Cooking For Two Beef Bourguignon Recipes

QUICK AND EASY BEEF BOURGUIGNON FOR TWO

Steps:

• Season beef cubes with salt and pepper. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add beef, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, turning frequently, until browned on outsides, but still rare in the middle. Remove from skillet; keep warm.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until tender and browned. Remove from skillet; keep warm.
• Reduce heat to medium; add bacon and onion. Cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until onions are softened and beginning to brown. Add tomato paste, garlic and thyme. Cook and stir 1 minute. Add flour; cook and stir 1 minute.
• Add cooked mushrooms, broth and wine; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened. Return beef to skillet; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is medium-rare to medium (145°F to 160°F). Garnish with parsley.

BEEF BOURGUIGNON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.
• Dry the beef cubes with paper towels 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, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.
• Toss the carrots, and 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 garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. 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. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.
• Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.
• To serve, toast the bread in the toaster or oven. Rub each slice on 1 side with a cut clove of garlic. For each serving, spoon the stew over a slice of bread and sprinkle with parsley.

BEEF BOURGUIGNON FOR TWO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• In a 2-quart cast iron braising pot, add the chopped bacon. Turn the heat to medium, and cook the bacon while occasionally stirring until it's no longer pink and is starting to crisp up. Remove it form the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the bacon grease in the pan. Set it aside.
• Generously sprinkle salt and pepper over the beef chunks, and then add them to the pan you just removed the bacon from. Sear the beef on all sided until golden brown (but don't worry about cooking it through).
• Add the sliced carrot and red onion to the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and meat, cook for 1 minute while stirring.
• Add the wine, beef broth, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, tomato paste, and garlic clove to the pan. Add back the bacon pieces and a final big pinch of salt and pepper.
• Place the lid on the pot, and move it to the oven. Cook for 2 hours, stirring after one hour.
• About an hour before the time goes off, peel the onions and slice off the root ends.
• Place the whole onions in a skillet with the butter and olive oil. Turn the heat to medium-high, and sear the onions until they start to caramelize in a few places, about 5-6 minutes.
• Add the beef broth, bay leaf, thyme sprig, and a big pinch of salt and pepper to the skillet. Lower the heat to medium-low, and cook until the beef broth reduces to a syrupy liquid, and the onions are meltingly soft.
• Pour the onion mixture into a bowl.
• Without wiping out the pan, add the mushrooms, olive oil and butter. Turn the heat to medium, and cook until the mushrooms are starting to caramelize around the edges, about 7-8 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the pan, and add them to the onions.
• When the beef is done cooking in the oven, remove the lid to stir in the onions and mushrooms.
• Meanwhile, make the mashed potatoes: peel and chop the potatoes. Place them in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a gentle boil. Cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes. The potatoes are done when they slide off of a knife when poked.
• Drain the potatoes, and place them back in the saucepan. Add the buttermilk and butter. Place the lid on the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, and then mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Divide the mashed potatoes between two bowls. Top with a generous serving of the stew. Sprinkle with parley before serving.

BEEF BOURGUIGNON FOR TWO

Steps:

• Into a zipper bag, add the beef, red wine, oil, thyme sprigs (or dried thyme) and black pepper. Seal the zipper bag and massage to mix together. Marinate in refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours or even better the day before. :) Low and slow is the name of the game here. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta (or bacon) and allow to render for a few minutes. Add the onions, sauté until beginning to become translucent for another 2 or 3 minutes then add the garlic. Meanwhile drain the marinated beef, reserving the marinade. Dry the beef tips with paper toweling to facilitate browning. (optional) Move the onions and garlic off to the side of the pan and add the beef, try not to crowd. Cook until the beef tips are well browned. We're building flavor here, adjust heat as needed. We want a quick browning to develop that wonderful flavor building fond. Add mushrooms and cook until their juices are beginning to exude. This will help deglaze those flavorful brown bits that may have stuck to the skillet earlier. If you wish for a thicker sauce sprinkle in a teaspoon of cornstarch or two teaspoons of flour. Stir to coat. Pour reserved marinade and beef stock over all. Add to a slow cooker or crockpot. Cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours or until the beef is fall apart tender. Serve with egg noodles and/or Sage and/or garlic mashed or roasted potatoes. A hearty red wine compliments the table.

BEEF BOURGUIGNON I

Steps:

• For marinade: In a large bowl, combine the wine, cognac, onions, carrots, parsley, bay leaf, garlic, peppercorns and salt. Mix well and add the cubed beef. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 days.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• For Bourguignon: Strain the meat from the vegetables and marinade; reserve marinade. Dry meat with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meat and saute for 10 minutes, or until browned on all sides. Transfer meat to a separate medium bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• In the same skillet, add the bacon and saute until lightly browned. Transfer the bacon to the bowl with the meat. Drain the skillet and return it to the heat. Pour a cup of marinade into the skillet to deglaze the skillet, scraping the bottom to loosen up all the little bits. Return this liquid to the reserved marinade.
• Heat the remaining oil in the skillet. Add the onion and carrot from the marinade, along with the additional onion that you've chopped, and saute for 5 minutes, or until tender. Transfer this mixture to the bowl with the meat and bacon, again using a slotted spoon, and return skillet to the heat. Add the flour to the skillet, combining with the oil and stir until well mixed and brown, about 2 minutes.
• Now add the tomato paste, garlic, beef broth, reserved marinade and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and whisk to remove any flour lumps. Add this to the meat and vegetable mixture. Place entire mixture into a 9x13 baking dish.
• Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 3 hours, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• About 15 minutes before meat is done baking, melt butter in the skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. When meat is done, add the mushrooms to the meat mixture, stir well and let sit for about 15 minutes.

BEEF BOURGUIGNON II

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt and ground black pepper. Coat the beef cubes with this mixture.
• Melt the butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meat and brown well on all sides. Pour this into a 2 quart casserole dish.
• Return the skillet to the heat and add the onion, carrots and garlic to it. Saute for 5 to 10 minutes, or until onion is tender. add the wine, bay leaf, parsley, thyme, and liquid from the mushrooms. Pour over meat.
• Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 2 1/2 hours. Remove cover, add canned onions and mushroom crowns, and bake for 30 more minutes.

BEEF BOURGUIGNON 2

Steps:

• Marinade:
• Stew:
• For the marinade: Combine the garlic, bay leaves, carrots, celery, onions and wine in a large bowl or container. Add the beef; cover and let sit in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight. (This is a really important step: it makes a huge flavor difference.)
• For the stew: Remove the beef from the marinade. Strain the veggies and bay leaves from the marinade and discard. Reserve 2 cups of the marinade.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Coat a large, wide pan or Dutch oven with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Sprinkle the beef with salt and toss with the flour; do not flour the beef until you're ready to brown it. Add the flour-coated beef to the hot pan, but be sure to not crowd the pan; you will need to work in four batches. Brown the meat well on all sides, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the pan to a baking sheet.
• After the first two batches, deglaze the pot with 1/2 cup of the reserved marinade, scraping up any browned bits. Drain the liquid into a small bowl. Add more olive oil to the pan to coat and cook the remaining two batches of meat. Add the meat to the baking sheet. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup marinade, scraping up any browned bits.
• Add the bacon and cook until it gets brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Toss in the mushrooms, carrots, celery, garlic and onions, and season with salt. Cook until the mixture starts to soften and becomes very aromatic, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup marinade and deglaze the pan, stirring up any browned bits, 1 minute. Add the beef. Stir to combine and cook until the wine has reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Add enough of the beef stock to just cover the surface of the beef. Toss in the bay leaves and thyme bundle. Cover the pan, bring the liquid to a boil and put in the oven.
• Cook the beef for 2 hours. During the last hour of cooking time, add the potatoes. Cover the pan with the lid and put the stew back in the oven to cook for an additional hour.
• Remove the pot from the oven and skim off any excess grease from the surface of the stew. Garnish with the chives and serve with crusty bread to sop up all the sauce.