Beef Bourguignon – Beef Stewed in Red Wine with homemade vegetable stock

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Spread the flour on a plate and roll the beef cubes in it on all sides, to a thin, even layer.

   Plate
2. 2
   Heat the oil in a wide pot and brown the beef cubes on all sides, until brown. Remove to a plate.

   StoveWide, shallow pot

   💡Brown the meat in batches, without crowding: in a crowded pot it stews in its own juices instead of searing.

   💡What you brown (meat, patties, schnitzel) goes into hot oil: in lukewarm oil it soaks it up and comes out greasy. For onion and garlic that you soften, oil heated over medium or low heat is enough; do not wait for it to smoke.
3. 3
   Add the onion and carrot to the oil left in the wide pot and fry 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   StoveWide, shallow pot

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
4. 4
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   Stove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
5. 5
   Add the mushrooms and fry 5 minutes, stirring, until the mushrooms release their liquid and it evaporates.

   Stove
6. 6
   Put the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, garlic, bay leaves and thyme in a large pot with the cold water.

   Large pot

   💡Start with cold water: the vegetables release their flavor slowly as the water heats up.
7. 7
   Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off the foam.

   Stove
8. 8
   Turn down to medium-low heat and simmer uncovered 30–45 minutes.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
9. 9
   Strain the stock through a fine sieve.

   Fine sieve
10. 10
    Add the wine, stock and thyme and bring to a boil.

    Stove
11. 11
    Return the beef cubes to the pot and season with salt and black pepper.
12. 12
    Turn down to low, cover and simmer 2–2.5 hours, until the beef cubes soft.

    StoveLid
13. 13
    Serve with mashed potatoes.