French comfort food. I think we all need some comfort right now, especially folks in North America (beef-eating folks, that is) who recently endured blizzard and sub-zero weather conditions. A perfect time to stay home and make a hearty, nourishing beef stew.

The last time I made beef bourguignon I nearly burnt down someone’s kitchen. Things had been going well – the chunks of tender beef braised and simmering in a red wine sauce – until I decided to leave the kitchen to take a shower. I thought I had turned down the heat, but because the stove burners were unfamiliar to me – induction as opposed to gas – I had in fact turned up the heat to its highest level. Soon afterwards, billows of black smoke alerted us to the fact that something was amiss, and indeed, the stew had turned to cinders. The cooking pot, utterly ruined, had to be thrown out.

It’s important to buy good quality meat. I paid 11 euros for this yesterday, telling my butcher that I was going to make a bœuf bourguignon for two people. He cut it up for me.

Some people in France serve their beef stew with wide noodles, but I prefer mashed potato or with chunks of cooked potato in the stew itself.

The making of an authentic bœuf bourguignon can be a long procedure, but needn’t be. For example, you don’t have to marinate the beef and vegetables in red wine overnight. There are many videos and recipes to follow on the internet. Here’s one out of many.

Bon appétit !