Special Occasion Beef Bourguignon Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium-low heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon, reserving drippings; drain on paper towels., In batches, brown beef in drippings over medium-high heat; remove from pan. Toss with flour, salt and pepper., In same pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat; saute onions, carrots and mushrooms until onions are tender, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook and stir 1 minute. Add wine and stock, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Add herbs, bacon and beef; bring to a boil., Transfer to oven; bake, covered, until meat is tender, 2 to 2-1/4 hours. Remove bay leaves., To serve, cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Serve stew with noodles; sprinkle with parsley. Freeze option: Freeze cooled stew in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add a little stock or broth if necessary.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium- high heat, then add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a large plate.
• Meanwhile, dry the beef cubes with paper towels and season them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot bacon drippings, turning to brown on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes per batch. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned.
• Add the thyme, carrots, onion and tomato paste to the pot. Toss in the fat in the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Put the beef and bacon back in the pot with their juices. Add the wine plus enough beef stock to almost cover the meat. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
• Put the butter and flour in a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk together constantly until the raw flavor of the flour cooks out, 2 to 3 minutes. Put the beef Bourguignon over medium heat, stir in the butter mixture and cook until the stew thickens and the meat is very tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. Remove the thyme stems and serve.

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 of red wine and some pepper, then cover and leave in the fridge overnight.
• Heat the 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.

Steps:

• Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a large Ziploc bag and then add the beef and shake well so all the beef has been covered by the flour.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil and butter in a large cast iron (or heavy bottomed) pan over medium high heat. Once the butter has melted and is sizzling, add the beef and cook for about 4 minutes per side, until just browned. Remove beef and place on a plate.
• In a large pot, heat the 1 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions, carrots and celery. Sprinkle vegetables with a pinch of salt and saute for ten minutes (adding the minced garlic after five minutes) until onion is translucent and carrots have started to become tender. Add the minced thyme and stir to combine.
• Then, add the beef to the vegetables along with the wine and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer (low heat setting) and partially cover pot, leaving about a half inch open.
• Slowly simmer beef for three hours. After three hours, the wine should have reduced to a thick, velvety sauce and the beef should be very, very tender. Season with the additional teaspoon of salt and a pinch of black pepper.
• Near the end of the simmering process, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a saute pan. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and saute for ten minutes until tender. Stir cooked mushrooms into beef at the very end.
• To make the roasted potatoes, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash potatoes and chop into fourths. Lay potatoes on a foil lined sheet tray and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Roast for 35 minutes, tossing occasionally, until crisp and golden.
• To serve, remove bay leaf from beef and serve beef alongside roasted potatoes with an additional sprig of thyme.