Hearty
No matter the time of the year I love to have some form of a roast. Sure when the summer rolls around using the oven can seem a little counter productive, but, there is no excuse when you can conjure up the same quality recipe using an instant pot instead of a dutch oven. Filling the bellies of my little darlings seems like an endless endeavor. Trying to satisfy so many different palates is a task within itself, not to mention trying to make it a healthy course simultaneously. Luckily, this meal has all of the needed nutrition to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters.
Nostalgia
Growing up I love watching the stylistic cuisine of Julia Child. Being a California native as she, I found it rather intriguing that an American could bring French cuisine into the comfort of my very own home. I like to think that her influence opened up my palate to various international cuisine. Searching for world re-known flavors began at the tender age of 11 and had continued into adulthood all thanks to the lady who decided to share her passion with the world so long ago, and is still as relevant as she was when she first began her show in the 1960’s. Seeing as her show was unedited, her authenticity gave me the confidence to also make mistakes in the kitchen.
Beef Bourgionon has always been my go to French dish. Albeit I wasn’t always a fan of any type of roast. As a child, roast to me meant to many hard vegetables and not enough flavor. My parents where great cooks don’t get me wrong, but the 90’s held various views of fat that were counterproductive. For example, low carb, low fat diets were all the rage. Eliminating all various fat were considered to be the best option which is debatable by some( check out this article for more on 90’s diet trends). The elimination of all fats is not only unhealthy but makes for rather bland fare. Now, even I realize that fats have benefits. There are different types of fats such as trans fats, saturated fats, mono and poly fats. Here is a good article to give you a better overview of the differences from Harvard Medical School.
Food for Enjoyment
Julia Child loved to use cream and butter in her food but had a lot of criticism for doing so. She feared that the “fanatical fear of food” would change the way people would dine and felt as if “Everybody is overreacting. If fear of food continues, it will be the death of gastronomy in the United States. Fortunately, the French don’t suffer from the same hysteria we do. We should enjoy food and have fun. It is one of the simplest and nicest pleasures in life”. I would have to concur with her beliefs. I believe that butter and cream is necessary to enhance the flavor of food. Personally I have found that when you have the right ratio of healthy fats to protein that you actually have the potential to loose weight!
This dish can be made the traditional way which is can take upwards of 2 hours. Someday’s I like taking the long route and having the lovely aroma fill the air of my home, but on most days I like to save time and simply use the Instant Pot. If you are a traditionalist, check out the original recipe by Julia here.
Short cuts/ Tips and Tricks
*Rendering the bacon fat from pre-cooked bacon strips can produce enough oil to brown the beef. Cut it into tiny strips and cook down until brown and fully cooked. You will notice that pre-cooked bacon is 90% of the way cooked but can still be rendered further.
* Before browning the beef, pat dry with a paper towel. Also cook in small batches. Doing so will brown the beef to perfection as opposed to steaming which is not the desired effect.
*Sauteing the vegetables will give more flavor and produce a smokiness you wouldn’t otherwise receive. I added the mildly spicy flavor or poblano peppers. You can add any type of veggies that you want if you don’t care to be strict to the original recipe.
*Choosing the right wine is vital for decadence. It must be one that you would drink and not a cooking wine. Cooking wines have high sodium contents and can make the overall dish too salty. I chose a Malbec because that was what I opened the night prior, and have varied the wine choice every time I made this dish. There isn’t to much a noticeable difference unless you a Sommelier.
*Beef stock can be purchased at a store but I prefer to use my own home made because I know what goes into it and also it has so much more flavor than a store bought brand.
Sumptuous Tender Everyday Beef Bourguignon
Equipment
- 1 Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 3 Pounds Cubed Stewing Beef
- 1/4 Cup Flour
- 2 Cups Red Wine
- 6 Tbsp Butter
- 1/2` Cup Olive Oil Extra Virgin
- 2 Carrots Chopped
- 1 Poblano Pepper Chopped
- 2 Bay Leaf
- 2 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 1/2 Cup Mushrooms Sliced
- 1 White Onion Sliced
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1 Tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 Tsp Salt
Instructions
- Heat Instant Pot to saute setting. As pot heats, chop all vegetables and set aside. Once heated, chop bacon and fry until brown. Set aside.
- Next, pat dry all beef cubes and season with salt and pepper. In small batches, brown beef cubes and set aside. In residual oil add butter and vegetables. Saute for 3-5 minutes.
- Add all beef, bacon and flour and saute stirring constantly until the flour smells nutty. Be careful not to burn.
- Once the flour has been cooked down, add red wine and beef broth. Close lid and cancel saute mode. Place instant pot to high pressure for 50 minutes. Be sure to have the lid sealed and not venting.
- Once time elapses, allow for a slow release for 15 minutes. Serve with Mash potatoes or rice.
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