After the omelette, this may be the best known standard of French cuisine. What better test of the Wal-Mart pantry, as well as my own skill?
The recipe:
-1/4 lb. sliced bacon
-2 1/2 lb. chuck roast
-Sea Salt
-2 shallots, roughly chopped
-1/2 cup dry red wine
-2 cups beef broth
-6 button mushrooms, sliced
-1 tsp. dried oregano
-1 tsp. dried thyme
-2 tsp. dried tarragon
-1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the bacon in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake 10-12 minutes. Crumble the bacon and reserve the grease.
While the bacon is cooking, cut the roast into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Pat dry with paper towel then sprinkle with sea salt. Let the beef sit 20 minutes at room temperature. Pour the reserved bacon grease into a 12 inch cast iron skillet. Heat the skillet to medium-high, then add the beef in batches, so as not to overcrowd the pan (no pieces should touch). Brown the beef, then remove from the skillet.
Lower the stove to medium and add the shallots. Cook until translucent. Add the wine, and cook for another minute. Add the browned beef and the broth. Raise the temperature to high. Once boiling, stir for one minute, then lower to a gentle simmer.
Add the mushrooms, oregano, thyme, tarragon, and black pepper. Cover and cook for 2 hours.
The Result: Decent.
It would have been better had I trusted my ingredients. I assumed my $4 wine would suck, so I added too little relative to the broth. Like most store-bought broths, this one was very salty. In the future, I will take the traditional route and make my braising liquid mostly wine.
However, like all beef stews, this one made for good leftovers. In the United States, Beef Bourguinon is often served egg noodles. I choose a different starch and added left over brown Basmati rice. The brown Basmati is a hearty and flavorful grain which held up to the beef while soaking up the salt. All together, a solid and encouraging outcome.
In the end, this Challenge reflected the strength of French cuisine. Sound technique and systematic decision making made decent ingredients better than they were. The greater test of the Wal-Mart grocery will be Italian cooking, which emphasizes quality ingredients over preparation.
Next up : Cacio e Pepe.
