Beef is one of the world’s healthiest foods. For being so spectacularly rich and nutritious, beef is best with vegetables. With that, you get about enough omega-3 fats, calcium, Vitamin E and proteins.

This dish sounds fancy and meals like this tend to make my family a little giddy about how it’s made. They drill me about every detail of the dish because they like to test me especially on the name. My friend Google saves me a lot.

I found out that Beef bourguignon or bœuf bourguignon and boeuf à la Bourguignonne is also called beef Burgundy. The recipe (not the beef) is named after Burgundy, a region in France. This steaming red meat cooked on the best sauce and paired with vegetables is a traditional French recipe. Personally, I think their beef recipes are brilliant and should be on every dinner table. Trust me, you’ll agree with me on this one a hundred percent.

Ingredients

  • 1 whole head garlic
  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 cups dry red wine
  • 4 thick bacon slices, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
  • 3 1/2 pounds boneless beef cross-rib roast, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 3 large fresh thyme sprigs
  • 3 large fresh sage sprigs
  • 3 large fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 cups (or more) canned beef broth
  • 12 ounces pearl onions
  • 3 bunches baby carrots, trimmed, peeled
  • 12 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, quartered

Description

  1. Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F. Then take a large piece of foil and place the garlic on it. Add the 2 tablespoons of wine and wrap the foil around to enclose it. Place in the oven and roast for 40 minutes. Let cool after. Press garlic between fingertips to release from skins and set aside.
  2. Warm a large pot and then cook the bacon for 10 minutes or until it turns brown. Remove and dry over paper towels. Save the drippings into a small bowl. Take about 2 tablespoons of it. Increase the heat and cook the beef in batches. It takes about 7 minutes to cook per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer meat to a large bowl.
  3. Reduce the heat this time to medium-low. Next, add the chopped onions and carrots to the pot. Sauté this for 5 minutes. Then mix in the flour and add the cooked beef including its accumulated juices. Stir in tomato paste and herb sprigs, bay leaves, roasted garlic and 2 cups of wine. Simmer this mixture for 15 minutes. Add 3 cups broth, cover and then simmer again for an hour and a half. Stir occasionally. Uncover and then simmer for another 1 and 1/2 hours. Remove the herb sprigs and bay leaves.
  4. In a large saucepan, cook pearl onion on salted water for 2 minutes. Then transfer the onion to a medium-sized bowl using a strainer. Cool slightly and then peel. Bring water to a boil and cook carrots for 4 minutes. Drain and transfer to the bowl of iced water. (Bacon, stew and vegetables can be prepared a day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.)
  5. Heat up the 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings on a large skillet using medium to high heat. Add the mushroom, sauté until golden brown for about 6 minutes. Next, add in the pearl onions, carrots and cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Bring this stew to simmer, thinning with more broth. Stir bacon and 2/3 of the vegetables into stew. Transfer to large bowl and top with the remaining vegetables.