Boeuf Bourguignon or should I call it Boeuf Merlot?

Hi.  I know, I know.  It's been like 3 weeks.  But hey, great news!  I passed my 3hr glucose tolerance test!  I don't have gestational diabetes!!  Woohoo!!

Other than that, we haven't been sick or anything, but my child did get an enormous wound on her head that required a trip to the ER and a billion (well okay, 8) stitches, and xray, and a CAT scan last week.  How's that for too much excitement to blog?

We've been having a lot of repeat recipes and things made with ground beef......

But tonight I went for it.  I made Boeuf Bourguinon.  Well, kind of.  I thought I was going to get really fancy and make Julia Child's recipe for it.  If you want to do that you can go HERE.  But after examining the recipe for a few minutes I decided to save that for a weekend.  Maybe for a special occasion.  It's really involved and it required bacon (which I only had a bit of) and beef broth or bouillon (which I didn't have).  So I did the next best thing.  Well, another good thing.

I used Anthony Bourdain's recipe loosely.  I didn't have a bouquet garni laying around, so I had to use some dried herbs.  I also messed with the quantities a little bit because I wasn't making a huge batch of stew, but I still wanted lots of carrots.  I also added mushrooms because I thought they'd taste great and Julia's recipe had mushrooms too.  Oh, and I used regular stew meat.  I have no idea what part of the cow stew meat comes from, so I can't say if it's the shoulder or neck like Anthony recommends.

I did something that both chef's would probably scoff at though.  I didn't actually use Bourguinon, that's Burgundy for all you non French speakers.  Yeah, I used Merlot.  I couldn't find any cheap Burgundy at the grocery store, so I went with a Merlot.  Let's face it, I'm not going to shell out a ton of cash on a nice Burgundy from France on a weeknight meal.  Now if I decided to go with Julia's incredibly involved and probably amazing recipe and I were making it for some beloved company on a weekend, then yeah, I'd find the Burgundy.  But hey, I'm on a budget.  Forgive me professional chefs, forgive me.

So here's what I did. 

Boeuf Bourguignon
adapted from Anthony Bourdain's Boeuf Bourguinon recipe


Ingredients

1lb beef stew meat
1 1/2cups water(or more)
6oz red wine (preferable Burgundy, I used Merlot)
1 garlic clove minced
2-3 tbsp oil (I used coconut and a little butter)
1 large onion diced
1tbsp all purpose flour
3 carrots cut into chunks
1cup crimini mushrooms halved
1tsp dried parlsey
1tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

Method

1.  Season your stew meat with salt and pepper.

2.   Heat the oil on medium high on a dutch oven.  When you're sure the pot is very hot, add a third to half of your beef pieces.  Don't overcrowd the pot or else it will get too cold and the beef won't brown nicely.  You're looking for a dark caramel sort of crust.

3.  After you've browned all your meat, set it aside and add the onions to your pot.  Lower the temp a little so they don't burn quickly.  You'll want to saute them until they're tender and translucent.  Don't worry about the brown stuff on the bottom of the pot, you want that.  If you need a bit more oil you can add that too.  I think I added a tiny bit of butter and oil.

4.  Once your onions are soft, add the flour and mix to incorporate. 

5.  Add the red wine and stir the pot to loosen all the brown bits at the bottom (deglaze it!).  Bring the wine up to a boil.

6.  Put the beef back in the pot and add the carrots, garlic, herbs and water.  Anthony Bourdain says you're looking for a ratio of 3 parts liquid to 2 parts meat.  So eyeball it.  My measurement for water is approximate. 

7.  Bring it up to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 2 hours until the beef is tender enough to mash it with a fork.  Check it every 15 to 20 minutes to make sure you still have plenty of liquid and that nothing is sticking and burning to the bottom of your pot.

8.  After about an hour and a half of simmering add your mushrooms.

9.  Taste and season with salt and pepper before serving.  Voila!

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Dear Heavenly Father,

  thank you for a week full of blessings.  Please help our little girl continue to heal well.  Please help the crazy blog writer to stay healthy through this pregnancy.  Please help us this week with our special intention!!!  Amen.