Beef Bourguinon

This is the classic French dish that Julia Childs made and Amy Adams in Julie and Julia makes also. The original recipe can take as long as seven hours! This recipe I got from the newspaper and it is a healthier spin on the original and does not take as long to make. It was really easy to make, just the chopping was annoying.

In this recipe we do a fancy technique called beurre manie which is a mixture of butter and flour that thickens the sauce. Julia Child's says it enrobes the other ingredients. Her word choice is just so perfect when it comes to cooking.

This is my second classic French dish I made, the first being chicken cordon bleu. With making the classic dished and get such a rush because these recipes are timeless and the best and can impress anyone.

Ingredients

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 1/2 pounds lean beef stew meat
2 cups vertically sliced onions
2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup diced green or red bell pepper
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (12 oz.) package button mushrooms, quartered
1 (14 oz.) can reduced sodium beef broth
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tbs. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
3 tbs. all purpose flour
2 tbs. butter, softened
chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pan Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef in batches and cook until brown. Remove to a plate.

2. Add onion, carrot, mushrooms and bell pepper to pan; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Return beef and any juices to pan. Add tomatoes and next 8 ingredients ( tomatoes through black pepper). Cover and bring to a simmer. Cook 2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf.

3. Combine flour and butter in a small bowl. Mix with your fingers or a fork until mixture becomes a paste. Ladle about 1/2 cup pan juices into flour mixture. Whisk until smooth. Add to pan. Stir well.

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