boeuf bourguignon

Low and slow. I've talked about this before. Taking time, respecting the ingredients, enjoying the process.

As the autumnal days become bookended with chilliness, my thoughts turn to stews and casseroles and ragouts and anything that simmers and is full of flavour and tender cosiness. 

If you're a wannabe Frenchy-type person, like me, boeuf bourguignon is definitely the go.

Quite apart from the delicious flavour, boeuf bourguignon has history. And I like a bit of history.

Boeuf burguignon is a fancy pants name for beef stew. It started off as peasants' fare. And really the peasants got a much better deal on the culinary spectrum in medieval times than the rich people. The rich people were all about fancy aesthetically pleasing or at least apoplexy-producing dishes...you know, the old sparrow inside a pigeon inside a duck inside a swan inside an emu. They were so busy producing these still life accomplishments and then walking them all the way down the corridors of the immense palatial residences the flash people lived in, that by the time these culinary works of art arrived in the dining room, the food was cold. 

It is a much over-looked fact that the rich ate cold food. The peasants ate the slow and low cooked food that had been simmering over the coals all day while they were working. 

So boeuf bourguignon, now considered a bit flash, was always just beef stew.

Boeuf bourguignon comes from Bourgogne, or Burgundy. So it might perhaps go without saying that a rather large component of the fancy stew is a good burgundy, or pinot noir. And beef. Traditionally the beef was all about celebrating the meat from the area, so the charolais cows from Charolles, are the heroes in this dish. 

Boeuf bourguignon is all about taking time. Braising the meat, preparing the shallots and garlic and lardons, tying up a bouquet garni. Simmering. 

In Melbourne it is ANZAC Day. A day for remembrance and acknowledgement and appreciation and gratitude. As the sun streamed through my window and I braised and simmered, it felt good to take time and space to cook, but also to acknowledge the past and feel thankful for now and optimistic for what will be.

I look forward to sharing my simmered stew with good friends tomorrow. The flavours will have developed.  They will have become rich and warm. A nod to the past and a sharing in the now.

This well-known dish has its roots from the Burgundy region in France.  Beautiful Burgundy, known in French as “Bourgogne”, is 100 km southeast of Paris, stretching 360 km.  It has more than 2000 communes, and is one of France’s most fascinating regions, known equally for its historical political intrigue as for its dazzling architecture, excellent wines, and rich cuisine. - See more at: http://www.frenchtraveler.com/boeuf-bourguignon#sthash.Rmn64l8N.dpuf

This well-known dish has its roots from the Burgundy region in France.  Beautiful Burgundy, known in French as “Bourgogne”, is 100 km southeast of Paris, stretching 360 km.  It has more than 2000 communes, and is one of France’s most fascinating regions, known equally for its historical political intrigue as for its dazzling architecture, excellent wines, and rich cuisine. - See more at: http://www.frenchtraveler.com/boeuf-bourguignon#sthash.Rmn64l8N.dpuf

This well-known dish has its roots from the Burgundy region in France.  Beautiful Burgundy, known in French as “Bourgogne”, is 100 km southeast of Paris, stretching 360 km.  It has more than 2000 communes, and is one of France’s most fascinating regions, known equally for its historical political intrigue as for its dazzling architecture, excellent wines, and rich cuisine.
  Boeuf Bourguignon, a delectable beef stew, celebrates its roots through homage to its prized Charolais cattle.  Reputed for their distinct taste, low fat content, and gentle temperament, the creamy white Charolais bulls,  found around the Charolles region of southern Burdundy, are used extensively in the making of bœuf bourguignon.  The cattle are fed only hay, fodder, and cereal, which produce healthy cows.  The meat is very tender, and used for stewing and grilling.
Today, Boeuf Bourguignon is famous throughout the world, thanks to prodigious French

Burgundy roof tiles

chef Auguste Escoffier, who first published the recipe in the early 20^th century.  Over time, the recipe evolved from honest peasant fare to haute cuisine, and Escoffier’s 1903 recipe became the standard-bearer, using a whole piece of beef in the stew.  Much later, Julia Child used beef cubes rather than a whole piece, bringing boeuf Bourguignon to the notice of a whole new generation of cooks.
This dish is prepared by braising the beef in a full-bodied, classic red (Burgundy) wine.   It is then stewed with potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and well-seasoned (during the stewing process) with a bouquet garni , or a small satchel of thyme, parsley, and bay leaves.   Traditional preparation of this dish is two days, to continually tenderize the meat and to intensify the flavors of the stew.
In late August, celebrations in Bourgogne laud the prized Charolais beef.  There is the “Fête du Charolais”,  a festival that takes place in the Burgundy town of Saulieu.  Musicians, meat lovers and farmers alike gather in the streets, inviting anyone to enjoy an unforgettable gastronomic experience having traditional “Bœuf Bourguignon”.
- See more at: http://www.frenchtraveler.com/boeuf-bourguignon#sthash.Rmn64l8N.dpuf