Bœuf à la Bourguignonne (Beef Bourguignon)

Winter here in Melbourne always means comforting food and slow cooking. Leaving the house to go to work in the dark and returning home in the dark means we need to be even more prepared otherwise I fear that we would live on takeaway just for the sake of ensuring we eat. It's a lot more beneficial on the hip pocket and the waistline to be prepared that's for sure.

Many of you know how much I love my slow cooker (or cookers for those who know me well). I love the ease of putting everything into the cooking vessel, placing the lid on and letting it cook away while I get on with the rest of the day.

There is sense of reward when you open the front door and you are greeted with the smell that dinner is almost ready especially after a long day at work. It's like someone has snuck into the house to do the cooking for you. God bless the person who invented the slow cooker.

We had a busy Sunday planned, and while I am a huge supporter of the Sunday roast, I suggested we have a nice comforting casserole instead. Infact, not just any casserole Beef Bourguignon was on the menu.

Beef Bourguignon, Beef Burgandy, Bœuf Bourguignon or Bœuf à la Bourguignonne, a French classic made even more famous by Julia Child in her best seller, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. While Julia's recipe is very complex the dish itself is basically a beef stew braised in red wine and beef stock, generally flavoured with carrots, onions, garlic, and herbs, garnished with pearl onions, mushrooms, and bacon.

No matter what you would like to call this or what accent you wish to use this is definitely one to try as a winter warmer. The flavour was full bodied, the meat and vegetables tender and melt in your mouth. Served with some creamy mashed potatoes and you are in comfort food heaven.

Bœuf à la Bourguignonne (Beef Bourguignon)

Serves: 8

💚 6sp per serve

💙 6sp per serve

💜 6sp per serve

1 kilogram lean beef round steak, fat trimmed, cut into 3cm chunks

2 tablespoons olive oil

125 grams shortcut bacon, chopped

1 medium brown onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons Gluten Free plain flour

1 tablespoon tomato paste

250 mls red wine

2 teaspoons Gluten Free Beef stock powder

4 cups water

4 sprigs fresh thyme

1 whole bay leaf

300 grams pickling onions

9 medium carrots, peeled, cut into thick slices

600 grams button mushrooms

½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 180°C.Season meat with salt and pepper.

Heat a large heavy flameproof casserole dish over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and half the meat (or less if it’s too crowded). Cook on all sides, turning for, 8-12 minutes. Transfer beef to a plate and set aside. Repeat with remaining meat and transfer to plate. (During this process, there will be a lot of brown residue building up on the dishes surface. This is where the flavour from the stew comes from, so encourage it to happen, but if it starts to burn, turn down the heat).

Reduce heat to medium, add remaining oil, chopped onion, and garlic to dish. Cook, stirring for 6 minutes or until softened. Add flour and tomato paste and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes.

Add wine and bring to the boil and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown bits on base of dish. Return meat to dish. Add stock, thyme sprigs, bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Bring back to the boil over high heat. Cover and bake for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add onions and boil for 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water. Peel and trim onions, leaving root end intact so onions stay whole.

When stew has cooked for 1 hour, remove from oven. Stir in onions, carrots, and mushrooms. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Cook a further 30 minutes partially covered. Adjust lid of casserole to partially cover. Remove from oven and stir mixture. Cook, uncovered, a further 30 minutes. (The meat and vegetables should all be tender, and the sauce should have thickened.)

Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf, adjust seasonings to taste if necessary and sprinkle with parsley just before serving.

Serve with some creamy mashed potatoes (add additional sp).

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.