With Winter slowly creeping into Istanbul it is such a pleasure for me to pour myself a glass of Turkish Red Wine in the evenings to keep me company while I cook. I listen to the music of Melody Gardot, while dancing around the kitchen.
“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food”
W.C Fields
What can be better for a wine lover than to stand with a glass of wine in the one hand and pour the rest of the bottle into a beautiful dish, smelling the amazing aromas that come out of the pot.
My favorite way of cooking, is what I call, my 'One-pot-wonders'. Just putting all the ingredients into one pot, let them marry together and magic happens, with less washing up at the end.
Boeuf Bourguignon is one of the famous French dishes where Herbs and Red Wine are absorbed by Beef, slowly cooking together in one pot. it is originally from the Burgundy area in France where they used one or two bottles of Burgundy in the recipe, but I used a bottle of Turkish Cabernet/Merlot and it still tasted great.
Now this is a Winter warmer! Easy to make, satisfying, rich dish served at the table with even more Red Wine. The best thing about eating this dish is mopping up the juice with bread while you eat.
Boeuf/Beef Bourguignon
Oven temperature: 160C
1.5kg chuck Steak cut into cubes
Salt and Pepper
60ml Cake Flour
45ml Olive Oil
1 large Carrot, chopped
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
Tin of chopped Tomatoes
750ml Red Wine
300ml Beef Stock
15ml Tomato Paste
1 Bouquet garni
200g baby Onions, peeled
250g Bacon, chopped (optional)
250ml button Mushrooms, halved
Bouquet Garni – is a bundle of herbs usually tied together, used for flavouring the Beef Bourguignon.
To make: 1 Sprig of Flat Parsley, 2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme and 1 Bay leave. Tie it together with string.
Tying the bundle in cheesecloth makes it easier to retrieve from the pot at the end.
1. Preheat the oven. Season the meat with Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper. Place the Flour and Meat in a plastic bag and shake it so that the Meat is thoroughly covered.
2. Heat half the Olive Oil in a saucepan and brown the Meat in batches over a high temperature until golden all over. Remove from the oil.
3. Fry the chopped Carrot over a low heat in the same saucepan, scraping the bottom of the saucepan at the same time. Loosening all the nice bits. Add the crushed Garlic, followed by the tin of Tomatoes. Stir fry for another few minutes.
4. Add half the Red Wine and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the Beef Stock, Tomato Paste and Bouquet Garni, as well as the remaining wine. Return the Meat to the saucepan. Bring the mixture to the boil. Remove the saucepan from the hot plate, cover with the lid and then place in the oven for 2 – 2.5 hours untill the meat is soft and tender. Lift the lid occasionally to stir the stew and make sure there is sufficient cooking liquid.
5. Cook the baby Onions for about 10 minutes in water, drain and allow to cool.
6. Fry the Bacon until golden brown and crisp. Drain. Fry the Onions in the Bacon fat until golden brown. (If you are not using Bacon, fry the onions in little bit of butter.) Add the Bacon and the Onion and Mushrooms to the Meat in the casserole dish for the last 30 minutes of the cooking time. Taste and season if necessary.
Serve with Bread to mop up all the juices.
Bon Appétit!
