Beef Stew, Burgundy-Style

By corlear

Boeuf Bourguignonne

Marc is a pungent brandy distilled from the grapeskins and seeds after wine is made.

Ingredients

• 3 1b. boneless beef shoulder, chuck or round, trimmed of excess 10Lond cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 or 2 bay leaves, crumbled
• black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 bottle red wine
• 1 1/2 tbsp. lard
• 1/2 1b. salt pork with the rind removed, blanched for 3 minutes, drained and cut into large dice
• 3 tbsp. marc or other brandy
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste
• 24 small boiling onions, peeled
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

Put the cubes of meat into a large bowl; add the sliced onion, chopped parsley, thyme, bay leaves and a good pinch of crushed peppercorns. Pour in the olive oil and the wine and let the mixture marinate for 3 hours, turning the meat four or five times.

Melt the lard in a large pot over low heat, add the saltpork dice and saute them for about 10 minutes. Drain the cubes of meat, reserving the marinade. Add the meat cubes to the pot, place it over medium heat and brown the cubes well on all sides.

Heat the marc or other brandy in a small, heavy pan, set the liquor alight and pour it over the meat when the flames have died. Reduce the heat to low and sprinkle the flour over the meat, stirring well until the meat is coated with flour. Add the stock, the reserved marinade and the garlic; cover the pot and simmer for 2 hours.

While the stew is cooking, saute the small onions in the butter over low heat. Add the sauteed onions to the stew after it has been cooking for 2 hours. Season with salt to taste, replace the lid and cook the stew for another hour.