Julia Child’s beef bourguignon

Ingredients

• 170 g of thick-cut smoked bacon
• 3 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1.4 kg of beef, cut into 5 cm cubes
• 1 finely chopped carrot
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 750 ml of full-bodied red wine (Burgundy, Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône)
• 600 to 800 ml of beef broth
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon of thyme
• 1 bay leaf, finely chopped
• 18 to 24 small white onions
• 3 1/2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 bouquet garni (parsley, bay leaf, thyme)
• 450 g of mushrooms, cut into quarters
• salt, pepper

Dice the bacon into small pieces, blanch them for 10 minutes in simmering water, and then drain.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a baking dish in the oven, then set aside.

Dry the meat and brown it in small batches in the hot fat; set aside with the bacon.

Heat the carrots and onion in the same fat, then remove any excess fat.

Return the meat and bacon to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with flour. Bake for 4 minutes at 230 °C without a lid; stir and return to the pan for another 4 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 160 °C. Add the wine and enough broth to just cover the meat, then the tomato paste, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf.

Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook in the oven for 3 to 3.5 hours, or until the meat is tender.

While that’s simmering, sauté the small onions in a pan over medium heat for 40 minutes, covered, with 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, the same amount of oil, a splash of broth, and the herb bouquet.

Sauté the mushrooms over high heat in the remaining butter and 1 tablespoon of oil.

Strain the sauce, remove any excess fat, and reduce it until it coats the back of a spoon.

Return the meat and bacon to the casserole dish with the onions and mushrooms, pour over with the sauce, and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Serve with ground apples, pasta, or rice.