I am obsessed with French food; it is my all-time favorite. I eat as much as I can :-) Recently, I've had a few requests for my beef bourguignon recipe and I’m happy to share with y’all. I'm fully aware that the name of this recipe can be a little bit intimidating (trust me I was scared at first too), but don’t let it hold you back. I actually use a crockpot for this recipe! You can do this too my friends!
While I’m a HUGE fan of Julia Child, this isn't her recipe. I took the time to develop this recipe, and there was a lot of trial and error, but I like to think the Julia would be proud of my investment in this recipe while trying my best to preserve the French authenticity of the dish. I hope that you all like it as much as we do
Ingredients:
1 tbs EVOO
8 oz. applewood smoked bacon, chopped
¼ cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1 chicken bouillon
6-8 oz. carrots, chopped
4 oz. sliced mushrooms, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
6 oz. tomato paste
3 garlic gloves, chopped
1 tbs ground thyme
½ cup all-purpose flour
1½ cups cabernet sauvignon
In this version of beef bourguignon, potatoes are not included in the stew, but instead the stew is served over mashed potatoes. Please don't be skimpy and use boxed mashed potatoes; it DOES matter. Besides, if you're making such a famous French dish go all out and enjoy yourself with the good stuff life has to offer. My mashed potato recipe has never been written down (because I mix based on taste not measurement) but this is a mashed potato recipe that I highly recommend. Maybe one day I will get around to writing my recipe for potatoes down for you.
Directions:
1. Season beef with salt and pepper, and place half (about 1 lb.) in a slow cooker. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, and brown the rest of the beef on all sides. Then transfer the rest of the beef to the slow cooker.
2. In the same skillet that you browned the beef in, cook the bacon until it’s crisp. While the bacon is cooking, add soy sauce, water, chicken bouillon, carrots, and mushrooms to the beef in the crockpot. Turn the crockpot onto low.
3. Add the shallots to the bacon and cook until the shallots are translucent. Stir in the garlic & thyme and cook for 30 seconds (remember that garlic burns easily so continue to stir frequently). Add in the tomato paste and flour, and stir for 1 minute (It will become very lumpy & thick). Slowly stir in wine being sure to scrape down any yummy bits and pieces from the edges of the skillet- this will begin to resemble of wine roux. Continue to whisk the wine mixture until the lumps become smooth, and then transfer it to your crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours, or high for 6 hours. I honestly, will start mine before going to bed and let it cook on warm over night so that at dinner it is so tender and the flavors have had ample time to fall in love and marry :-)
4. Serve over rich mashed potatoes, and Enjoy!
