Roll up your sleeves: beef bourguignon

But first, a comment from Annalena on something that is irking her. Annalena is peeved. SERIOUSLY peeved. Let me explain.
It is clearer to no one other than yours truly, that the format of these "recipes" is less that traditional, in the modern sense. Two comments are in order. First, Annalena does not regard these entries as "recipes" only. Recipes instruct. I hope, indeed I PRAY, that you are not only taught, but are entertained by what you read here. And I hope you do not regard this blog as a collection only of recipes. If that is what you want, many books do it better than I do.
Second, to call the presentation of the recipes not traditional, is a misnomer. When Annalena was learning to cook, she read recipes that are set out exactly as she presents them here. The great food writers of the past: Elizabeth David, Jane Grigson, MFK Fisher, all wrote in this style, albeit better than I. In more contemporary times, Laurie Colwin and Alice Waters, to name two, presented recipes in this way. For the first ten years or so of my "Gourmet" subscription, that "Bible" of high cooking used the same style. This is how I learned. I am comfortable using this style.
Some of you prefer what is considered the modern approach to recipes. With no apologies, I say you will not find that approach taken here. You are all intelligent human beings. You can re-do the recipe portions of these entries in the standard form you like. Please feel free to do so. But please, do NOT tell Annalena that the modern cook cannot follow this style. That demeans everyone. And do NOT tell Annalena to present the recipe portion in a style with which she is uncomfortable. It shall not happen.
Yes, there is background here, but we will leave it out and proceed to food.
Beef bourguignon has been called "a classic of French cooking, " as well as "Beef stew that went to Paris." I believe Julia Child said both of those things (and I bet she learned from narrative recipes). I believe it is both. Well made beef bourguignon is one of the most miraculous and wonderful of dishes. Contrary to Annalena's minimalist ingredient style, it uses many. And in my opinion, the flavors do not muddle. Rather, you get a truly harmonious dish that is well worth the effort - and effort there is - in making it. So, without further ado, let's get started.

You are going to need a quarter pound of pancetta, or a slab of bacon in one piece, that you then cut into small dice. You also need 3 pounds of boneless beef stew. Try to get chuck, and try to get grass fed beef. It will be an expensive dish, worth every penny. You also will need a third cup of flour, combined with a teaspoon of salt and half as much fresh pepper. Put the flour, salt and pepper in a doubled plastic bag.

Now, get a very large pot, and cover the bottom of it with vegetable oil. No olive oil here, just plain old vegetable oil. When it's hot, cook that pancetta or bacon, until it is crisp. Stir it to keep it from sticking, and when you have it crispy, pull it out and put it on some paper to drain.

While the bacon/pancetta is cooking, shake the meat in the seasoned flour and then dump it all into a colander, to eliminate the extra flour. Shake it very well. Fry the meat in the flavored fat, and don't stir it around to much. Let it get a sear, and brown it on both sides. Don't put all the meat in the pan at one time, if it won't fit in a single layer. Do it in batches. If you crowd it, the meat will sweat, and not get any really good color. As you finish cooking the beef, move it to a bowl. Turn off the heat, because we're going to get the other ingredients together - LOTS of them.

Pour out half a cup of brandy, and if you're thirsty, a second bit for yourself. Then, take a small piece of celery, and stab two or three cloves into it. Combine that with some parsley stems, if you have them, a few sprigs of thyme, and two bayleaves. Put all of these in some cheesecloth, and tie them together to make a sachet. You know how to do this. Tie it together. Put atha side now, and get the vegetables ready.

Peel and chop towo onions, 3 large cloves of garlic, and 2 large carrots. Separately, measure out a tablespoon of tomato paste (good to have the stuff in a tube here), and either half (if they are small), or quarter (if they are large) a pound of mushrooms. I prefer creminis, but use the plain white ones if you like. They are fine.

You are also going to need a pound of pearl onions, but we'll get back to this.

And a whole bottle of red wine. How good a wine? Something good enough that you wouldn't be ashamed to put it on the table for your guests to drink, but not something so expensive that it made you cry when you bought it.

Ok, now we're going to get going. Pour off the extra fat from the pan, and pour in the brandy. Turn on the heat, and let the brandy boil, for a minute, stirring all the time. Add a tablespoon of butter, and add back the bacon, and the carrots, onions, garlic and stir. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, then add in the tomato paste, and stir for a minute. Now, put the meat into the pot, the sachet you made, and open the wine and pour that over everything. When it comes to a boil, lower the heat as low as you can, cover the pot, and let it cook away, for at least 3.5 hours, preferably longer.

While this cooking is going on, bring a small pot of water to the boil, and add the onions. Bring it back to the boil for a minute, then drain the onions and let them dry. Peel them. The skins will almost rub off your into your hands.

In that dry pot, add another tablespoon of butter (getting pretty rich here, aren't we? It's worth it). Put in the onions, and shake every now and then, until you get brownish spots from cooking on them. Add two cups of water, and cook for 20 minutes or so. Let the liquid bowl away to a glaze. Reserve the onions.

FINALLY, use yet another pot,and another couple of tablespoons of butter. Add the mushrooms. You may want to add some salt here. Cook them and watch the water release, and then evaporate away. In about 6-8 minutes, your mushrooms will be done.

Combine the onions and mushrooms and start cleaning up your mess, because you HAVE made one. After 3.5 hours or so, add the onions and mushrooms to the beef, and let them continue to cook. When you uncover the pot, you will be amazed. You will have a thick, brown, wonderfully aromatic sauce and some really rather tender and delicious beef. The carrots will have kept their shape too. After the cooking time is over (you can go as long as 4.5 hours if you like), take out the sachet, and taste the sauce, and correc tthe seasoning.

And you're done. With enough food to feed at least ten. If you make this ahead of time, and reheat it, it will be even better.

I like to cross borders and serve this with polenta, although I'm told the ONLY way to serve it is to serve it with baguettes. Then again, I've been told my style is too difficult to follow (exuse me, ragazzi. I am very upset about this criticism).

I am sure you can make this in a pressure cooker, and I'm sure it will be wonderful. DO brown the meat first, however, as well as the bacon.

You will have to , as I say "roll up your sleeves" for this one, but I think you owe it to yourself, and those you love, to do something wonderfully, wickedly complex, every now and then.

If you can talk yourself into making a tarte tatin as well, that's even better.

Enjoy it, ragazzi, and better yet, make it and share it.