Beef Bourguignon with Barley & Beach House
What a way to spend part of your saturday! I woke up early yesterday and went to a couple of stores to buy the ingredients for this tastebud trip. First stop was the wine store where the guy there introduced me to a really delicious Bordeaux for only $12. It was really perfect for this meal. Super Earthy with even some hints of barnyard, the Chateau Tire Pe Diem is made in the classic style of wine making. They don’t wash the grapes and they pick by hand, you get the true flavors of the vineyard it came from. It’s definitely for certian tastes as it has a distinct dirt flavor haha but it’s the kind of wine that a french farmer would use when making Beef Bourguignon.
This stew is so classically french it makes my mouth water thinking about it. If I could make a suggestion, it’s don’t skimp out on any step, it’s so worth it to not cut corners! I combined Julia Child’s classic recipe with this recipe that mentioned adding Barley.
Music: Beach House - Teen Dream I’ve never been a big fan of Beach House but I always felt like I should because it had everything I love; reverb-soaked guitars, perfect vocals, great pop hooks, keyboards, blah blah. Well, now I do. This album is so well crafted and perfectly recorded that it’s hard to find something not to like about it and Zebra is one of the best songs I’ve heard in a long time.
Ingredients: Serves 6
3 lbs of Chuck or Round Beef Roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 2”x2” cubes
2 Medium Yellow Onions, diced
3 Cloves of Garlic, diced
2 Carrots, chopped
2 Celery Stalks, chopped
1 lb of White Mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2 Bottle of Full Bodied, Earthy Red Wine
5 Cups of Beef Broth
2 Tb of Flour
1/2 Cup of Olive Oil
1/2 Stick of Butter
2 Bay Leaves
1/2 tsp of Thyme
Salt and Pepper to Taste
3/4 Cup of Barley
Directions:
Prepare the beef and the vegetables. In a large skillet heat 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1 Tb of Butter on Medium. Add a single layer of meat to the bottom of the pan and brown the beef on all sides. This should just take about 1-2 minutes on each side. It helps hold the flavor and juice of the beef in. Do this for all the beef and place in a casserole dish. Keep the juice/oil/fat in the pan because you will use that later with the vegetables.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Toss the beef in the casserole dish with the flour, salt, and pepper coating all over. Place in the oven for 4 minutes so the flour can brown and then take it out of the oven.
Heat the skillet back up to medium and place all the vegetables except the mushrooms into it and saute for 5 or so minutes until the begin to brown.
Pour the browned vegetables into a large soup pot with the beef, broth, spices, pepper, and wine (saving a quarter cup of wine to deglaze skillet). Simmer for one hour.
Deglaze the skillet with some of the wine and pour the deglaze into the stew. Learn how to deglaze here.
Ten minutes before the hour is up saute the mushrooms in a skillet with olive oil and butter browning the mushrooms. Don’t overcrowd the pan when sauteing mushrooms. When these are browned add to the stew.
After the hour is up, add the barley and simmer for another 45 to 60 minutes or until the barley has cooked. The barley should be al dente and the beef should flake with your fork, then it’s done!
Serve and enjoy! I recommend having a glass of wine from the bottle you used to cook with mmmmmmmmmmmm.
