I have made boeuf bourguignon several times, from different recipes. Some were more successful than others - but alas, I never recorded them online. This one is Julia Child's recipe from her original TV program, and it's very good, though not as good as it should be given how long it takes to make. While I enjoyed it very much, next time I'd probably try another recipe.

I did make a few changes to the original recipe, the most significant one was that I used pre-cut mushrooms rather than full ones, so they were sliced in a different manner that what she calls for. I also cooked the stew using only one pan, rather than several, to reduce the number of pots I had to wash (I don't have a dishwasher).

I used beef round for this recipe, as it seemed leaner than the chuck, but it had a chalky consistency. Next time I'd use chuck. I got thick slices of bacon from the meat counter, I think it was uncured. If you are using smoked bacon or salt pork, you need to simmer it in cold water for 10 minutes, then rinse it and dry it, to remove the saltiness.

To peel the onions place them in boiling water for a few minutes.

You can cook this dish in the oven (at 325 degrees), but I made it on the stove top.

I served it over egg noodles with French bread.

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Boeuf Bourguignon

Ingredients

• 6 oz. uncured bacon, cut into 1 x 1/4" sticks
• olive oil
• 3 lbs stewing meat, cut into 2 to 3" chunks
• 1 bottle Burgundy wine
• 2 cups beef bouillon
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 3 cloves garlic, mashed
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• salt
• 1 lb fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 2 ½ tbsp. butter
• 18 small white onions, peeled

  For the roux

• 3 tbsp. softened butter
• 3 tbsp. flour

Preparation

Brown the bacon on a little oil in a deep saucepan or pot to render the fat. Remove the bacon bits, leaving the fat in the pan. Reserve the bacon bits. Set the heat at medium high, when the fat is almost smoking add the beef, a few pieces at the time so they are not crowded. Brown the beef on all sides and remove. Do this until all the beef is browned.

Pour remaining fat out of the pan. Pour a little bit of wine and deglace, scrapping out all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour in the rest of the wine.

Add the beef and the bacon bits. Add enough beef bouillon to cover the beef. Add the tomato paste, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and stir well. Add the salt to your taste.

Bring stew to a boil, cover, and simmer on very low heat for 2 ½ to 3 hours.

Meanwhile prepare the mushrooms and onions.

Heat ½ tbsp. oil and 1 ½ tbsp. butter in a skillet. Once the butter foam begins to subside, add the mushrooms. Stir fry over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until the mushrooms are lightly browned. Add 1/4 tsp. salt and stir. Set aside.

Place the onions in one layer in a deep saucepan. Add enough water to cover them halfway. Add 1tbsp. of butter and ½ tsp. of salt. Cover and simmer on very low heat for 20-30 minutes, until the onions are tender. Set aside reserving both the onions and the cooking liquid.

When the beef is done, remove the beef with a slotted spoon and set aside. Skim off fat from the liquid and then bring to a simmer. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.

Meanwhile, prepare the roux by creaming the butter and flour in a small bowl. Add several tablespoons of the cooking liquid and whip.

Pour roux into the cooking liquid and mix well. Pour in the water in which the onions were cooked. Mix well.

Add the beef, onions and mushrooms back to the sauce. Bring to a boil, cover and then simmer for 5 minutes. Serve.

Adapted from Julia Child's The French Chef Cookbook, 1968 edition.