Beef Bourguignon

As many of you know, I am very fortunate to have a husband who not only enjoys cooking but is also very good at it. Lately, however, J has been busy working on a number of different film projects and no longer has the time. Normally, the thought of being in charge of feeding the family would be quite scary but thanks to a number of inspiring blogs (especially this one), I have been really intrigued and excited about the whole idea.

I've been fixated on the idea of making a pot roast - the kind I used to make many moons ago. So, I began scanning the web for new variations of the recipe when I came across a very fool-proof method that I just had to try only it wasn't for pot roast but for Beef Bourguignon (did I spell it right?).

I ran around buying the ingredients - cuts of beef, a bottle of red wine, broth, pearl onions - and also made pit-stops along the way. I went to David's Tea (sadly, their Pumpkin Spice blend was sold out), Cobs (they have a delicious sesame bread that J loves), Max's Deli (their homemade salsa is amazing and they also have Cape Vessey cheese) and a health food store to buy nutritional yeast flakes and veggie sausages for J. It was so nice to be out and about today with the sun shining. It was also quite warm (26 degrees).

The recipe, while quite easy in its execution, took 2 1/2 hours to cook. The kitchen smelled amazing but the dish was even more spectacular. Here is the recipe I used (courtesy of cooks.com):

1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c. butter
5 slices bacon, diced
2 lbs. beef (boneless), cut into 2-inch cubes
2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
1 peppercorn
3/4 c. beef stock
1 1/2 c. red cooking wine
1/2 lb. whole sm. white onions

In a large pot, saute mushrooms in butter. Remove mushrooms and liquid, and set aside. Fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside. Add beef to bacon drippings. Brown it well. Blend in flour. Then add sugar, salt, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorn. Add beef stock and wine. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add onions, mushrooms and bacon. Simmer 1 1/2 hours longer. Add more cooking wine if liquid evaporates.

Serve over rice. Serves 4.

I was getting quite impatient at about the 2 hour mark but honestly, if you're able to wait an extra 30 minutes (or even longer) then you will end up with beef that is more tender and dare I say, more dang delicious. Trust me - wait. (The beef was tender enough to slice with a butter knife!)

So that was my little adventure today. I thought it was a good way to celebrate the coming of Autumn. I have a little feast planned for Thursday which will be all vegan so the three of us can enjoy it together.

Hope you're having a good month. And in case I don't talk to you, Happy Autumn Solstice to you! xo