Beef Bourguignon with Baguette Dumplings
Serves: 4 to 6
A classic and easy recipe for Beef Bourguignon with a delicious side of Baguette Dumplings.
Ingredients
For the Beef Bourguignon
- 1 kg (2 lb) chuck steak, or stewing steak, cut into large chunks, see Kitchen Notes
- sea salt
- black pepper, freshly cracked
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 150 g (5 oz) pancetta, or bacon, cubed
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 10-12 pearl onions, or pickling onions, peeled but left whole
- 2 tablespoons plain flour, (all-purpose flour)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 500 ml (2 cups) red wine
- 300 ml (1 ¼ cups) water
- 1-2 teaspoons sugar
- 3-4 stalks parsley
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 3 cloves
- 10 black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 10-12 white mushrooms, left whole or halved if large
- parsley, finely chopped
For the Baguette Dumplings
- 200 g (7 oz) stale baguette, or other stale bread
- 250 ml (1 cup) milk
- 1 pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
- fine salt
- black pepper, freshly cracked
- 1 handful parsley, finely chopped
- 1 egg
- 1-2 tablespoons plain flour, (all-purpose flour)
- 1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for frying
Instructions
To Make the Beef Bourguignon
- Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F (without fan).
- Generously season the beef on all sides with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.
- Heat the oil in a large cast-iron pan or other oven-proof pan over high heat.
- Sear the meat in batches until they are well browned.
- Set the meat aside on a plate.
- In the same pan, cook the lardon (or pancetta or bacon) until they are brown and crispy.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, or until the garlic is aromatic.
- Remove the lardon and garlic with a slotted spoon to a plate.
- Remove any excess oil from the pan. Leave just a few tablespoons of oil in the pan.
- Add the pearl onions, and cook for a few minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions to the same plate as the lardon.
- Sprinkle over the flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon.
- Add the tomato paste and continue stirring.
- Pour in the wine, water and sugar.
- Stir everything together and let the mixture come to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
- Return the meat to the pan together with any of the juices from the meat.
- Return the lardon, onions and garlic to the pan as well.
- Tie the parsley, thyme and rosemary together with some kitchen string, and add this bouquet garni to the pan.
- Place the cloves and peppercorns into a small muslin bag or spice pouch, or simply add them to the pan if you don’t mind fishing out these bits later.
- Add the bay leaf to the pan.
- Bring everything to a gentle simmer.
- Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid.
- Place the pan in the oven for about 3 hours, or until the meat is tender. If you are using large pieces of beef, you may need up to 4 hours cooking time.
- Check on the stew regularly to make sure it is simmering away very gently and that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- At about 2 hours, taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
- At about 30 minutes before serving, add the mushrooms to the stew. At this stage, I find it easier to finish cooking the stew on the stove over a low heat.
- Remove and discard the bouquet garni, spice pouch (if using), and bay leaf.
- Taste for seasoning. Depending on how dry your red wine is, you might need a teaspoon of sugar or more.
- Garnish the stew with chopped fresh parsley. Serve with Baguette Dumplings or boiled whole potatoes.
For the Baguette Dumplings
- Slice the baguette into little pieces and place them in a medium bowl.
- Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan and pour the milk over the bread.
- Cover the bowl with clingfilm and set it aside for 15 minutes.
- Season with freshly ground nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Add the parsley and egg, and sprinkle over the flour.
- Use your hands to mix everything together. The mixture should be moist and slightly sticky and able to hold its shape. If it is too wet, add a bit more flour.
- Take a small handful of the mixture and shape them into dumplings, slightly larger than a golf ball. Or you can make them as big or as small as you like.
- To cook the baguette dumplings, melt some butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
- Cook the dumplings until they are golden and crispy on all sides.
Kitchen Notes
- INSTRUCTIONS FOR SLOW COOKER
* Follow the same instructions as for the stove top.
* Cook on low (95°C/203°F) for 5-6 hours or high (105°C/221°F) for 4-5 hours. The timing may vary depending on the size of the pieces of meat. - WHAT TYPE OF BEEF TO USE
* For a beef stew like Beef Bourguignon, you need to use a cut of beef which is suitable for slow-cooking, such as chuck steak, beef shoulder or even beef shin.
* I recommend buying the stewing beef in one large piece, and slicing it up yourself into large portions. The large portions of meat take a bit longer to cook, but they are nicer for serving and more pleasant to eat than if you were to cook this dish with lots of small pieces of meat. - WHAT TYPE OF RED WINE TO USE
"If it's not good enough for drinking, it's not good enough for cooking." Use any dry red wine which you would be happy to drink with your meal. It does not necessarily have to be an expensive wine. A Burgundy is traditional for this recipe, but I frequently use a Pinot Noir or Côtes-du-Rhône. - RECIPE CREDIT
The recipe for Baguette Dumplings is adapted from The Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo. - OVEN TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website use temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. Convection ovens (i.e. fan-forced ovens) are typically 20°C/70°F hotter than conventional ovens, but please check your manufacturer’s handbook. - CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.