir, then cover.
• Transfer to the oven and bake for 2 hrs until the meat is really tender. Cool. Will freeze for up to 3 months.
• To serve, defrost completely overnight in the fridge if frozen, then place on a low heat to warm through.
• Meanwhile, heat a small knob of butter in a frying pan and add 300g bacon lardons and 500g peeled pearl onions or small shallots. Sizzle for about 10 mins until the bacon starts to crisp and the onions soften and colour.
• Add 400g halved mushrooms and fry for another 5 mins, then stir everything into the stew and heat for 10 mins more. Serve scattered with chopped parsley.