Nest by Tamara's Weekday Supper: French Beef Bourguignon made a little bit easy (in under two hours)

Musing About A Traditional 

French Beef Bourguignon, 

But Made Simply

During the Holidays I love to Prepare Beef Bourguignon

and envision I live in a house 

with a thousand stockings on a beautiful fireplace

use two pans- 

a cast iron for the frying and 

secondly, a deep Le Creuset pan for the long cooking process

The Grand Dame of cooking and original cookbook with her long version

Several ago I read the story of Julie and Julia about how this author unabashedly prepared each and every Julia Child's recipes from her famous French cookbook series. From her Brooklyn apartment and on a tight budget, Julie Powell powered through each complicated recipe over the course of a year.  The project became a way for her to write about her experiences, and she became a "food blogger" (before we knew what a blog was).  Julie discovered much about herself, learned to cook, yet gained weight to boot.  The project was time consuming, and at times it took over here life as she documented the labors of creating these elaborate recipes.  I met Julie Powell at my daughter's school where she signed copies of the book during our book fair.  Soon after, I began penning my own blog here where I muse about daily living through my designing, cooking and entertaining.  So, without further ado, I bring you my version of Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon.  It's a complicated dish, so let me shorten it a tad.  Julia Child is an icon, and her story is inspiring (for another post).  

First, what is Beef Bourguignon?

Beef bourguignon also called beef Burgundy, and boeuf à la Bourguignonne,^[2] is a well-known, traditional French recipe. The dish originates from the Burgundy region (in French, Bourgogne) which is in the east of present-day France.  It is a stew prepared with beef braised in red wine, traditionally red Burgundy, and beef broth, generally flavoured with garlic, onionsand a bouquet garni, with pearl onions and mushrooms added towards the end of cooking.  -Wikepedia

My quicker version takes a little under two hours

(the original 5 hour version) 

I made last year for 
our French Country Culinary Dinner Club 

Ingredients look a little been more beautiful 

for the long 5-hour version (if you feel inspired)

About Julie Powell and Julia Child- The experience of cooking Julia Child's recipes changed Powell, and we changed right along with her.  Well, then there was a movie and a career was born as well.  It was inspiring to read and I came away just as enthusiastic about cooking as I had always been, but struck with the notion that we can't have it all in life, especially all at the same time.  I have been a huge fan of Julia Child and her series of cookbooks.  She was not a professional cook until she moved to France and took cooking classes, well, you have probably seen the movie so you know the story. Julia Child is credited with introducing French cooking to the American kitchen.  

In my humble opinion, there still remains a little bit of a disconnect. We all know how difficult it is to become master chefs, wonderfully committed parents, devoted wives or husbands, juggle successful careers and keep gorgeous homes, staying well-read and while looking smashing to boot.  Something has to give! However, the French are adept at living in the moment, savoring the beauty of day to day life and living life to the fullest. When I travel to France, I return home in awe of the culture, the food, the lifestyle, and the simple yet elegant way in which they live.  

We Americans  are inclined to wait for those special occasions to bring out the "good" china and silver, and as a result, we miss out on the beauty and value of the everyday.  Our meals become fast, uninspired and not a celebration of life. Understandably, when we get to the kitchen after a long work day, we are  too tired to add "cooking like Julia Child" to our list of accomplishments.  Since the days of Julia Child showing housewives how to cook, we have evolved as a nation in the food department.  Many Americans now know about the food-to-table movement, and use sophisticated terminology and ingredients. We collectively love to cook and eat healthy while utilizing fresh ingredients.  Today, we want delicious, fresh fare, we even want to prepare it but we would like to spend less time in the kitchen. 

       

What you need for a good (but easy) Beef Bourguignon-

which takes the 5 hour version down to a total of two hours.  The entire reason Julia's recipe is so incredible is it cooks slowly while the meat is braised, tenderized over time with wine, lardon, onions, etc....  Today's version takes out some of the laborious steps- for instance; I replace the lardon with a couple strips of bacon for flavor (not quite as amazing as the original, but very good indeed).

Step 1: for my 2 hour version, buy these ingredients-

note--precut mushrooms, carton broth (instead of homemade), pre peeled garlic and onions, baby carrots pre-peeled, tube tomato paste--these items can save you lots of time of preparation. The cutting, and food prep is the most time consuming part of this recipe, so if you splurge to buy these ingredients already cut, peeled, etc., it makes a difference.  However, since writing this post, I no longer use baby carrots and prefer for the original farm stand versions, but still use the other shortcuts- especially the pre-peeled pearl baby onions because boiling those and peeling each one is quite time consuming. 

1 package peeled baby carrots 

(no peeling or chopping)
1 onion
1 packet peeled baby onions 
4 smashed garlic (already peeled)
2 cups red wine
2 cups beef broth (in the carton)
2 lbs. bite sized beef 

(top round--ask the butcher to cut it up for you)
frozen peas
1 package sliced mushroom 
1 squeeze of tube of tomato paste
1 bay leaf
salt, pepper and Herbes de Provence, one bay leaf
2 slices of bacon cut into small strips 
sprinkle of flour

STEP 2: Save time and use only two pans

2. Use only one frying pan (cast iron) and a 

and casserole dish that can go from stove top to oven (I have Le Creuset) and using only two pans can minimize your clean up. 

invest in a large cast iron frying pan. I have a black cast iron, and never wash it (really), just wipe it clean and flavor it with olive oil after using.  

MAKE THIS DISH: Saute bacon for two minutes -- set aside.  

In same cast iron pan, brown meat on both sides -- put aside with bacon.  

In same pan, saute brown large onion chopped and carrots.  

Mix all these together sprinkle with flour, then put in a casserole dish (I use Le Creuset that has an oven safe top for later use) uncovered for five minutes at 470 degrees. After five minutes, reduce heat to 375 add half of liquid (wine and broth combined but save half on the side).  

Note:  Only cover the meat slightly with liquid for braising -- should not be swimming in broth.  

Add the herbs, garlic and tomato paste.  

Toss and cook covered (with the Le Creuset top now) for 1 hour and 45 minutes.  While cooking- saute the pearl onions in that same cast iron pan you still have on the stove until they are browned on all sides, then add the remaining broth to the onions and simmer for 30 minutes.  

Put aside in a bowl.  In the same cast iron pan, now saute mushrooms in butter and olive oil combination until brown -- combine the mushrooms and onions together and set aside.  

Thaw the peas on the counter.  

When the hour and 45 minutes is up, take the beef out of the oven and add the peas, mushrooms and onions together and put back in the oven for ten more minutes.  

While in the oven, boil water and cook the egg noodles till firm.  In each bowl put a small dollop of egg noodles and ladle the beef on top.  

Serve with crusty bread, red wine and a simple green salad.   

Feeling ambitious and want to make the authentic, 5 hour rendition, 

check out Food.Com Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon

Make It Pretty-

set an inviting table--a little creativity goes a long way.  Not an over-the-top-to-impress table but something you feel inspires and creates a cozy gathering.  Tonight I snipped some greens and flowers off the back patio in my potted garden and added them to a mason jar, then put it on a silver tray with some apples and a bottle of wine.  You can use fresh greenery, plants, a bowl of lemons, artichokes, pumpkins or apples--

we opted to sit at the kitchen island rather than the dining room, 
but we enjoyed a delicious dinner just the same. 
Happy Nesting XO

Tamara