Beef Bouguignon

Beef Simmered in Red Wine with Vegetables 

"It's Cold Outside"

If there was a list for "Best Winter Comfort Food Ever", then Beef Bourguignon would have to be one of the major players on that list. It meets all the requirements for comfort food. Thick, hearty, flavorful, plays well with others, a true classic. And since the winter's cold had descended here in Raleigh, North Carolina this past week with freezing rain and low temperatures, it was time to bust a move and make this most excellent dish. I mean, what's not to like. Tender and juicy beef that melts when you put it in your mouth. Flavorful fat that teases the tongue with every bite. An edible quilt of taste and warmth. And if you can eat this and not think of Sunday family dinners when you were still wearing your Sunday best, then you need a serious beat down with the nostalgia stick! All I can say is when the cold gets bold, make this dish and then send me a thank you note. Or a dinner invitation.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 lbs Beef Chuck

1 Carrot, peeled and sliced

2 sweet onions, thinly sliced

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups red wine

Bouquet garni ( parsley, thyme, bay leaf)

2 tbsp oil

3/4 cups of water

Salt and pepper

Add the oil to a flame proof casserole and heat it on medium high. Add the meat and brown it on all sides. Transfer the meat to a warm platter and add the vegetables and flour to the casserole. stir and let them lightly brown. Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom of the casserole to release the fond that has formed. You want this to dissolve into the wine and add flavor to the liquid. Add the water and then add the meat back to the casserole. Add the garlic and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 2 hours. I like to add the salt and pepper close to the end so that I don't over salt. As the chuck simmers, liquid escapes as steam which concentrates the salt. Of course you will need to taste as the chuck simmers. After 2 hours, transfer the meat to a serving dish. Strain the sauce over the meat, garnish with parsley and serve. Enjoy the taste and accolades.

Look for and select bright red, well marbled meat. Chuck roast is tough. It needs a long, low simmer to help break down the connective tissue for it to be tender. And the flavor is all in the fat. So don't go lean for this dish!

  

Yellow onion adds the bright notes to this dish and the carrot adds the sweetness. Caramelizing both in the rendered fat from the chuck roast sweetens things even more.

Pat your chuck roast dry with a paper towel. If the surface of the Chuck Roast is wet, it will not brown because the liquid will form a micro-barrier of steam, preventing browning. Browning the meat sweetens the surface and adds flavor to the meat.

 The finished product. Tender beef that you can compliment like I have with mashed potatoes and steamed green beans.