I’ve made mushroom bourguignon before, but I wanted to try the real stuff—well, as real as I could get to it, while still keeping kosher. So I bought myself some facon and got cooking!
Okay, so this isn’t the most photogenic dinner in the world, but don’t let that deter you!
For some reason I thought it was harder to make than it turned out to be. It was also fun a lot of fun, especially the part that I got to light it on fire! I mean, we’re always using fire in the kitchen, obviously, but I’ve never taken a match to my dinner until now. It tasted like wine, but I didn’t think it was too overpowering. If you’d like, save half the bottle to drink with dinner, and replace some of the liquid with beef stock or water.
I’d like to try this out in the slow cooker. It’s slow-cooked, after all!
Kosher Beef Bourguignon Recipe adapted from Ina Garten
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 package facon, diced
- 2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
- 2 yellow onions, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup Cognac (I used three little airplane bottles, because I found them in my parents house and didn’t want to buy a whole bottle…)
- 1 (750 ml.) bottle dry red wine (I used Baron Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon, because that’s what I found in my house)
- 1 can tomato paste
- 3 sprigs fresh time (1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup frozen pearl onions
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees (I was cooking a bunch of other things at the same time, so my oven was at 350 and everything turned out fine).
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the facon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large plate.
- Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper and sear it in a single layer in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.
- Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine, tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.
- Meanwhile, saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of oil for 10 minutes until lightly browned.
- Combine 2 tablespoons of oil and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew.
- Add the frozen onions, sauteed mushrooms and olive oil and flour mixture to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.
- Serve over rice, crusty bread, egg noodles or plain, sprinkled with some parsley. Enjoy.
