oh my gosh, you guys! this beef bourguignon is so good i don't even know where to start. i could seriously eat this dish every single day & not get sick of it. it uses simple ingredients & packs a ton of flavour. for all you red wine lovers out there this is for you. because wine is such an important part of this dish, i cannot stress enough that you should only use a quality bottle of pinot noir. i know a lot of people think it is okay to cook with a cheap wine (cough, mom), but the end results will suffer.
i prepared this dish in the most beautiful strate by cristel stew pan. the strate line is a french made collection of stainless saucepans & cookware with a modern design. it looks so pretty on that french range too, doesn't it! the coolest part about these pots & pans is that they offer removable handles & grips. so not only can you switch it from a sauce pot, to a double handled pot.. but you don't need to add the handles until you are ready to remove the pot from the stove top! a.k.a. no more burning your hands on hot handles & you can serve it straight from the pan. lastly, by removing the handles it helps save space! you can stack & fit up to 26 pots in one pot drawer. for someone who is always running out of storage space in the kitchen, this is an amazing feature.
anyways, i hope you love this recipe as much as i do! the weather will be chilly soon (fingers crossed) & we are going to need all the cozy meals to warm us up.
ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 pound double smoked bacon, diced
- 2 pounds fresh stewing beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4-5 medium carrots, sliced into 1-inch chunks
- 1 large cooking onion, sliced
- 3 cups quality pinot noir (i used cambria wines pinot noir)
- 2 cups low sodium beef stock
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 pound pearl onions, whole
- 1 pound small cremini mushrooms, halved
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 pound pappardelle, cooked to al dente (see notes)
directions
- add olive oil to a large pot over medium heat & add the bacon. cook until bacon is lightly browned & transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon. set aside until ready to use.
- add the beef cubes, working in single layer batches. sear the beef on each side until browned & season with salt + pepper. transfer to a bowl & set aside until ready to use
- in the same pot add 2 tablespoons of butter, followed by the garlic, carrots & sliced onions. Season with salt + pepper & cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes.
- add the bacon & beef back to the pot, followed by the pinot noir, beef stock, tomato paste & 1 tablespoon of thyme. place the lid on the spot & bring to a gentle simmer. let cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- in the last 30 minutes, add the pearl onions to the pot & begin to prepare the mushrooms.
- in a skillet over medium heat melt together the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter & 1 teaspoon of thyme. add the mushrooms & season with salt + pepper. cook, constantly stirring, for 10 minutes until the mushrooms begin to soften.
- spring the mushrooms with the flour & transfer to the pot. stir to combined & let simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
NOTE: i like to cook the pappardelle pasta to al dente & toss is with a little olive oil, salt + pepper. this gives in a light flavour base & ensures the noodles don't stick together.
