Beef Burgundy

This is it.  THIS is my victory recipe.  This is the one where I was dancing around the kitchen singing "Weeeeee are the chaaaaaaampions my frieeeeend!!!"

Wondering why?

When most people say they don't like a particular food, it's generally a single ingredient.  For as long as I've known Rob, he has despised two complete dishes: Beef Stroganoff and Beef Burgundy.

And that's ok.  I respect that.  God knows there are a number of foods I don't like.  That early in our relationship, I wasn't too much into cooking yet so I didn't really know what was in either one, and accepted that these would never grace our dining room table.  Until I saw a recipe for Beef Burgundy.

How, I asked myself, is it possible that my Committed Carnivore despises a dish where tender bits of beef are cooked for hours in an entire bottle of red wine???  Rob had no answer for me, but continued to insist that he'd never eat it.  Oo, I sense a CHALLENGE!!!

I bided my time.  For YEARS I waited for the right recipe, the right time.  Yay for me that once I found that recipe, the perfect time was right around the corner!

Beef Burgundy
Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence

4 bacon slices
3-4 lbs beef stew meat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Cognac
1 bottle dry red wine, such as Burgundy
1 3/4 cup low-sodium beef broth
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 tsp dried thyme OR 8 fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb cremini mushrooms
2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
Pinch sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

1.  Put a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove it to a paper towel; crumble when cool and set aside to use for the garnish. 

Julia Childs Tip: pat the meat dry before seasoning.

2.  Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add the beef to the pot in batches. Fry the cubes in the bacon fat until evenly browned on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pot to a plate.

Do NOT crowd the pot!!

3.  Return the browned beef to the pot and sprinkle the flour over the meat; stir to make sure everything is well coated and there are no lumps.  Pour in the Cognac and scrape up the flavorful bits in the bottom of the pan. Cook and stir to evaporate the alcohol.  Pour in the red wine and beef broth; then add the tomato paste and herbs. Stir everything together and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until the liquid starts to thicken and has the consistency of a sauce; this should take about 15 minutes. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour.

The. Whole. Bottle!!

4.  While the beef simmers, finely chop the mushrooms in a food processor (if you're a Mushroom Person, you can slice or quarter the mushrooms).  Uncover the pot and add the mushrooms, garlic, and pearl onions, along with the pinch of sugar to balance out the acid from the red wine.  Season with salt and pepper.  Turn up the heat slightly and simmer for 30-45 minutes longer, until the vegetables and meat are tender.

If you like mushrooms, quarter, slice, or leave them whole instead.

5.  Remove the bay leaves and rosemary sprig (and thyme sprigs if you used fresh).  Stir in the butter to finish up the sauce.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley and the reserved crumbled bacon before serving.

A little butter at the end adds a luxurious shine to the sauce

The absolute second I saw this recipe, I knew... I knew I had Rob.  How on earth could my guy NOT enjoy a dish that STARTS WITH BACON, the beef cooks in bacon fat, and uses TWO kinds of alcohol I know he loves.  Sure, there are mushrooms in it but by using a good quality mushroom and chopping them finely, they pretty much melt into the sauce and amp up that beefy flavor.  Oh yeah, his taste buds were in for the shock of their lives!

I've heard that Beef Burgundy is often served over egg noodles.  I've never really understood that one so I chose to serve this with some fluffy mashed potatoes.

p.s. In case I haven't been obvious enough about it, yes, he loved it!