Want to hear a Dirty Laundry Kitchen dirty secret? I’ve been struggling to cook and write the past couple of weeks. The oscillating temperatures, my intense need for Spring and sunshine, travel for work and for fun, none of this has been conducive to time in the kitchen to think creatively. And that’s sad, because there’s been lots of inspiration. Furthermore, being away from my kitchen meant that I didn’t do a Mardi Gras menu (which I’ve been itching to do for ages) and you’re stuck with last year’s ideas on St. Paddy’s. The good news? It’s so cold and windy today in Philly that I’m inspired to share my take on the French classic Boeuf Bourguinon. So here it is, in all its two kinds of onions, two kinds of meat, two bottles of wine, rich and hearty glory. Two Bottle Boeuf Bourguinon is all about slow food. And cold days. And tender meat and root vegetables. It’s about red wine that you drink while you’re cooking and buttered bread. Two Bottle Boeuf Bourguinon is satisfying and savory and every carnivore in the cold should know how to make it. Of course, Two Bottle Boeuf Bourguinon is based on reading many recipes over the years, but I can’t give specific credit to any one, as dishes as old as this rarely have any definitive source. I will say, that (of course) I favor those that require a whole bottle of wine… which means that you better buy two (of course). And I have to credit this Winter with me finally perfecting Two Bottle Boeuf Bourguinon. If the weather would have been even just a little more reasonable, we wouldn’t be here at all.
- 6 ounces of the best bacon you can find- a lot of the flavor that anchors the dish is here
- 2 - 3 pounds chuck beef cut into 2-inch cubes (or even better, beef cheeks if you can find them)
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
- 2 cups onions, sliced thin (I like to use sweet yellows, such as Vidalias or Maui’s)
- 2 cloves garlic (sometimes I use a little more…)
- 2 bottles good dry red wine (Use a Côtes du Rhône or California Pinot Noir for a more bold flavor or a true Burgundy for a more subtle. I like to drink a true European Burgundy with this dish if for no other reason than it’s fun to have a specific mission in the wine store).
- 3 cups beef stock; divided
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste (I think that Julia Child made this addition well-known)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (½ teaspoon dried)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; divided
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup Cognac; divided
- 1 pound frozen whole pearl onions or little shallots (you can use fresh, but the frozen ones are peeled and prepped and easy to use)
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms; remove the stems and slice the caps
- fresh parsley
- Egg noodles, or boiled potatoes, or crusty bread to serve it with. I admit I’m a sucker for both noodles and bread with butter. The noodles aren’t at all traditional, but it’s sooo good.
- Preheat the oven to 300° F. Heat a large Dutch oven on the stove to medium.
- Add a tablespoon of butter and sauté the mushrooms until softened (up to 10 minutes).
- Reserve.
- Dice the bacon.
Add the bacon to the Dutch oven and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is browned. - Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.
- Dry the beef cubes with paper towels (this is really important to them browning properly) and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, browning on all sides. 
- Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and repeat until all the beef is browned. Set aside.
- Prepare the onions and carrots.
Toss the onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the carrots (I add the carrots a lot later than most recipes because I don't like them to break down too much) and the garlic and cook for another minute or so. - Add ¼ cup Cognac (some people ignite at this stage to burn off the alcohol- but I don’t).
- Whisk the tomato paste and a little of the wine to make it easy to stir in and add to the Dutch oven along with the thyme.
- Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat.
- Bring to a simmer; cover the pot place it in the oven for about 1 hour (the meat and vegetables should be very tender when pierced).
- Meanwhile, add 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour to a skillet. Whisk until well-combined. When it’s browning, add the frozen onions. Once they’re softened, add the remaining Cognac and some beef stock. Cook until the sauce is very thick.
- Add the mushrooms. Once the vegetables and meat is tender, remove from the oven and place on the stove on high. Add the onions and mushrooms. This should thicken the sauce. If it’s thin, bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. If it’s already thick, you can prepare your noodles, potatoes, or toasted bread.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley. I like to serve a salad before hand, and the red grape, blue stilton is perfect.
- Admittedly, this is a bit of an undertaking. But it's all very straight forward. And there's a fair amount of down time. But you can't rush it.
