Beef Bourguignon

(serves 4)

Slow cooking. It does have its rewards, but definitely comes with a lesson in patience. This dish was inspired  by the fact that we had beef stock leftover and suddenly a simple dinner became a 2hr project. But, fresh vegetables, soft beef, hearty sauce... delicious!! (even if it wasn't ready till 9pm!!) 

This dish was partly inspired by the LaRousse cooking dictionary ~ so fancy looking! I also learnt how to make a nice jus thickener without the floury lumps ~ those French people are so patient...realised i may need to temper my fast Asian stir-fry instincts!

Prep time: 30-45min
Cooking time: 90min

Ingredients
500g rump steak
1 eggplant
1 zucchini
1 onion
1 tomato
1 clove garlic
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 C beef stock

1/2 C red wine

1-2 tsp dijon mustard
1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar

5-6 potatoes (boiled or mashed)
2 spring onions

Jus thickener:

30g butter

1/4 C flour

water

herbs, spices (optional) - i added garlic powder and flakes

2-3 T beef stock (optional)
2-3 T red wine (optional)

Method:
1. Cut the eggplant, zucchini, onion and tomato into 2cm chunks.

2. Heat a large frypan on medium heat with 1 T olive oil and slowly pan-fry the eggplant and zucchini for 5-8min, turn and continue to cook until lightly browned. Remove from the pan.
NB. You want to dehydrate the vegetables slightly and seal all sides so they keep their texture whislt absorbing flavour in the stock later on.
3. Cube the beef into 2cm squares and lightly dust with flour.
4. Add 1/2 T olive oil to the frypan and add the onions and the beef. Brown the beef on all sides to seal the flavour.
5. Add in the beef stock and bay leaves and bring to the boil then return to medium heat.
6. Add in the red wine and cook for 3-5 min.
NB. Experiment: Just after you add the wine in, you can try to light it up with an igniter to burn off the alcohol (do not try a match as it didn't seem to work)!

7. Add in the eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes and bring to the boil, then simmer for at least 60min.

Meanwhile, you can put together the jus to thicken the sauce in a smooth, consistent manner. This is tricky though and may take some practice to make sure you get the right consistency! I was merely an observer this time around, but will try next time...

8. Heat a small saucepan on low heat. Add in the butter and allow it to melt.
9. Add in the flour and stir vigorously to incorporate to become a soft consistency.
10. Gradually add in the water , stirring until it's incorporated before adding more in. You are trying to get enough to make a smooth thick sauce. This may take 10-15min.

11. If you want, you can also slowly add in some beef stock and red wine to enhance the taste. You can also add in any herbs (e.g. oregano, rosemary) and spices you want at this point.
12. Once you've made up the thickening sauce, you can stir it into the main bourguignon and let it continue to simmer until the vegetables are soft and the sauce is thick and smooth (or as you like, this is the part where patience is challenging!).



13. Add in salt, pepper, balsamic and dijon mustard to season. Simmer for another 10-15min.

14. Meanwhile, finely slice the spring onion and sauté.

15. Serve with boiled potatoes, mash, or rice. Top with the spring onion and enjoy!