Hello everyone :)
Life the past few years has been busy to say the least and this year has been filled with personal turmoil so the food was forgotten, pushed to the wayside and left behind.
Recently, I have had a friend encourage me to get back to doing things I enjoy. I decided to take her up on that advice and this weekend saw a return to the kitchen. Life circumstances have changed so the kitchen is not what it once was, however, it is sufficient for everyday cooking and today I did a country style, dutch oven variation, of boeuf bourguignon with a cheesy jalapeno beer bread. Only having one oven made this a longer project than you would expect due to the cook time with the stew, but overall it is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Lets get stared with the stew
Boeuf bourguignon is a classic French stew with cuts of beef, onion, garlic, and mushrooms slow cooked in a savoury red wine sauce. It is one of the truly classic takes on a beef stew and was popularized by Julia Child. In this recipe you have some of the same ingredients with a country twist in the dutch oven. It can of course be completed in any casserole dish you have a home.
To start, you will need some beef which has been cut in to pieces as you desire. I used the smaller cubed stew meat that I already had on hand by but if you are at the butcher shop a chuck roast cut into individual portions is an appropriate choice. Keep in mind that the smaller the pieces of meat you use the shorter your cook time will need to be. Heat a pan with a couple table spoons of olive oil and brown the meat on a high or medium high heat. Make sure your meat is dry as this ensures you are browning, not steaming, the meat. After the meat has browned transfer the pieces to your dutch oven or casserole dish. The glazing left behind in your pan will form the base of your red wine sauce. De-glaze the hot pan with about 3-4 cups of red wine. I chose a mid range cabernet sauvignon for my sauce but a merlot or pinot noir would also be just fine. Add to the pan about 2-3 cups of beef stock, a couple springs of fresh thyme, a bay leaf, 3 cloves of garlic (yes, I like garlic and you can use less if desired). The amount of liquid used will vary on the amount of stew you are making. Heat the sauce to a simmer and taste. You should capture the flavor of the wine prominently with undercurrents of the broth and thyme. Pour this over your meat in the casserole dish. Add small new potatoes that have been halved. Quartering the potatoes is appropriate as well depending on their size. You don't want them to be over cooked so be careful not to use diced pieces. I used about 6 small potatoes of varying color including purple. Add 3 sliced carrots and one sliced onion to the dish as well and mushrooms if desired. Cook at 325 until the meat and potatoes are tender. For me, this took about two hours.
When the meat is tender remove the stew from the pot leaving all of the liquid. Thicken this using beurre manie. Using softened butter take one tablespoon of butter and knead it with one tablespoon of flour. When they are combined whisk the mixture into the liquid. This is typically done on a one to one ratio with the amount of liquid you have. So, for one cup of liquid use one tablespoon of thickener. Add the stew back to the liquid and it is ready to serve.
A couple things to consider in planning this meal. If you are using larger pieces of meat you will want to wait before adding the veggies as they will cook in a shorter timeframe than the beef. They may take 1-2 hours while a larger cut of meat will easily take 3 hours if not more at this temperature. Also a note for those using purple potatoes. They are starchier than the red or yellow variety and therefore they cook longer and absorb more liquid. I needed to create another red wine reduction for the sauce at the end to make sure there was enough.
On to the bread
Beer bread is a quick and easy addition to any meal. It takes less than an hour start to finish and is always packed with flavor.
In a bowl whisk together 3 cups of flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup sugar. To this well combined mixture add any other non liquid ingredients such as 1 cup of cheese or 1/4 cup diced jalapeños and mix well. Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in one 12 oz beer. Combine but do not over mix. Place in a prepared loaf pan, brush with melted butter then bake for approximately 45 minutes.
This meal can be cooked over a campfire or in the family kitchen for a flavorful dinner that everyone will enjoy.
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