Open up a bottle of Burgundy wine and slowly pour it... into your pressure cooker.
Boeuf Bourguignon may sound fancy, but it has humble origins as a simple way to prepare tougher cuts of beef. Simmering the beef in wine along with vegetables such as mushrooms, carrots and onions produces tender nuggets of beef in a hearty rich sauce that will tantalize your taste buds.
And to make this easy dish even quicker, this recipe uses a pressure cooker instead of hours simmering on the stove.
Cooking beef in alcohol helps break down the connective tissues in the meat making it extra tender. Some cuisines use beer, like this Irish Stew made with stout or Beer Braised Corned Beef.
Since this recipe is prepared in the pressure cooker, the liquid does not evaporate like it would in traditional stove top cooking. So, there is only 2 cups of liquid added to the recipe. Which means you have extra wine to serve with the dish.
Some people serve it in a bowl as a stew with some nice crusty bread. We prefer it over mashed potatoes. The choice is yours.
What does Boeuf Bourguignon mean?
Directly translated Boeuf Bourguignon means "beef of Burgundy".
The term has nothing to do with the color of the wine. This dish originated in Bourgogne (Burgundy in English) a region of France known for its wine making and mustard. It's capital is Dijon.
Learn more about the history over on National Geographic.
The best wines for Boeuf Bourguignon
Traditionally, this dish was made with a Burgundy wine, which is an AOC. Meaning, like wines from it's neighbor to the north Champagne, true Burgundy wine can only be produced in Burgundy using certain grape varietals and bottled in a certain manner.
But, this was "peasant food", not haute cuisine. No need to search for an expensive bottle of French wine (unless you are in France). Use a nice medium bodied red wine such as Pinot Noir, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon.
Alcohol free boeuf bourguignon:
The alcohol in the wine will not cook off in the pressure cooker. If you want to forego the wine you have a few options:
- choose an alcohol free red wine
- swap grape juice for the wine and add add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (juice for the fruity flavor and vinegar for some acidity)
- double the stock and add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (for the added acidity)
More Mushroom Recipes from #OurFamilyTable
Must Make Mushroom Recipes
- Asparagus with Mushrooms from Art of Natural Living
- Boeuf Bourguignon from That Recipe
- Mushroom Risotto from Hezzi-D's Recipe Box
- One Pot Mushroom and Herb Rice from Creative Cynchronicity
- Three Mushroom Pot Roast from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
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Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds stew meat (cut into 1" chunks)
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 6 slices thick cut bacon (diced into pieces)
- 1 cup onion (sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 carrots (peeled and chopped in chunks)
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms (sliced)
- 1 cup red wine (see suggestions in article)
- 1 cup beef stock
Instructions
- Combine flour, salt, pepper and thyme in a small bowl. Coat the stew meat with the flour mixture and set aside.
- Turn electric pressure cooker to sauté, or heat stove top pressure cooker to medium. Add the bacon and cook until crispy.
- Add the stew meat. Brown on all sides, about 2 minutes each side.
- Add the remaining ingredients. stirring a bit to release the browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
- Seal the lid on the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.
- Let pressure release naturally.
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Until next time, happy eating!
~Audrey
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