Boeuf Bourguignon

(Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy)

May: National Beef Month

Like most food bloggers, we were inspired to launch our own, HI Cookery, after the book (by Julia Powell) and movie, “Julie and Julia,” (Sony Pictures) came out. We wanted to try cooking and blogging about the various French foods mentioned in both media. But some of the recipes, like boeuf bourguignon, were just too time consuming and complicated to prepare. We cheated a bit by simmering our stew in a slow cooker and then garnishing it with pearl onions and mushrooms later for a flavorful French meal. While there are many versions of beef stew, try this classic one with burgundy wine. Cheers to fellow food bloggers on National Beef Month!

Recipe

(Adapted from Crock-Pot and Ottawa Citizen)

For the beef burgundy

• 1/3  pound thickly sliced bacon, cut into 1 inch strips
• 3 pounds stew beef, cut into bite size cubes
• ¼ cup flour
• olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup baby carrots
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 – 1½ cups beef stock
• 1 – 1½ cup burgundy wine
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large skillet, fry up the bacon.  Transfer to the bottom of the slow cooker (we line ours with Reynolds brand slow cooker liners for easier cleanup). Dredge the beef into the flour and shake off excess.

Brown in the same skillet used to fry the bacon, adding a little olive oil each time to avoid sticking to the bottom.  Mix the beef with the bacon in the slow cooker. Prepare the vegetables.

In the same skillet, stir fry the onion, carrots and garlic until slightly brown.  Transfer to the slow cooker. Pour the beef stock and wine in the slow cooker and stir.  The liquid should cover the contents of the slow cooker.

Add the tomato paste, dried thyme and bay leaves.  Stir.  Cook in the slow cooker for 4-6 hours. Season with salt and pepper. During the last hour of cooking, prepare the pearl onion and mushroom garnish.

For the pearl onion garnish

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 24 pearl onions, peeled
• ½ cup beef stock
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf

Directions

Heat the olive oil and melt the butter together in small pot until bubbling.  Saute the onions and brown them evenly.  Add beef stock, thyme and bay leaf.  Cover, lower heat and watch until the onions are caramelized with minimum liquid leftover.  Set aside.

For the mushroom garnish

• 1 pound medium sized white mushrooms, washed and quartered
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Saute mushrooms in butter until brown.  Set aside. Check the slow cooker to make sure the liquid has not evaporated.  Stir in the pearl onions and mushrooms. Simmer for another 15 minutes.  Transfer to a serving bowl.  Decorate with parsley.