Tuesdays With Julia: Beef Bourguignon

     This is something I've been wanting to make for months, but until now, I haven't had the time. I must be crazy for attempting such a complicated recipe while I'm abroad, with limited ingredients and unfamiliar kitchen equipment, but I'm sure glad I did it. After returning from a week of travel, I wanted to take a day to unwind, and the best place for me to be on a day like that is in the kitchen. Plus, everyone else here was exhausted too. In all the craziness of my study abroad schedule, I haven't had much time to enjoy my hobbies lately, and after a while, that starts to get to me. So on that lazy Saturday morning, I got this romantic idea in my head, of how I could have the most perfect day all by myself, exploring a new culinary adventure.
     The biggest challenge came before the actual cooking part. I spent all morning going to three different grocery stores to find all the ingredients. Shopping here in Germany was an interesting experience to say the least, but after successfully ordering from the butcher in German and buying wine without getting carded, I felt very accomplished. I didn't even find everything on the list, but despite my omissions and substitutions (and my $3.00 bottle of wine) it still turned out perfect. In fact, it was more than perfect. It was on a whole new level. But I can't take all the credit. I know I never could have done it without Julia.

INGREDIENTS: (makes 6 servings)
3lbs beef stew meat
6oz chopped raw bacon
1 chopped onion, plus 20 baby onions
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups red wine
3 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves chopped garlic
1lb mushrooms, quartered
1/2 stick butter
small potatoes to serve with
salt, pepper, olive oil

and Julia's herb bouquet that I couldn't find or afford her in Germany: 4 parsley sprigs, one-half bay leaf, one-quarter teaspoon thyme, tied in cheesecloth

DIRECTIONS:
1. Let's start with the bacon. American bacon is basically unheard of in Germany, but I did manage t find this package of raw-looking bacon-like bits:

Sauté the pieces in olive oil for a few minutes to brown, then remove them from the pan.

2. Chop the large onion and the mushrooms and preheat the oven to 450.

3. Heat the butter in the pan. First, brown the vegetables for a few minutes, then stick them in the fridge. You won't need to add them until the beef is done simmering. Next, brown the meat on all sides.

4. Transfer the beef to a shallow, oven-safe dish. Season it with salt and pepper, and toss it with the flour. Let it brown in the 450 degree oven for 4 minutes, then stir/flip and brown for another 4 minutes.

5. Put the meat into a big pot and add in the bacon, garlic, broth, and wine. Here's where I can't follow Julia exactly. She says to bring it all to a simmer on the stove, then cover it and let it simmer in a 325 degree oven for 3-4 hours. Since my study abroad program generously provided me with some pretty good pots and pans but not an ovenproof casserole, I had to do the whole thing on the stove instead, which also worked out fine.

6. While the beef is simmering, prepare the small onions. In a saucepan, sauté them in olive oil for 10 minutes. Then add another 1/2 cup of broth and the herb bouquet, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.

7. If you wish to serve this over potatoes, boil them while you're waiting for the onions.

8. After the meat has simmered to the desired tenderness, add the mushrooms and onions to the big pot, briefly bring it all back up to a boil, then serve.

     For dessert, I also threw together a loose interpretation of Julia's tart aux pommes with some leftover apples I had. I took way too many liberties with this to make a separate post for it, namely, that it's more of a galette than a tarte because I also don't have a tarte pan. Still, it turned out pretty good.

So the moral of the story here is to never be afraid of recipes that sound fancy and French. The greater the challenge, the greater the reward!