When I was in Burgundy this fall with friends, my husband must have ordered Beef Bourgogne, that classic beef stew dish perhaps made famous by Julia Child, at least once a day, yet it was never the same. Sometimes it was quite thick and contained mostly meat, sometimes it had carrots and potatoes in it more like what I think of as a midwestern beef stew. But one thing was always the same – it was comfort food that’s perfect for a cold day.What I love about making this dish is that it’s perfect for a less than perfect cut of meat, and it’s perfect for using up kitchen scraps, pieces of onion, celery, and carrot that I keep in a bag in the freezer until I need them for a dish like this. You simply put the meat, along with all of those aromatics, a bottle of good red wine, and some stock into a Dutch oven, cover it and braise it for hours until tender.I caramelize mushrooms and onions separately. I strain the braising liquid, discard all of the solids except the meat, of course, and then thicken the braising liquid with a simple beurre mania (soft butter mixed with flour). Then I add back the meat, the cooked mushrooms and onions, and sprinkle the whole dish with some chopped parsley. Serve it over egg noodles (my husband’s choice) or mashed potatoes (my choice), or it you’re cutting back on carbs, just eat it solo. It’s not very photogenic as you can see, but it’s just what you are going to want on the next snowy Sunday when you are stuck inside. As Julia would say, Bon Appetit!
- 1 beef or bison chuck roast, about 2 pounds
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 bottle red wine
- 2-3 cups beef or chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound crimini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
- 1 large onion, diced or sliced
- 4 tablespoons softened butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- Place the roast into a larger Dutch oven and add the onion, celery, carrot, wine, stock and peppercorns. Cover and cook in a 350 degree oven until the meat is very tender, about 3-5 hours.
- While the meat is cooking, heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the mushrooms. Cook until they have released most of their moisture and begin to brown, about 20 minutes. Pour the mushrooms into a bowl and set aside. Add a bit more oil if needed and then add the onions to the same pan. Cook over medium heat until they are soft and lightly brown, about 30 minutes. Add to the mushrooms and set aside
- When the meat is tender, remove the roast with a fork and set it aside. Strain the braising liquid, discard the solids, and return the liquid to the Dutch oven. Combine the soft butter with the flour until completely mixed. Place the Dutch oven over high heat on the stove and whisk in the butter/flour mixture, and continue whisking until the sauce thickens slightly. If you want a thicker gravy, add more butter/flour.
- Cut away any excess fat from the meat and cut into large chunks. Add the meat, the mushrooms, and the onions back into the thickened sauce. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.