Beef Burgundy

Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• bouquet garni (directions follow)
• 1/4 cup butter or 1/4 cup margarine
• 16 small onions, peeled
• 6 slices bacon, diced
• 4 lbs boneless beef chuck, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup brandy, warmed (optional)
• 2 cups burgundy wine or 2 cups dry red wine
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 cups small mushrooms, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cold water
• salt and pepper
• hot cooked rice (optional) or hot cooked noodles (optional)

Recipe

• 1 bouquet garni: tie in a square of damp cheesecloth: 1 carrot (quartered), 1 celery top, 1 dry bay leaf, 1 or 2 parsley sprigs, and 1 fresh thyme sprig (or 1 teaspoon dry thyme).
• 2 prepare bouquet garni; set side.
• 3 melt butter in a large, heavy pan over medium heat.
• 4 add onions and bacon; cook, stirring often, until onions are lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
• 5 lift out onions and bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• 6 add beef to pan, a portion at a time (do not crowd pan).
• 7 cook, turning as needed, until well browned on all sides.
• 8 if using brandy, move pan into an open area, away from exhaust fans and flammable items.
• 9 add brandy to pan and ignite; shake or tilt pan until flame dies.
• 10 return all meat to pan; add burgundy, garlic, mushrooms, the 1 1/2 cups water, bouquet garni, onions, and bacon.
• 11 bring to a boil; then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meat is tender when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours.
• 12 with a slotted spoon, transfer meat, mushrooms, and onions to a serving dish; keep warm.
• 13 pour meat juices through a fine wire strainer set over a medium-size pan; discard residue in strainer.
• 14 in a small bowl, mix flour and the 1/2 cup water to make a smooth paste.
• 15 stir flour mixture into meat juices; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce is thick and smooth.
• 16 season to taste with salt and pepper.
• 17 pour sauce over meat and vegetables.
• 18 if made ahead, let cool; then cover and refrigerate until next day.
• 19 to reheat, transfer to a baking dish; cover and bake in a 350*f (175*c) oven until bubbly and heated through, about 35 minutes.
• 20 serve over hot cooked rice or noodles, if desired.
• 21 kiwidutch notes: first of all i skipped the brandy part of the recipe -- i made this on the stove top and the flavour was good but the meat was ever so slightly tough, so then i made this as an oven dish, but as with the first attempt, without the mushrooms dh said it was missing some flavour, but that the basis was good -- so i bought some cheap stewing beef a third time, and tried again, using the pressure cooker.
• 22 thinking that the addition of a vegetable might improve the flavour i added a head of broccoli (chopped) into the mix and pressure cooked for 30 minutes. the result was a slightly messy looking beef stew, but the taste was vastly improved and dh loved it -- so it's going to stay firmly in my cookbook with the additions that suit our needs and tastes. it's a cheap and easy meal to make, and went well over our roast potatoes.
• 23 with only stars given in the reviews to date (july 2005) i am not certain how else people might wish me to try and improve this recipe. therefore i give you my own experiences and ideas and would appreciate your feedback if you would like to experiment further with this one :).