BEEF STEW A TIMELESS CLASSIC
Bourdain’s version of wine-braised dish bypasses fussiness, cooks low and slow
The new dishes are what tend to capture the most attention in recipe archives, but there are certain entries that keep trucking along, gathering a reliable stream of readers years after they were first published.
We don’t always know exactly why. Sometimes, it’s something very searchfriendly. In one case, it’s a quirk of Internet indexing. In any event, Anthony Bourdain’s boeuf bourguignon is one of those entries, repeatedly breaking into The Washington Post’s mostviewed recipes of the year. The secret sauce? I’m guessing some combination of a famous personality, a classic dish and, well, a darn good sauce, coaxed into rich, silken luxury over two-plus hours of cook time. At close to 200 ratings, with an average score of 41⁄2 stars (out of 5), this is one of our highest- and most-rated recipes.
The recipe first appeared in The Post’s Food section in 2004 in a piece by former staffer Judith Weinraub about three cookbooks focused on French bistro cooking: Ina Garten’s “Barefoot in Paris,” Bourdain’s “Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook” and Thomas Keller’s “Bouchon.”
“Garten’s book is a collection of accessible recipes for meals to serve family and friends. Bourdain’s is a thoughtful guide to classic dishes. And Keller’s is a daunting but inspirational road map to a higher culinary plane,” Weinraub wrote. She had the clever idea to examine the differences in each book’s approach through the lens of boeuf bourguignon, a classic dish featuring beef braised in red wine (i.e. Burgundy) and often including onions and mushrooms.
Garten’s quicker version includes some home-cookfriendly shortcuts, while Keller’s requires more than two dozen ingredients, some prepared multiple ways. Bourdain’s falls neatly in the middle, with the shortest ingredient list, leaning more on time than excessive preparation. The emphasis is on the meat and the sauce — ideally served with some potatoes or bread to help you savor every last drop.
The brief intro at the top of the recipe is exactly the kind of summary you’d expect from Bourdain, the globe-trotting and outspoken chef, TV host and author who took his own life in 2018.
“This dish is much better the second day. Just cool the stew down in an ice bath, or on your countertop (the Health Department is unlikely to raid your kitchen). Refrigerate overnight. When time, heat and serve. Goes
Anthony Bourdain’s Boeuf Bourguignon
Anthony Bourdain’s take on the classic dish of beef braised in red wine requires time, but no complicated ingredients or techniques. The reward: a satisfying, hearty stew in which the tender meat and rich, silken sauce are the stars. As Bourdain writes in his “Les Halles Cookbook,”this dish is much better the second day. For best flavor, this dish should be made 1 day in advance. The stew will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator and 2 to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave and finish heating on the stove top.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
2 pounds boneless beef shoulder or neck (chuck), cut into 11⁄2-inch pieces
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
⁄ cup olive oil, divided
4 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup red burgundy wine (such as pinot noir)
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 clove garlic
1 bouquet garni
(a tied bundle of herbs, typically thyme, bay and parsley)
Water
Demi-glace (optional; see Note)
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Thoroughly pat the meat dry with paper towels and generously season it with salt and pepper.
In a Dutch oven over high heat, heat half of the oil until shimmering. Working in several batches, and without moving the meat much, sear the meat on all sides until well browned, adding more oil as needed. (If you try to cook too much meat at once, it will steam and turn gray instead of brown.) Once the meat is well browned, transfer to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the onions and any remaining oil to the pot. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the onions have softened and turn golden,
Per serving (based on 8 servings): 414 calories, 29 g total fat, 10 g saturated fat, 81 mg cholesterol, 129 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, 5 g sugar, 21 g protein
Adapted from “Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking,” by Anthony Bourdain with Jose de Meirelles and Philipe Lajaunie (Bloomsbury USA, 2004).
well with a few boiled potatoes. But goes really well with a bottle of Cote de Nuit Villages Pommard.” Informative, funny and a little snarky.
I’ll add a few more tips of my own. As far as the wine, don’t be turned off by the Burgundy denomination. Burgundy (in this case red) refers to wine made in the Burgundy region of France. Red Burgundy is made with pinot noir grapes, so feel about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on top and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and, using a wooden spoon, stir, scraping up all the browned bits (fond) off the bottom of the pot.
Once the wine starts to boil, return the meat and its accumulated juices to the pot, and add the carrots, garlic and the bouquet garni. Add 11⁄2 cups of water (and about 2 tablespoons of demi-glace, if you have it). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until the meat is tender, 2 to 21⁄2 hours, skimming off any foam or oil that might accumulate on the surface. Check on the stew every 15 to 20 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching or sticking. As you check on the stew, continue adding 1⁄4 cup to cup water, as needed, up to 21⁄2 to 3 cups total — to ensure there is enough liquid to cook down and concentrate. If the stew begins to stick, reduce the heat to low. The onions should fall apart, creating a thick, rich sauce that coats the meat.
When the stew is done, discard the bouquet garni, taste the stew and season with more salt, if desired. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.
Note: Demi-glace is a concentrated sauce typically made with a meat stock and sometimes wine; it is available in the soup aisle of large grocery stores.
free to grab a bottle labeled as pinot noir that fits within your price range. Make it something you will drink — only 1 cup is used in cooking, and you’ll want to sip the rest while you enjoy the dish. Pat your meat as dry as you can before cooking to limit the amount of splattering while you sear. You’ll want to stay within reach during the 2 to 21⁄2 hours of braising time so that you can stir and scrape occasionally
to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pot.
Like most stews, this one lasts several days in the fridge, improving over time. It also freezes well, meaning you can put in the initial investment and reap the rewards in the days or weeks to come. Or dare I say years, as proved by the lasting power of this recipe.
Allegro, a new modern Italian restaurant from the San Diego Dining Group, plans to open its doors on Valentine’s Day in Little Italy.
Allegro takes over the space at 1536 India St. formerly occupied by Indigo Grill, which closed last year after a 20-year run. Allegro joins San Diego Dining Group’s three Gaslamp Quarter restaurants: Greystone Steakhouse, Osetra and Osteria Panevino.
The menu, developed by Sicilian-born chef Marco Provino, will serve coastal cuisine with an Italian flair. The restaurant will have an expansive patio decorated with lemon trees, custom-made marble tables with fire pits in the center and vintage doors. For details, visit San Diego Dining Group on Facebook.
Pour House opens in Vista
Barrel & Stave Pour House, a Fullerton-based brewery, opened its first San Diego County tap room last week in the former Mother Earth Brewing tap room in downtown Vista.
The new tap room at 206 Main St. has 40 taps serving its own beers as well as wine, seltzer, kombucha and more. The room has a large event space for private parties and live music and will work with nearby restaurants to serve food onsite.
Barrel & Stave will also be one of the local brewers taking part in Co-Lab Vista, a two-story brewery hall that will feature several brewery booths, food vendors, games and indoor and outdoor seating areas. It is scheduled to open in March at 2129 Industrial Court in Vista. Visit barrelandstave.com.
Best Pizza plans new location
Best Pizza & Brew, a San Diego-based New York-style slice
shop with four locations, will open its fifth location in April in Vista.
The new Best Pizza restaurant will open at 230 S. Santa Fe Ave., in the former home of the TownHall Public House restaurant. Company spokesman Joey Freis said the 3,600-square-foot restaurant will be the largest in the Best Pizza chain, with 175 seats, much of it outdoors. While the other four locations serve only craft beers, the Vista location will have a full bar.
Best Pizza will be one of the first businesses to move into Vista’s new Paseo Santa Fe corridor following a six-year, $30 million beautification project that was completed in December. Visit bestpizzaandbrew.com.
Farmer’s Table opening in Chula Vista
Farmer’s Table, an Italian country-style restaurant company founded in 2016, will open its fourth location in Chula Vista at the end of February.
Farmer’s Table took over the former Marie Callender’s restaurant location at 330 F St. It joins existing locations in La Mesa, Bay Park and Little Italy. The new Chula Vista location is the company’s largest, at 10,000 square feet. As part of the building renovation, the company is doubling the size of its patio. Visit myfarmerstable.com.
Good Time launches GoFundMe
Good Time Design, a San Diego hospitality company with 13 restaurants and bars, has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for workers at its Nashville location that was heavily damaged in a suicide bombing on Christmas Day.
Good Time owner Ty Hauter said insurance will cover the cost of rebuilding Cerveza Jack’s, a Mexican eatery and bar in Nashville, but all of its employees will be out of work for an extended time. All money raised will go toward the restaurant’s furloughed hourly employees. The $10,000 campaign has raised $1,890. To donate, visit GoFundMe.com and search: “Help Cerveza Jack’s Nashville Staff !”
Lemonis donated $30K to Encontro
Marcus Lemonis, the entrepreneur/star of CNBC’s “The Profit” and “Street of Dreams With Marcus Lemonis,” has donated $30,000 to Encontro restaurant in North Park. The money will be used by Encontro to prepare meals for needy members of the community.
Kragen writes about San Diego restaurants for The San Diego Union-Tribune. Email her at pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com.