This week’s Tastes Like Vintage post is by JD from ThirdShift.
“I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate.” – Julia Child
Julia Child: the mere mention of her name brings back fond memories of ‘60s and ‘70s television, and the raw beginning of cooking entertainment shows. Julia brought fine French cooking to mainstream American television with a warm, cheerful manner, trilling voice, and simple dialog. She spoke to us as though the camera wasn’t there – as if we were simply standing in her kitchen across from her huge center island, as she clearly explained in detail how to sauté a “lovely” chicken with mushrooms and cream.
Her love of cooking, her passion to teach others how to cook, and her quirky, self-deprecating sense of humor enamored Julia to her audience. But perhaps more importantly, she made elegant French cooking simply FUN! Watching Julia throw “pinches” of spice into pans (she never used a single measuring spoon, as far as I can recall), unceremoniously sweep chopping scraps off the countertop onto the floor (who was the poor soul who had to clean up after her?) and listening to her undulating voice explain how delicious a simple two-egg omelet could taste – these are simple gifts Julia gave to her audience with a sincere, mischievous grin.
This recipe for Boef Bourguignon is another simple gift from Julia. You’ll be amazed at the rich, bold flavor from the simple ingredients! Try it, and you too will be saying “Bon Appétit!”
“I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate.” – Julia Child
Boeuf Bourguignon is a classic French stew of cubed beef, slow cooked in red wine and broth, and served with sautéed mushrooms and pearl onions. This is a family favorite recipe, from Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon in her book Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom.
Boeuf Bourguignon
Ingredients:
6 oz bacon
2 to 3 Tbsp olive oil
4 lbs trimmed beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes, patted dry with paper towels
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups sliced onions
1 cup sliced carrots
1 bottle of red wine (pinot noir works best for this)
2 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
1 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned
1 medium herb bouquet (tie 8 parsley sprigs, 1 large bay leaf, 1 tsp dried thyme, 2 whole cloves or allspice berries, and 3 large cloves of smashed garlic together wrapped and tied in cheesecloth)
Beurre manié: 3 Tbsp flour blended to a paste with 2 Tbsp butter
24 pearl onions
Chicken stock
Butter
1 1/2 pounds of button or cremini mushrooms, quartered
METHOD
1 Blanch the bacon to remove its smoky taste. Drop bacon slices into 2 quarts of cold water, bring to a boil, and simmer 6 to 8 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, and dry on paper towels.
2 In a large frying pan, sauté the blanched bacon to brown slightly in a little oil; set them aside and add later to simmer with the beef, using the rendered fat in browning. Brown the chunks of beef on all sides in the bacon fat and olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and put them into a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or covered casserole pan. Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces and add to the pan.
3 Remove all but a little fat from the frying pan, add the sliced vegetables and brown them, and add to the meat. Deglaze the pan with wine, pouring it into the casserole along with enough stock to almost cover the meat. Stir in the tomatoes and add the herb bouquet. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer slowly on the lowest heat possible, either on the stove or in a preheated 325°F oven, until the meat is tender, about 1 to 2 hours.
4 While the stew is cooking, prepare the onions. Blanch the onions in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Slice the end tips off of the onions, peel the onions and score the root end with 1/4 inch cuts. Sauté onions in a single layer in a tablespoon or two of butter until lightly browned. Add chicken stock or water half way up the sides of the onions. Add a teaspoon of sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer slowly for 25 minutes or until tender. The onions should absorb most of the water. If there is water remaining after cooking, drain the excess. Set aside.
5 Prepare the mushrooms a few minutes before serving the stew. Sauté quartered mushrooms in a few tablespoons of butter and olive oil until browned and cooked through.
6 When the stew meat has cooked sufficiently, remove all solids from the sauce (except the beef) by draining through a colander set over a saucepan. Return the beef to the casserole. Press juices out of the residue into the cooking liquid, then remove any visible fat and boil down the liquid to 3 cups. Off heat, whisk in the beurre manié, then simmer for 2 minutes as the sauce thickens lightly. Correct seasoning and pour over the meat, folding in the onions and mushrooms. To serve, bring to a simmer, basting meat and vegetables with the sauce for several minutes until hot throughout.
Serve with rice, bread, or potatoes (unless you are doing the low-carb version!).
Here is a classic, must-see video of Julia preparing this dish.
Recipe from the Simply Recipes blog.
Wow, this makes me so hungry! The aroma is wonderful in this beautiful collection ~ thank you so much for the feature…cook on!