Beef Bourguignon Recipe
This beef bourguignon recipe is my take on the classic French stew, with deliciously browned, fall-apart beef, carrots, onions, mushrooms, and fresh thyme, all slowly cooked in red wine and beef stock.
Ingredients
- olive oil
- butter
- 1.5 lbs beef stewing cubes cut large cubes into small half-inch cubes
- 2 small yellow onions diced
- 3 shallots diced
- 3 large cloves of garlic minced
- 2 cups red wine
- 900 ml beef broth
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp flour
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 medium carrots peeled and sliced a 1/4 inch thick
- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
- kosher salt to taste
- fresh pepper to taste
- 454 g brown cremini mushrooms (sometimes called mini bellas) - 2 small packages washed, destemmed, and quartered
Instructions
- In a large stove-top pot, add a couple of glugs of olive oil and a pat of butter and bring to a sizzle over medium-high. Add the beef (cut into small 1/2 inch cubes). Do this in two batches, to not overcrowd the beef. Add a good pinch of kosher salt and some fresh pepper. Brown the beef cubes on all sides, stirring after a minute or two per side. We're not looking for perfection, just cook and stir until the cubes look mostly browned. Remove the beef and set it aside.
- To the same pot, add an additional glug of olive oil and add the diced onions and shallots. Cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Add in minced garlic and let cook for an additional minute.
- Add the wine and deglaze the pot while scraping all the browned bits from the beef and onions into the wine. Bring the wine to a boil, sprinkle the flour over the top, and whisk thoroughly until well incorporated. Let boil for 5 minutes.
- Add the beef broth, tomato paste, three springs of fresh thyme, bay leaf, and carrots. Return the beef to the pot, plus a couple of pinches of kosher salt and fresh pepper. Stir all to combine and bring to a gentle boil. Cover and let simmer for approximately 1.5 to 2 hours, until the beef is tender and easily breaks apart with the fork.
- 15 minutes before serving the bourguignon, add the quartered mushrooms to a very hot stove-top pan (ready with olive oil and a pat of butter). Let the mushroom brown in place for a few minutes before stirring. Add 2 sprigs of thyme to the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms are browned, nearly all over.
- Stir the mushrooms into the beef bourguignon. Serve with rustic bread or spoon over creamy mashed potatoes.