Beef Bourguignon

To make this Beef Bourguignon recipe, start by preparing all the ingredients.

Aromatic garnish: Peel the onion...

...and the carrots, using a vegetable peeler.

Once these vegetables are peeled...

...cut the onion into mirepoix dices (1 x 1cm).

Do the same with the carrots.

Set the vegetables aside.

For the stew: Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or sunflower or peanut oil) into a stew pot.

When the oil is hot, add the beef chunks...

...and brown them on all sides, stirring with a spatula.

Brown all the sides of the beef pieces until golden.

When the beef is nice and golden...

...add the aromatic garnish (the onion and carrots).

Mix carefully so that the vegetables have time to sweat for a few minutes.

Sprinkle with 30 grams of flour...

...then roast in a preheated oven at 200°C for a few minutes.

Take the pot out of the oven and place it on the stove...

...and mix with the spatula to incorporate the flour into the preparation. It should no longer be visible and should coat all the pieces of meat.

Moisten with red wine (good quality table wine).

Add the veal stock...

...as well as 2 garlic cloves, chopped beforehand.

Finally, add the bouquet garni. I made mine with leek leaves, parsley, one celery stalk, thyme, and bay leaves.

Season with fine salt...

...and freshly ground black pepper.

Bring to a boil.

Then cover the stew pot with a lid...

...and cook in a preheated oven at 180°C for 2 hours. The cooking should be slow.

Glazed mushrooms: Wash and chop the mushrooms.

Place them in a pan...

...add a good knob of butter...

...and the caster sugar.

Cover with cold water (100ml)...

...and season with freshly ground black pepper...

...and fine salt.

Make a lid out of parchment paper. To do this, fold a sheet of parchment paper in half and cut it with scissors to a diameter slightly larger than the pan.

Unfold the lid, make a hole in the center to create a chimney, and place it in the pan...

...in contact with the mushrooms.

Cook the mushrooms until all the water has evaporated.

At the end of cooking, remove the parchment paper lid.

Continue cooking until the mushrooms are nice and golden.

Glazed pearl onions: Peel the onions and place them into a pan...

...and cover with water (100 to 150ml).

Add the caster sugar. Then season with fine salt...

...and freshly ground black pepper.

Finally, add a knob of butter.

Make a parchment paper lid as shown earlier...

...and place it in contact with the pearl onions.

Cook until all the water has evaporated.

Remove the parchment paper lid...

...and continue cooking until brown.

Bacon lardons: Remove the bone and rind from the pork belly (if there is any).

Using a sharp knife, cut the pork belly slices into lardons.

This is what the result should look like.

Place a saucepan filled with cold water on the stove.

Add the lardons in the cold water and bring to a boil.

When boiling, blanch the lardons for 1 to 2 minutes, then drain and refresh them under cold water.

Pour a drizzle of olive oil into a frying pan...

...and sauté the blanched lardons.

When they are lightly browned...

...pour them in a fine strainer to get rid of the excess fat.

Pour the glazed onions into the strainer...

... as well as the glazed mushrooms.

From time to time, take the stew pot out of the oven and stir the bottom, to prevent the sauce from sticking.

Then return the pot to the oven and continue cooking.

Repeat this operation a few times.

Cover with the lid and return to the oven.

When cooked, take the stew pot out of the oven...

...and decant the meat by placing it in a bowl.

Remove the bouquet garni from the sauce...

...and place the stew pot on the stove to reduce the sauce to the desired thickness.

Let it simmer on low heat to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Pour the lardons, onions, and mushrooms over the meat.

Sift the sauce over the ingredients in the bowl.

Lightly press with a spatula in the strainer to extract all the sauce, making sure not to crush the vegetables.

Our Beef Bourguignon is now done.

Mix all the ingredients together to coat everything in sauce.

Keep warm (in a bain-marie for instance) until ready to serve.
This beef Bourguignon can be stored in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours. It will taste even better the following day!