Beef bourguignon

Such simple peasant food as beef bourguignon gradually transformed in its homeland into haute cuisine. The fact is that France has never lacked wine. And with its help, any meat, even the oldest and toughest, turns into soft and tender.

Large pieces of beef stewed in a thick wine sauce become so tender that they can literally be eaten with your lips. Mushrooms, bacon, and onions must be present in the overall mass. A few fragrant herbs and a carrot-onion garnish perfectly complement this delicious composition. And, of course, the wine must be red, dry, and not the cheapest, otherwise all efforts will be in vain.

Cuisine: French.

Yield: 4 servings.

Calories: 131 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.

Cooking time: 3 hours.

Ingredients

• beef meat – 500 g;
• mushrooms – 300 g;
• onion – 200 g;
• bacon – 100 g;
• wheat flour – 2 tablespoons;
• red dry wine – 400 ml;
• beef broth – 300 ml;
• sugar – 0.5 tablespoons;
• butter – 30 g;
• vegetable oil for frying;
• salt – to taste;
• thyme – a few sprigs.

For garnish, you will need 1 large carrot and 3-4 small onions.

Preparation

1. Prepare the ingredients for Beef Bourguignon. If you use young veal instead of beef, the cooking time will be reduced – you need to periodically check the meat for tenderness (once it's soft enough to be mashed with a fork, it's ready). It is permissible to use chicken broth instead of beef broth.

2. Cut the meat into large pieces. You don't need to trim the membranes and tendons – during stewing, they will become tender and improve the texture of the beef by adding their collagen.

3. Cut large mushrooms into 4 pieces, while smaller ones can be left whole.

4. In a deep skillet or cauldron, heat a little vegetable oil with the addition of butter over high heat.

5. As soon as the oil is well heated, place the meat in the skillet, ensuring the pieces do not touch each other. Sear them on all sides until browned (this will take about 7 minutes).

6. Add the mushrooms to the skillet.

7. Coarsely chop the onion.

8. Add it to the skillet (do not lower the heat). Sauté everything for about 3-4 minutes.

9. Meanwhile, finely slice the bacon.

10. Add it to the mixture. The rendered fat will enhance the oily flavor, and the pieces will become translucent.

11. After another 5 minutes, season the mixture with sprigs of thyme.

12. Immediately sprinkle them with flour. Without removing the mixture from the heat, stir well so that the flour evenly coats all the ingredients.

13. Now you can pour in the wine. Let the alcohol evaporate over medium heat for about 15 minutes.

14. After that, add the beef broth (the liquid should be nearly level with the meat). Leave about 30 g of broth for the garnish.

15. Use sugar to slightly reduce the acidity of the dry wine.

16. Add salt, controlling the amount to taste.

17. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat, and stew the beef bourguignon for 2-2.5 hours.

18. After the specified time, the wine sauce should have a silky thick texture, flowing from the spoon in a continuous thread.

19. If you try to mash a piece of meat with a fork, it should be easy to do. Then, you can remove the skillet from the heat.

20. For the garnish, cut the onion into large pieces without separating the rings (remove the center). You'll need to work on the carrot – you should cut it into small barrels, although any other shape will be just as delicious.

21. Sauté the prepared pieces in a mixture of vegetable and butter.

22. Add half a tablespoon of flour and 30 grams of broth.

23. Mix well and stew for 7-10 minutes.

Aromatic, infused with the smell of celebration, the dish is ready. When serving, place the carrot-onion garnish on top of the beef bourguignon and decorate with sprigs of fresh thyme. And, of course, a glass of red wine will be just right here.