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Boeuf Bourguignon by Julia Child

Author Lina
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Julia Child’s classic boeuf bourguignon

Ingredients

  • 1 kg beef (it is best to choose the scapula or the nape of the neck)
  • 1/2 dry red wine bottle
  • 375 ml beef broth about
  • 2-3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp tomato sauce
  • spices: thyme, a few bay leaves
  • 15 small bulbs about
  • 300 g Pilgrims
  • 60-70 g butter (for frying and thickening the sauce)
  • 1-2 tbsp oil
  • flour: for thickening the sauce
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Beef stew

  1. Fry the beef, cut into large pieces and well drained, in portions in a heated mixture of butter and oil, until nicely browned on all sides. Put the meat in a stewpan, pour red wine, beef broth, stir in a spoonful of tomato sauce, press in the garlic, add the thyme and throw in the bay leaves. Cover and roast in an oven preheated to 160°C for 3-4 hours until the beef is completely tender. Do not forget to check that the liquid has not evaporated, and if this happens, add more wine or water, and then pour the broth carefully, because when the broth evaporates, the salt remains and there is a risk that the beef and the sauce will be oversalted.

Attachments

  1. While the meat is stewing, prepare the mushrooms and onions. Cut the onions crosswise, put them in a small pot, fill them with water (so that they are half covered), add a spoonful of butter, a pinch of salt and cook for about 15 minutes. Cut the champignons and fry briefly in very hot butter with a splash of oil. Fry for a short time - they should rise and brown, but in no case should they be able to release their juices.

Sauce and serving

  1. Remove the beef from the pot and set aside temporarily. Strain the remaining liquid, place on the heat and thicken with the prepared beurre manié (butter and flour mixture) until you have a perfectly silky sauce. Return the beef to the prepared sauce, add the overturned onions and fried mushrooms. Stir gently for a few minutes to allow the flavors to meld. At this stage, stop braising to keep the texture of the vegetables. Taste and only now, if necessary, add salt and freshly ground pepper.

Notes

Culinary term: The mixture of butter and flour used to thicken the sauce is called beurre manié (ball of butter) in French cuisine. The proportion is simple: 1 tbsp. flour + 1 tbsp. of softened butter ideally thickens 250 ml of liquid.