Boeuf Bourguignon3 pounds lean stew beef (chuck, round), cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes3 cups (1 bottle) hearty red wine (Beaujolais or Ctes du Rhne are flavorful and not too costly) 4 tablespoons Cognac 1 bouquet garni (1 sprig thyme, 1 bay leaf, 10 parsley stems) 6 black peppercorns 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 5 large onions 3 large carrots 1/2 pound slab bacon (or pancetta) Freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Sea salt, to taste 1 garlic clove 30 pearl onions (fresh -- not from a bottle) 1/4 pound fresh mushroom caps In a large mixing bowl, combine beef cubes with the wine, 3 tablespoons Cognac, the bouquet garni, a few peppercorns and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Set aside to marinate for at least 2 hours, but not overnight. Peel and chop the onions and carrots. Remove rind from the bacon and cut the meat into 1-inch pieces. Blanch bacon in boiling water for several seconds. Drain and pat dry. Remove beef from the marinade with a slotted spoon and pat dry. (If the meat is not dry, it will not brown.) Reserve the marinade. Heat a Dutch oven or a large, deep-sided saute pan with a tight-fitting lid and film it with oil. Saute the bacon until it is lightly browned. Remove bacon from the pan and set aside to drain on paper towels. Leave any bacon fat in the pan. Add the remaining vegetable oil to the pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in it, and when it is very hot add the beef to the pan (in 2 batches, if necessary) and sear on all sides. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the beef from the pan. Add the chopped onions and carrots to the pan and saute the mixture until onions become translucent. Return the beef and bacon to the pan. Add the marinade and bouquet garni to the pan and bring everything to a boil. Add unpeeled but lightly crushed garlic. Cover and simmer over low heat until beef is tender -- about 2 1/2 hours -- and the sauce is a rich, dark brown. Wipe the mushroom caps with a piece of paper towel. Peel the pearl onions, and cut an "x" in the root end of each with a small, sharp knife. Melt the remaining butter in another skillet. Add the onions and mushrooms and saute quickly over medium high heat without browning. Set aside. When the beef has finished cooking, remove it and the bacon from the cooking liquid with a slotted spoon. Strain the liquid through a sieve or strainer. Press to get all the juices out of the vegetables you will be discarding. Return the sauce to the pan with the beef and bacon. (If the sauce seems too thin, mix 2 teaspoons of potato starch with 1/4 cup of the cool sauce before returning to the pan.) Add the mushrooms, pearl onions and the remaining Cognac. Warm the stew until it is completely heated through. To Freeze: Freeze in freezer safe container. To Reheat: Reheat in covered pot until heated through. |