The medieval Kingdom of Burgundy sat where southeastern France and western Switzerland meet. The Dukes of Burgundy are thought to have carried a beef-and-wine recipe from Belgium into Provence, Côte-d’Or, and Savoy, where court chefs adapted it to local tastes: they began marinating beef in a fruity local red wine, while Belgians traditionally used beer. Over time the dish earned a reputation as “the most French of meats.” Marinate the beef at least 24 hours, then braise it for a minimum of two hours.
Ingredients (for 6 servings): beef – 1.5 kg; pork fat (without skin) – 200 g; mushrooms – 400 g; 20 small onions; butter – 100 g; olive or other vegetable oil – 30 ml; flour – 20 g; ground black pepper and salt – to taste.
Marinade components: dry red wine made from Pinot Noir grapes – 1 liter; 1 onion; shallots – 3 pcs.; thyme – 1 sprig; sunflower oil – 20 ml; bay leaf – 1; ground black pepper – a pinch.
For this dish, choose lean beef, since it will be braised with pork fat. Marinate the meat in glass containers, not aluminum. Cut the beef into egg-sized pieces and pour the oil and red wine over the meat. Add the chopped onion, minced shallots, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf. Mix well and cover with plastic wrap.
Place the meat in the refrigerator to marinate. After 24 hours, strain the marinade, reserving the solids, and pour the liquid into a glass jar.
In a cast-iron skillet, heat 30 ml of oil and 60 g of butter. Sear the marinated meat until golden brown. Drain the meat juices into a bowl. Add 20 g of butter to the pan, return the meat and the reserved marinade solids to the pan, and once the butter is absorbed, pour the meat juices back in and sprinkle with flour. Continue to brown the beef, turning it frequently.
In another pot, bring the strained marinade to a boil and pour it over the meat. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the beef and simmer on low heat for 2.5 hours. An hour before the meat is done, cut the pork fat into cubes and quickly fry it. Remove the fat from the pan and use its drippings to sauté the peeled small onions under a lid.
Sauté the mushrooms in butter (they should be the same size as the small onions). Add the fried pork fat, onions, and mushrooms to the meat and simmer for another half hour. Remove the thyme and bay leaf at the end of cooking. Serve the beef Bourguignon with mashed potatoes.
Life Hack
Use small red onions instead of shallots; they have a similar mild flavor.
