Bœuf Bourguignon à la R

A certified classic, this recipe has been featured on numerous cooking shows and in cookbooks around the world. 

^^^  renowned chef Julia Child ^^^

aka lazy style

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about it:

Beef bourguignon (US pron.: /ˌbiːf ˌbʊərɡɨnˈjɔːn/) or bœuf bourguignon (UK /ˌbɜrf ˈbʊərɡɨnjɔːn/ & French pronunciation: ​[bœf buʁ.ɡi.ɲɔ̃]), also called Beef Burgundy, and boeuf à la Bourguignonne,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, as do many of the more well-known French dishes such as coq au vin, escargot, persillé ham, oeufs meurette, gougères, pain d'epices, epoisses, etc.

It is a stew prepared with beef braised in red wine, traditionally red Burgundy, and beef broth, generally flavoured with garlic, onions and a bouquet garni, with pearl onions and mushrooms added towards the end of cooking.


Beef bourguignon is one of many examples of peasant dishes being slowly refined into haute cuisine. Most likely, the particular method of slowly simmering the beef in wine originated as a means of tenderizing cuts of meat that would have been too tough to cook any other way.

Over time, the dish became a standard of French cuisine. The recipe most people still follow to make an authentic beef bourguignon was first described by Auguste Escoffier. That recipe, however, has undergone subtle changes, owing to changes in cooking equipment and available food supplies.

Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking describes the dish, sauté de boeuf à la Bourguignonne, as "certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man."

It's delicious history aside, the version I originally learned was from my mother's copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. The version I am posting here for your enjoyment is a overly simplified one that doesn't require a single drop of cooking knowledge. As long as you have time to chop a few things, you can make this without batting an eyelash. Unless you add onions... but I have a fix for that. :)

Epicurean Tip: This is somehow even more delicious when eaten the next day! 

Entertaining Tip: This is a great choice if you're hosting a party and don't want to get stressed. Just make it the night before!

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of wine
• 1 package of stew meat
• a bunch of carrots
• around 6 medium sized potatoes
• 1 1/2 cup of pearl onions
• about a tablespoons worth of rosemary
• at least half a stick of butter
• 1 cup of water
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Toss the meat and water into a large pot with a lid and simmer.
2. Chop potatoes and carrots and toss in the pot. 
3. Add in what would half of the bottle of wine after you've set aside a hearty glass for yourself and maybe another person.
4. Stir.
5. Lower the heat to the lowest setting, cover with the lid and leave it the hell alone for 3 hours.
6. Pour in the rest of the wine and drop in the butter, rosemary and onions.
7. Stir.
8. Re-cover and leave alone for at least an hour. 
9. At this point in time you can either serve it, leave it to simmer longer or store in the fridge. 

Super short on time or feeling super lazy? 

Throw all the ingredients in at once and allow to simmer.

My Additional Recommendations

I like/love to use Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages wine. 

It retails for about $15 and is great for drinking too!

Much to my mother's chagrin, I like/love to use a full stick of butter.

If you don't want to use pearl onions, it's perfectly acceptable to chop a regular sized one.

Honestly you can put in however many carrots, potatoes, meat and onions in you want. The more ingredients the better in my opinion. 

Just don't over-salt or over-pepper. 

I suggest making a huge batch of it so you'll have plenty for leftovers. 

Might need more wine though.