Christmas Eve Dinner: Beef Bourguignon

For me, Christmas Eve is one of those rare nights when all seems right with the world.  It's peaceful, spiritual and a time when I feel love is all around.  The last few months have been particularly difficult for me but I'm quite fortunate to have parents who support and comfort me through the best and the worst of times.  I wish I could return the favor to them tenfold - and while it's a lot to live up to - I thought making a meal that requires a lot of love would be a good place to start.  That's where the Beef Bourguignon comes in.  It may seem silly to think that a meal could even begin to equate to my family but, really, it's just a small token of my gratitude.

Also, some background:  This dish isn't as daunting as it sounds.  Just know it must be made over a span of two days; unless, of course, you're willing to wake up at 4:00 a.m. to start the process.  I love cooking...but not that much :)

Beef Bourguignon


2.5 lbs boneless beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 carrot, peeled and cut crosswise
1 yellow onion, quartered
1 celery stalk, cut crosswise
5 sprigs fresh parsley
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 bottle red wine (it's okay to go cheap here)
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil
5 slices bacon, diced
4 cups water
10 oz frozen pearl onions
1 stick of butter
5 carrots, peeled and cut crosswise
pinch of sugar

*note:  this recipe calls for mushrooms as well.  I despise mushrooms, so I didn't use them, but the dish is perfect over roasted potatoes, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes as shown above.

Day 1 (marinating phase)
In nonreactive bowl combine the beef, carrot, onion, celery, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and red wine.  Cover and store in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

Day 2, part 1 (searing phase)
Remove the beef and reserve the vegetable/wine mixture.  Dry the beef with paper towels and season with salt and pepper and toss in the flour.

Heat the vegetable oil in a dutch oven (or, if you don't have a dutch oven, use a large pan that can be used both on the stove and in the oven) over medium-high heat.  Cook the bacon until crispy.  Once the bacon is cooked, reserve the fat and juices that accumulated from cooking the bacon.

Pour 1/3 of the bacon fat back into the dutch oven.  Working in three batches, add 1/3 of the beef and cook until browned, about five minutes.  Continue this process two more times until all beef is seared.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 275 degrees.

Clean out the dutch oven, and add the beef, bacon crisps and vegetable/wine mixture to the pot.  Add the four cups of water.  Bring to a boil for ten minutes and place in the oven for three hours.


Day 2, Part 2 (Cooking the carrots and onions phase)
While the beef cooks, bring a saucepan of water to a boil.  Add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, until their soft and edible (remember, we're using frozen onions here since fresh pearl onions are rare and expensive).

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt three tablespoons of butter.  Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they are brown - about seven minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Melt another three tablespoons of butter.  Add the carrots and the sugar and cook until browned, again about seven minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

*note:  if you're using mushrooms, repeat this process with them and add them to the mix.

Day 3, Part 3 (putting it all together phase)
One the stew has cooked in the oven for 3 hours, remove and discard the veggies and herbs using a slotted spoon.  This is fairly time consuming - I recommend removing as much beef as you can using tongs and then removing the the vegetables and herbs.  You should probably put on an apron, too :)

Once you have the wine and beef isolated, add the new carrots and onions to the stew.  Put the pot on the stove and bring the mixture to a boil.  Simmer until sauce thickens - about 25 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the stew over your choice carb.  Reserve some of the liquid from the stew for a topping.  Enjoy!!