Microwave Beef Bourguignonne For 2 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 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 BOURGUIGNONNE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Heat a 6-to-8-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add the bacon and cook until lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large plate, leaving the drippings in the pot.
• Pat the beef dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper. Add the beef to the pot in a single layer (do this in batches); sear for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown all over. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the plate with the bacon.
• Add the carrots and onions to the pot and cook until softened and slightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, make a "bouquet garni": Tie the thyme, bay leaf, garlic, parsley and celery together with twine (nestle the garlic in the celery stalk).
• Return the bacon and beef to the pot. Add the flour and stir for a few minutes until the meat is coated. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the brandy and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the red wine; cook until reduced by half again, about 10 more minutes. Add the stock and bouquet garni; bring to a low boil. Stir gently, then cover and transfer to the oven; cook until the meat is tender and cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the pearl onions and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and 1/4 cup water; cook until the water evaporates and the onions are browned, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms; cook until slightly softened and golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; set the skillet aside.
• Remove the meat from the pot with a slotted spoon. Let the sauce sit for a few minutes, then skim off the fat and discard. Return the meat to the pot. Add the pearl onions and mushrooms; heat through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley. (For better flavor, make the dish a day ahead.)

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.

EASY BEEF BOURGUIGNON

Steps:

• Toss together beef pieces, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until fat is rendered and bacon is beginning to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Add seasoned beef to bacon and cook, stirring often, until well browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
• Add mushrooms and tomato paste to mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Stir in broth, wine, and carrots and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 40 to 45 minutes or until beef is fork-tender.
• Uncover and remove 1/2 cup broth to a 1-cup glass measuring cup. Whisk in flour until completely combined and smooth. Stir flour mixture back into beef mixture and stir constantly until thickened slightly, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

MICROWAVE BEEF CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Crumble beef into a microwave-safe 3-qt. dish; add onion. Loosely cover and microwave on high for 3-5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, stirring twice; drain. Stir in rice and 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in soup, almonds and mushrooms., In a large bowl, combine the stuffing mix, butter and remaining water; spoon over beef mixture. Microwave, uncovered, for 1-3 minutes or until heated through.

BEEF BOURGUIGNONNE FOR A CROWD

Steps:

• Dry meat cubes well and coat with paprika.
• In a large, heavy pot, heat oil and brown meat.
• Mix together flour, marjoram or basil, thyme, and pepper and sprinkle over meat.
• Continue to brown for 10 minutes more.
• In another pot, cook onions, carrots, and celery in a little of the salt-free broth or water.
• Add vegetables to the meat with ginger root (if desired), garlic, bay leaves, wine, remaining water or broth, and soy sauce.
• Simmer for 2 1/2-3 hours or until beef is tender Fifteen minutes before stew is done, add sliced mushrooms (if desired) Cook noodles and drain.
• Serve a No.6 dipper of stew over 1 cup of noodles.
• Garnish with parsley.

MICROWAVE BEEF BOURGUIGNONNE FOR 2

Steps:

• Place bacon pieces in 3-quart casserole.
• Microwave at High 45 to 60 seconds, or until brown.
• Add meat and flour, tossing to coat.
• Stir in remaining ingredients except mushrooms and almonds, cover.
• Microwave at High 5 minutes.
• Stir.
• Reduce power to 50%.
• Microwave, covered, 35 to 50 minutes, or until meat is tender.
• Stir in mushrooms.
• Microwave uncovered, at 50% 5 minutes, or until thickened.
• Let stand, covered, 10 minutes.
• Add almonds before serving.
• Serve over rice if desired.