Easy Beef Bourguignon Recipe! ( You'll never make Beef Stew the Same Way Again!)

Beef Bourguignon.  It's probably the single most recipe that put Julia Child on the map.  Easy, by no means.  Time consuming.  Definitely!  After weeks and weeks of using my family as guinea pigs, I finally put together a recipe that didn't take an hour and a half of prep work, and tasted absolutely delectable!  

I had posted these words on Facebook about a week ago.  Easy Beef Bourguignon tonight.  With those 4 little words, I got a rush of comments, asking for the recipe.  So here it is!

Here's what you'll need:

1 1/2 pounds of Stew Beef

3 stalks of Celery

Minced Garlic

Chopped onions

Butter ( 2 small spoonfuls)

1/2 teaspoon bay leaves crushed

3 cups water

an additional 1 cup water

1 1/2 - 2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon Wine

3 tablespoons All Purpose Flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

Carrots chopped, ( I leave them on the larger side of chopped)

Potatoes peeled and chopped

1 package of Portabella Mushrooms (optional)

** In my family there are 2 of us that enjoy mushrooms, and two of us that don't, so I usually leave them whole, so they can be easily picked out**

You'll be using two pots to prepare this dinner, just make sure that one of them has the ability to be placed INTO the oven once the prep work on top of the oven is completed.  

In the first stock pot, add butter, chopped celery, chopped onions, minced garlic and mushrooms, and saute on a medium heat.  While that is cooking, place your Stew Beef into the second pot,  on high heat.  You're browning the beef first.  By doing this, your sealing in the juices.  

Once your vegetables have been sauteed, add in Wine, and the larger amount of water.  Add your pepper, salt and bay leaves.  Then one by one, add your beef to the vegetables. 

Once your pot that browned the beef is emptied, add the 1 cup of water to that pot, while it is still on high heat.  Scrape the meat dripping from the bottom of the pot, and slowly add the flour.  Vigorously stir the flour in, making a gravy.  

Once the flour has dissolved, add that pot to the second pot containing the beef and vegetables.  

While the first mixture is cooking, add your carrots, and potatoes.  It's important to leave them slightly larger that you would make for a regular beef stew, so they won't fall apart while baking.  

Cover pot, and remove from burners.  Place into a 325 degree oven for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.  

What you end up with, is one of the most savory stews, closely related to Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon recipes made decades ago!  

Now, I have made several variations of this, like omitting the potatoes, and adding the rich mixture over a bed of rice for instance.  The sauce is thick, savory and completely filling!  

Enjoy!