Boeuf Bourguignon

This isn't necessarily an authentic boeuf bourguignon recipe. There was a two-thirds full bottle of red wine in the fridge leftover from a while back and I wanted to use it up. I was kind of trying to do a riff on the ox tongue stew that I had at Kichi Kichi in Kyoto and ended up making this super rich, meaty, hearty brisket that didn't quite fit the bill but still hit the spot.

Ingredients [serves 4]:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds beef brisket
2 teaspoons salt
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
4 ribs celery, diced
2 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic, smashed
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Japanese Worcestershire
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
6 cups water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ cup butter
½ cup flour
+ heavy cream

Start by heating a big pot over high heat, add some oil, season the beef generously with salt, and sear on both sides for 5 to 7 minutes or until it develops good color.

Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.

While the meat is searing, work on chopping up the mirepoix - the onion, celery, and carrot.

Add to the pot and cook until cooked down by about half. Then add in the thyme, bay leaf, and garlic.

Stir in tomato paste and toast for a few minutes to cook out the tinny metallic flavor of the can.

Add wine to deglaze the pot and stir.

Add in bouillon, black pepper, soy sauce, Worcestershire, Japanese Worcestershire, vinegar, sugar, and then pour in a bunch of water.

Nestle the meat back into the pot, lower the heat, and simmer with the lid on for around 4 hours or until the meat is falling apart tender.

When the meat is tender, remove it from the pot and set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat butter until melted and add flour, whisking continuously. Cook the roux until it's darkened to the color of milk chocolate.

Slowly drizzle the roux into the stew, whisking to combine. The stew will thicken up immediately.

Cut the meat into small chunks and stir into the rest of the stew.

Serve hot with a simple carbohydrate - like potatoes or rice - and dig in.

This stew is super balanced with salt, sweet, savory, just a touch of acidity from the vinegar and Worcestershire, and though the cream isn't compulsory, it does add a velvety texture to the stew.

Here's the recipe page: