Nancy's Boeuf Bourguignon

In the words of the immortal Julia Child, "As is the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguignon." Here, below, is the family recipe from NOK's little red cookbook:

Boeuf Bourguignon

                chuck cubes                             4 lbs.
                bacon drippings                        4 Tb.
                onions                                      10 medium
                flour                                          3 Tb.
                Marjoram
                Thyme
                Salt
                Pepper
                beef bouillon                             1 cup
                dry red wine                             1 1/2 cups
                mushrooms (fresh)                     1/2 lb.

Brown sliced onions in bacon fat. Remove. Sauté beef. Sprinkle flour over beef. Add 2 pinches salt, pepper, marjoram, thyme. Add bouillon and wine. Stir.

Simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Add mushrooms and onions. Simmer 3/4 hour more.

Just before serving, add some more red wine and heat very, very briefly.

Serves five.

(Above is format from Nancy's little red cookbook, the source of this recipe.)

In Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the authors point out at that this is a great dish for entertaining, despite its simplicity. An excellent addition to a buffet and improves in flavor when made ahead, a day or so. That book suggest using 18 to 24 small white onions, brown-braised, rather than the sliced onions in the above recipe. The whole, small onions would probably hold up better if you are making the dish ahead and reheating.

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