Sunday Supper: Boeuf Bourguignon

I have always loved it when summer transitions to fall. Autumn days in southern California are glorious and golden, but the three p.m. cool-down transitions days that peak hot and dry into evenings that descend cool and inviting. We pull chairs onto the patio to linger in still moments of dusk. Smoke from local red oak perfumes the air from the fire pit as we twiddle glasses of California red (Cabernet Sauvignon for me, Pinot Noir for John). Evening breezes, surprisingly chill, stir the branches of the California laurel that watches over the patio, rustle the fronds of the baby palm whose growth season is culminating for another year, tingle the spines of we who so lovingly recall autumn in other climes. Ravens and crows call as they settle in for the night. Yes, we have seasons in Los Angeles, and the transitions are sweeter for their shivers and their subtlety.

Autumn in New York was a seasonal gathering-in among activities laid dormant during summer laze and friends drawn home after summer travels. It was attended by a quickening of the pulse that was, I discovered, the sense of returning to rightness within the city's hearbeat. As far back as back-to-school, autumn meant getting busy again. School bells rang and subway doors swooshed as the rush returned. Summer homes on the Island and upstate were boarded up except for those who elected to stay "for the off season." Emails pinged as plans were made and remade for coffee or cocktails. At the office, quarterly reports were due and in the stores, the fall collections were out. I was to learn that Angelenos sink into a lovely quietude in autumn but as a New Yorker I both fell into the uptake of activity and dwelled in the intensity of it. New Yorkers appreciate autumn as only New Englanders can, with the crunch of leaves on cobblestone streets, with wraps increasingly insular drawn around shoulders against winds increasingly harsh, with the glow of candlelight through leaded windows in inns that date back to the American Revolution.

In New York, I got into the habit of hosting informal Sunday dinners in autumn, to maximize enjoying the deliciousness of the season before Halloween parties and Thanksgiving dinner took over and took autumn with them. As with, I believe, the best dinner parties, these gatherings were informal and not extensively planned, offered primarily to gather friends whose paths, however well meaning the intentions, would just as likely run parallel rather than cross or merge. And I know I was on to something for, as hurt as I am that it goes unacknowledged, at least one editor-author relationship took hold during these Sunday suppers, and everyone from the hosts to the attendees was misty-eyed during the barbeque we held during what everybody knew, but nobody said, would turn out to be John's and my last autumn in New York.

The primary qualification for the dinner course was that it be about sharing in attunement with the spirit of the event, and warming in response to the season. At these Sunday suppers, I have served everything from lasagna to Carbonnade, but the biggest hit was always Boeuf a la Bourguignon -- beef stew with burgundy and vegetables, straight from the French kitchen. Though a perfect Sunday supper during the cold months, Boeuf Bourguignon has special affinity with autumn. In this season of culmination, of the harvest that began with spring planting, of days that are chill and blustery before turning icy and still, Boeuf Bourguignon is the culmination of planning, shopping, and preparation. Serving it at a gathering makes for a meal as special as roast turkey with stuffing.

There is something satisfying about going from butcher to orchard stand to wine store to obtain the ingredients for a special dinner, something steadying about unwrapping and preparing them. For, let's face it, Boeuf Bourguignon requires effort, and it should. Boeuf Bourguignon is serious French food, as renowned as steak frites aux poivres, as fetishized as escargots. Boeuf Bourguignon is nothing less than an ambassador for French cooking, and like all diplomats, interacting with it requires protocol. It is a dish both to feed the hunger with something good (really, really good) to eat and to honor cooking via the process of doing it attentively. So let Boeuf Bourguignon be un peu fussy, le petit demanding to prepare. While it is not a day of non-stop effort, Boeuf Bourguignon takes a full day to prepare. The spirit of this cooking and this dish resides as much in honoring the process by doing it correctly as enjoying the results by enjoying them lustfully.

Once guests arrive, circulate wine and cocktails with small plates of bleu cheese and pears. Boeuf Bourguignon is a great dish for kitchen socializing, for the cook is within their rights to stay in place, apron knotted, wine glass at the ready, hopefully having remembered to run a comb through their hair. Guests will be drawn into the kitchen by the rich aromas coming from it, for just as it did when you issued the invitation to dinner, just as it's done from kitchens from farm house to bistro, Boeuf Bourguignon beckons people. Assign tasks to shyer or special reserve friends: setting the table, checking the ice trays, watching for underfilled wine glasses, or just keeping the cook company.

At dinnertime, place bowls of boiled new potatoes, steamed white rice, and a simple herb salad on the table. Have guests line up to be served the main course directly from the stovetop. Accompany dinner with a full-bodied French Burgundy such as Domaine de Suremain Mercurey, and hearty Belgian ale for the beer drinkers. Have a thin lemon or pear tart to be taken with shots of strong French roast for dessert, along with Cognac, Port and Sauternes. If everyone is too full, provide a box of good chocolates for sharing. And, as it is impossible to make a small amount of Boeuf Bourguignon, send your diners home with leftovers. They will be saying merci beaucoup all over again, for like the passage of autumn days, Boeuf Bourguignon improves with time.

Boeuf Bourguignon

Whether a butcher shop or the supermarket, call ahead to the butcher and ask them to prepare an order as follows: four to five pounds of boneless chuck cut for stew, 6 ounces pancetta or slab bacon cut and diced, and 1/2 pound of meaty beef bones. Making the simple beef stock enhances the preparation and flavor of the dish, but if you use prepared stock, make sure it is low sodium and pure -- some butchers can supply that as well.

For the stock

1/2 pound beef bones (see note above)

4 cups cold water

1 bay leaf

For the beef

4 - 5 pounds boneless beef chuck (see note above)

2 teaspoons salt

3-12 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons hot paprika

For the stew

6 ounces pancetta or slab bacon (see note above)

1 pound small to medium carrots

1/2 pound celery

1/2 pound leeks

4 large shallots

1 pound white button mushrooms

1 bottle dry red wine, such as Burgundy

1/4 cup brandy

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon flour

6 cloves garlic

1 1-inch strip orange peel

Several stems fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Salt

Extra virgin olive oil

Unsalted butter

Fresh parsley or chives for serving

Make the stock

Up to two days beforehand

1. Place the beef bones and 1/2 cup water into a large ovenproof metal pot.
2. Place the pot on a rack in the oven and roast the bones at 375 degrees F for 1/2 hour. If the bones start to char, turn the heat down to 325 degrees F, depending on your oven.
3. After 1/2 hour roasting time, use potholders to safely transfer the pot from the oven to the stovetop.
4. On the stovetop, carefully add the remaining 3-1/2 cups water and the bay leaf to the mixture in the pot.
5. Turn the heat under the pot to low. Simmer, covered, until fragrant and dark, approximately 3 hours.
6. Allow the stock to cool and carefully strain into a large jar or glass bowl. Store, covered and refrigerated, until ready to use.

Prepare the meat and vegetables

6 - 8 hours before serving

1. Measure the salt, black pepper, and hot paprika into a small bowl and stir the spices together.
2. Unwrap the chunked beef and dry it where necessary by dabbing with paper towels.
3. Working a few pieces at a time, transfer chunks of beef into a large bowl and then sprinkle them with the spice mixture. Continue with this process until all of the beef has been coated with all of the spice mixture. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and set aside.
4. Peel each carrot and safely remove the stem and root ends. Safely use a knife to cut each carrot at an angle into one-inch chunks, rotating the carrot one quarter turn after each cut. Place the cut carrots into an in-sink colander.
5. Safely remove the stem and root ends from each celery rib. Safely use a knife to cut each celery rib at an angle into one-inch chunks, rotating the celery rib one quarter turn after each cut. Place the cut carrots into the in-sink colander with the cut carrots.
6. Rinse the carrots and celery with cool water. Gently shake the colander and leave the rinsed celery and carrots to drain.
7. Remove and discard the calloused root ends of the leeks. Remove the hard green tops of the leeks just at the point on each leek where the dark green top turns light green to white. Safely use a knife to cut each trimmed leek lengthwise down the center to form long halves, and then cut each long half lengthwise to form quarters. Line the quartered leeks up side to side and cut across the quartered leeks to form small pieces. Transfer the small-cut leek to a colander. Rinse the leeks thoroughly with cool water and set aside to drain.
8. Remove and discard the calloused root ends and papery covering from each shallot. Safely  use a knife to cut each shallot from top to bottom lengthwise to form matchsticks. Transfer the matchsticked shallots to a small bowl and set aside.

Prepare the herbs and liquids

Just before cooking

1. Cut a long piece of kitchen twine and a piece of cheesecloth about two inches wide. Lay the cheesecloth crossways on the twine. Place the thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, and orange peel lengthways along the edge of the cheesecloth nearest to you. Roll the cheesecloth containing the herbs away from you as if you are rolling a cigar. Once you have a tightly rolled package, crisscross the twine up and down it as if you are lacing sneakers. Tie off the bouquet garni and trim and discard excess twine.
2. Measure two cups of red wine into a large pitcher with a spout. Add 1 cup beef stock and the Worcestershire sauce to the wine, and stir the liquids together.
3. Peel each clove of garlic and safely cut away the calloused root end of each clove. Carefully cut each clove in half and remove and discard any hard green sprouting from each clove.

Cook the stew

4-5 hours before serving

1. Drizzle a large stew pot or Dutch oven with a five count of extra virgin olive oil. Turn the heat to medium low. Once the oil is shimmering, carefully add the diced bacon/pancetta to the oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crispy and fragrant, approximately 10 minutes. Carefully use a slotted spoon to safely transfer the fried bacon to a small bowl. Set the bacon aside.
2. Working in batches, add the seasoned beef chunks to the fat in the pot. Do not crowd the pot. Safely use tongs to sear the beef on all sides. Replenish the oil as needed. Remove the beef chunks once seared and place in a bowl. Continue with this process until all of the beef is seared.
3. Once all of the beef is seared, replenish the pot with a two count of extra virgin olive oil. Add the cut carrots and celery to the pot. Sprinkle the vegetables lightly with salt and stir the mixture thoroughly. It is okay if some of the scorched bits on the bottom (the fond) of the pot come up as you stir. Once the vegetables are nicely coated with oil, place the lid on the pot and cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the carrots start to soften, approximately 10 minutes.
4. Once the carrots start to soften, replenish the pot with a two count of extra virgin olive oil. Add the chopped leeks to the mixture in the pot. Stir the mixture thoroughly. Place the lid on the pot and cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until soft and very fragrant, approximately 10 minutes.
5. Once the vegetable mixture is soft and very fragrant, add the shallots to the mixture and stir just to coat.  Press the garlic into the vegetable mixture.
6. Add the tomato paste and the flour to the mixture in the pot and stir just to coat.
7. Carefully pour the brandy into the mixture in the pot, stirring quickly to keep the alcohol from flaring up.
8. Transfer the seared beef and any accumulated juices to the pot. Stir the mixture very thoroughly to combine.
9. Slowly pour the wine-stock mixture into the pot, gently stirring the stew ingredients as you pour. Scrape the bottom of the pot as you stir to get any fond that has built up.
10. Nestle the bouquet garni about 1/2 way down into the stew.
11. Cover the pot, turn the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally to keep the mixture from scorching, until the stew is thick and very fragrant, approximately 4 - 4-1/2 hours.

Note

Prepare a small batch of 2 parts wine to 1 part stock to add to the stew if the pot runs dry during cooking.

Prepare the garnishes

1/2 hour before serving

1. Remove the calloused bottoms from the mushrooms. Cut the mushrooms into halves or quarters depending on size. Quickly rinse the mushrooms under cool water just to remove any debris.
2. Place a pat of butter into a non-stick pan and turn the heat to medium low. Add the rinsed and cut mushrooms and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Sauté the mushrooms in the butter until they are fragrant and have released their juices, approximately 10 minutes.
3. Chop fresh chives if using crossways. Place fresh parsley if using in a small glass of water.

Serve the stew

Ladle a generous serving of stew into a bowl. Top with a sprinkling of the reserved bacon, mushrooms if the diner wants them, and chopped fresh chives or torn parsley leaves.