Notes 185
Food Item: Braised Beef in Red Wine Sauce
Yield:8 servings
Beef Bourguignon is a classic French dish known for its slow, moist cooking technique and
deep rich sauce. The dish features the rich, meaty characteristics of beef with the substantial
cooking method of braising. This item is very wine-friendly and provides an opportunity to
marry the wine used in its preparation with the wine served as its accompaniment. This is
one reason why red Burgundies go so well with Beef Bourguignon. The traditional preparation
calls for red Burgundy (Pinot Noir), but other red varietals can be substituted to produce a
fine final product.Ingredients
4 lb (1.8 kg) trimmed beef, cut into 1-inch
(2.5 cm) cubes
Salt
Black pepper
Flour for dredging
6 oz (170 g) bacon, diced(^1) / 4 c (60 ml) olive oil
11 / 2 c (355 ml) sliced onions
11 / 2 c (355 ml) peeled baby carrots
(^1) / 4 c (60 ml) peeled and thinly sliced garlic
2 c (470 ml) button mushrooms
2 c (470 ml) dry red wine
3 c (710 ml) beef stock or canned beef broth
1 c (240 ml) diced tomatoes, fresh or canned
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs thyme
(^1) / 4 c (60 ml) parsley, chopped
1 tbsp (15 ml) chopped thyme
Preparation
Season the beef cubes generously with salt and black
pepper. Dredge the seasoned beef in the flour. In a
heavy skillet or rondo, sauté bacon in the olive oil
until lightly browned over medium-high heat.
Remove the crisp bacon from skillet and drain on
paper towels. Brown the beef in the hot fat in batches,
being careful not to crowd the pan or burn the beef.
When nicely browned, add the onions, carrots, garlic,
and mushrooms to the pan. Continue cooking over
medium-high heat for 8–10 minutes, until the
vegetables are caramelized. Add the red wine, beef
broth, tomato, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and cooked
bacon to the pan. Incorporate the browned bits into
this mixture by scraping the bottom of the pan. Bring
the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover
the skillet and cook slowly for 2^1 / 2 –3 hours, until meat
is very tender. Before serving, add chopped parsley
and thyme and adjust the seasoning with salt and
black pepper, if needed.
NOTES
- M. Bennion and B. Scheule,Introductory Foods,12th ed.
(Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson–Prentice Hall,
2004), 142.
2. R. J. Harrington and R. Hammond, ‘‘Which Wine
with Chicken, Pork or Beef? The Impact of Food and
Wine Texture Elements on Perceived Match,’’Proceed-
ing of the 2006 I-CHRIE Conference,in press.