Boeuf bourguignon – French beef stew

Preheat the oven to 160°C using conventional top and bottom heat. Have ready a heavy pot with a lid, with a capacity of about 5 liters and a diameter of 26–28 cm; the pot, handles, and lid must all be suitable for oven use. You will also need a wide skillet. Cut the beef into cubes about 4 cm across and pat very dry with paper towels. Cut the carrots into pieces about 2 cm thick, dice the yellow onion, and finely chop the garlic. Peel the pearl onions, leaving the base intact so they do not fall apart during cooking. Halve the small mushrooms. Chop the parsley and set aside for serving. Measure the remaining ingredients.

Put the bacon in the pot and cook over medium heat for about 6–8 minutes, until some of the fat has rendered and the bacon is lightly browned. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot. Season the beef lightly with salt and pepper just before browning. Increase the heat to medium-high, add some of the 20 ml oil reserved for the beef, and brown the meat in 3–4 batches, allowing about 6–8 minutes per batch. Leave space between the pieces and wait until the undersides are deeply browned before turning. The meat should develop a brown crust while the center remains raw. Add the remaining oil gradually between batches. Transfer the browned beef to the plate with the bacon. Keep the brown bits on the bottom of the pot; lower the heat if they begin to turn black.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the yellow onion and carrots to the pot after removing the beef. Cook for about 6–8 minutes, stirring, until the onion softens and the vegetables brown in places. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute. Sprinkle in the flour, coat the vegetables thoroughly, and stir for another minute. If the bottom of the pot gets too dark, lower the heat and proceed straight to adding the wine.

First pour in about 150 ml of the measured wine. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen the brown bits from the bottom and blend in the flour without lumps. Gradually pour in the remaining wine and cook for about 3–4 minutes. Return the beef, bacon, and all the juices from the plate to the pot. Add 400 ml broth, the thyme, and the bay leaves. The liquid should reach roughly 3/4 of the way up the layer of meat; it is fine for the tops to remain exposed. If the level is clearly too low in a wide pot, add a little hot water from the reserve of up to 200 ml. Bring just to a gentle simmer. The sauce will still be fairly thin at this stage; keep the pearl onions and mushrooms separate.

Cover the pot and place it on the middle rack of the oven. Braise for about 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours, until a fork slides easily into the beef and a piece begins to separate under gentle pressure. After about 90 minutes, stir carefully and check the liquid. It should only bubble gently; if it is boiling vigorously, lower the temperature to 150°C. If too much sauce has evaporated and it is at risk of sticking, add hot water from the remaining reserve in 50 ml increments, cover again, and continue braising. Check for tenderness after 2 hours and 30 minutes. Firm beef needs more time, usually in additional intervals of 15–20 minutes; the timing depends on the cut of beef. Prepare the onions and mushrooms during roughly the last 45 minutes of braising.

Melt 15 g butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the peeled pearl onions and cook for about 4–5 minutes, turning gently. Pour in 150 ml water, add a small pinch of salt, and cover. Simmer gently for about 12–15 minutes, until the onions are almost tender. Uncover and cook for another 5–8 minutes, until the water evaporates and the onions are tender and lightly golden; transfer to a plate. Heat some of the remaining 10 ml oil and 15 g butter in the same skillet. Cook the mushrooms over medium-high heat in two batches for about 6–8 minutes each, dividing the fat between the batches. Do not stir without a pause: let the cut surfaces brown. Season with pepper and a little salt. Once the second batch is cooked, return the first batch and the onions to the skillet and combine gently. Set aside to add to the beef.

Take the pot out of the oven, remembering that the handles and lid are hot. Remove the bay leaves and thyme stems. If the sauce is watery, transfer the tender beef to a bowl with a slotted spoon, cover loosely, and reduce the sauce on the stovetop without a lid for about 5–10 minutes. It should lightly coat the back of a spoon while remaining pourable; do not reduce it to a thick paste. Return the meat to the pot. If the sauce already has the right consistency, skip the reduction. Add the onions, mushrooms, and their juices. Warm everything gently for about 5 minutes, stirring carefully to keep the large pieces of beef intact. Taste and make the final adjustments with salt and pepper only now.

Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the finely chopped parsley. Divide into six servings, spooning out the meat along with the sauce, carrots, mushrooms, and onions. Serve hot with potatoes or bread prepared separately. These accompaniments are not included in the ingredient list or the estimated nutritional values.