Beef Bourguignon

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Rosemary Zwick of Cape Town, South Africa for this internet
lament:

Grandma's on the 'net again.
Her kitchen's not her home;
She used to make us cherry pies
And call us on the phone.
We miss her homemade biscuits,
And I'll make this little bet:
If you want to contact Grandma,
You'll have to surf the 'net.

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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For the final recipe in our tribute to Julia Child I have chosen the
recipe that began it all. This was the subject of her first televised
program on February 11, 1963 and more than 41 years later it remains
a classic, just like Julia herself.

Beef Bourguignon

All recipes this week are adapted from "Julia's Kitchen Wisdom -
Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking" by Julia
Child, available from Amazon.com at
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0375411518/worldwiderecipes

6 oz (170 g) blanched bacon lardons (see below)
2 Tbs (30 ml) vegetable oil
About 4 lbs (2 Kg) trimmed beef chuck cut into
2-inch (5 cm) cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups (500 ml) sliced onions
1 cup (250 ml) sliced carrots
1 bottle (750 ml) red wine such as zinfandel or Chianti
2 cups (500 ml) beef stock
1 cup (250 ml) chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
1 herb bouquet (see below)
3 Tbs (45 ml) all-purpose flour blended to a paste with
2 Tbs (30 ml) butter
1 recipe brown-braised small white onions from yesterday's ezine
1 recipe sauteed mushrooms from yesterday's ezine

Brown the lardons in a large skillet over moderate heat and set aside.
Heat the oil in the same skillet and brown the meat. Season with salt
and pepper. Be sure that the meat is patted dry with paper towels
before adding to the skillet, and do not crowd the pan. Transfer the
meat and lardons to a casserole and brown the onions and carrots in
the same skillet. Add the vegetables to the meat. Deglaze the pan
with some of the wine and add the resulting liquid, along with the
remaining wine and beef stock, to the casserole. Add the tomatoes and
herb bouquet and simmer covered, either on low heat on the stove or in
a 325F (165C) oven, until the meat is tender, about 2 hours. Drain
through a colander set over a bowl and return the meat to the
casserole. Press the remaining residue in the colander to extract as
much liquid as possible. Discard the solids and remove the grease
from the surface of the resulting liquid. Heat the liquid in a
saucepan and reduce it to about 3 cups (750 ml). Whisk in the beurre
manie (flour and butter mixture) and simmer until the sauce has
thickened. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and pour over
the meat in the casserole. Fold in the onions and mushrooms. The
dish may be made ahead and refrigerated at this point. To serve,
bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Serves 6 to 8.

Blanched Lardons

6 oz (170 g) bacon or salt pork

Cut the bacon or salt pork into pieces 1/4 inch (5 mm) square and 1
inch (2.5 cm) long. Drop into 2 quarts (2 L) boiling water and boil
for 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.

Julia Child's Herb Bouquet

8 sprigs fresh parsley
1 large bay (laurel) leaf
1 tsp (5 ml) dried thyme
4 allspice berries
3 large cloves garlic, smashed

Combine all ingredients and tie together in a small piece of
cheesecloth (muslin).
Received on Fri Aug 20 10:34:28 2004