Easy Beef Bourguignon

Easy and Beef Bourguignon in the same sentence? YES! You can make this classic dish with ease - it's actually a very simple process and the result is divine: Braised beef and aromatic vegetables in a wine-infused broth, nestled on toasted baguette slices. Count me in.

I'm serious, the preparation of Beef Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy) isn't complicated, it's just that there are a few steps involved, and that tends to turn people off. I'm pretty sure most home cooks steer clear of complex French dishes because they fear the work and/or dirty dishes - but in my version, you dodge both of those concerns.

Here’s the simple process: Cook bacon; set it aside. Sear meat in the bacon fat; set it aside. Sauté vegetables in the bacon fat. Return the bacon and meat to the pot with the vegetables. Add wine, broth and seasonings and cook low and slow.  That’s pretty much it! In fact, the oven does the rest of the work, leaving you free to do other things. Like sip on the remaining wine (so pick something you would be happy drinking).

Beef Bourguignon looks like a stew, but it’s more of a culinary journey. A palatial experience (as in magnificent on the palate). The dish actually originated as a peasants’ meal since it was a great way to cook tough, unwanted cuts of meat so they would be palatable, moist and delicious. But you clearly don't need to start with unwanted beef. Thankfully.

The original version of Beef Bourguignon featured beef that was seared and braised with wine, vegetables, herbs, and spices - and then all of that was strained off before serving. The remaining beef and fragrant broth were finished with a butter-flour mixture, creating tender beef in a rich, silky sauce. In modern versions, the vegetables remain and every morsel of the long-simmered dish is served.

Burgundy is the wine of choice (hence the name), but you can use a good-quality Pinot Noir, the dominant wine used in Burgundy, France. Cleary, if money isn’t an issue, use a real French Burgundy.

About cooking the mushrooms last: I realize this seems like an unnecessary task,  but trust me on this. When you cook mushrooms in the beginning of the process (say, with the onions and carrots), they lose all their beautiful juiciness by the time this dish is ready to serve. When you sauté them separately and add them to the stew close to the end, you have gorgeous, puffy 'shrooms.

Easy Beef Bourguignon

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces bacon, diced
2 1/2 pounds chuck beef or brisket cut into 2-inch cubes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally into 2-inch chunks
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup Cognac (or brandy)
1/2 bottle (375 ml) good-quality dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir or Cote du Rhone
1-2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
12 ounces frozen whole (pearl) onions, keep frozen until ready to use
8 ounces small cremini or button mushrooms, stems trimmed
Baguette, sliced on a diagonal into 1/2-inch thick slices
Olive oil for brushing bread
Cut garlic clove for rubbing on bread
Fresh parsley for serving, optional

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Heat the oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pot and transfer to a large plate (leave the bacon fat on the bottom of the pan). Return the pot to medium heat.
Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Add a single layer of beef cubes to the stock pot (or Dutch oven if using) - work in batches so you don’t crowd the pan. Sear the beef until browned on all sides. Transfer the seared beef to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned and transferred to the plate. Set aside.
Add the carrots and onion to the same pot over medium heat (there should be some fat left in the pan; if not add a little olive oil so the vegetables don’t burn). Cook until the onions are lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the Cognac and simmer until the liquid is almost completely gone (this just takes a minute so stay close). Return the beef and bacon to the pan with any accumulated juices on the plate. Add the wine and enough beef broth to almost cover the meat (don’t fully submerge the beef in liquid). Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover with a tight-fitting lid and place the pot in the oven for 75 to 90 minutes, until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.
Combine 2 tablespoons of the butter and the flour and mash with a fork until blended. Add the mixture to the pot. Add the frozen onions and bring to a simmer. Simmer while you cook the mushrooms.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until soft. Add the mushrooms to the pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To toast the bread, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Brush both sides of the bread slices with olive oil and transfer the slices to a baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp. Rub one side of each slice with the cut garlic clove.
Garnish the stew with the parsley. Serve the stew with the bread slices on the side.

Serves 4 to 6