Boeuf Bourguignon
After many years of searching and testing, we came to the conclusion that the legendary Julia Child had the definitive recipe. And we're not the only ones. Thomas Kellar, the brilliant Chef-Patron of the French Laundry in Napa Valley, California, also says that it's his go-to recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon. The best pan to use for a Boeuf Bourguignon is a Le Creuset cast iron as it spreads the heat quickly and evenly.
Serves 6
Ingredients and Method
180g piece of streaky bacon
Remove the rind and cut the bacon into lardons. Simmer the rind and bacon in 750ml water for 10 minutes. Drain and dry.
Preheat the oven to 220°C.
A large oven-proof pan
1 Tablespoon olive or sunflower oil
A slotted spoon
Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2-3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Leave the oven-proof pan on the heat until the fat is almost smoking to sauté the beef.
1,5kg lean stewing steak, cut into 5cm cubes
Dry the beef; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.
1 tsp salt
30g flour
¼ tsp pepper
Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle in the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Place the casserole in the middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole and turn oven down to 160°C.
750ml full-bodied young red wine or a Chianti
500-600ml brown beef stock
1 Tbl tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
½ tsp thyme
1 crumbled bay leaf
the blanched bacon rind
Stir in the wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to simmering point on top of stove. Then cover the casserole and place in the lower part of preheated oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3-4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
18-24 small onions, brown braised in stock
500g quartered fresh mushrooms, sautéed in butter
While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Leave them aside until needed.
When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.
Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer the sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 600ml sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.
(*) Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.
Parsley sprigs
FOR IMMEDIATE SERVING
Cover the casserole and simmer for 2-3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a dish surrounded with boiled potatoes, noodles or rice, and decorated with parsley.
FOR SERVING LATER
When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15-20 minutes before serving, bring to simmering point, cover and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.
We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours
Wine advice: Villa Wolf - Pinot Noir
Parsley Root, Apple and Watercress ‘Stamppot’ with Gasconne Steak
When the weather turns cold and wet, we start yearning for comforting and filling dishes. Here, we've taken an old Dutch classic of steak and stamppot and given it a slight twist.
serves 2
Ingredients
1kg floury potatoes
1kg parsley root
1 Elstar apple
1 bunch watercress
2 Gasconne dry aged steaks of 150g each
100g butter
2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil
milk (a splash to make the mash creamy)
salt and pepper
Method
Peel the potatoes, parsley root and apple. Cut all into chunks (removing the core from the apple) and place in a pan with water and salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the ingredients are soft.
Drain off the water and return the vegetables to the pan. Using a potato masher, mash them as smooth as you can. Add 60g of the butter and enough milk to make it smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm over a low heat.
Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Fry the steak until golden on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Add the remaining butter and allow to turn light brown. Spoon over the steaks.
Transfer the steps to a plate and cover loosely with aluminium foil. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Remove the tough stalks from the watercress and roughly chop the leaves. Add to the potatoes and mix through.
Spoon the ‘stamppot’ on to a serving plates and set the steak on the side. Add any juices that have gathered from resting the steak to the butter in the pan, reheat gently and spoon over the steaks. Serve with the wholegrain mustard.
voor 2 personen
Ingrediënten
1kg kruimige aardappelen
1kg peterselie wortel
1 Elstar appel
1 bos waterkers
2 Gasconne dry aged kogelbiefstuk van 150 gr per stuk
100gr boter
2 eetlepels grove mosterd
3 eetlepels olijfolie
melk (een scheutje om de puree smeuig te maken)
zout en peper
Bereiding
Schil de aardappelen, peterseliewortel en appel. Snijd ide groenten in grove stukken (verwijder het klokhuis van de appel) en doe ze in een pan water met zout. Breng aan de kook en laat 15-20 mintuten zachtjes koken totdat de groenten zacht zijn.
Giet het water van de groenten af. Stamp ze fijn met een aardappelstamper. Voeg 60 gr boter toe en genoeg melk toe om het smeuig te maken. Breng op smaak met zout en peper en houd warm op een laag vuurtje.
Bestrooi de biefstuk met zout en peper. Verwarm een koekenpan op medium vuur met 3 eetlepels olijfolie. Bak de biefstuk goudbruin, 2 minuten aan elke kant. Voeg de resterende boter toe en laat licht bruin worden. Lepel de boter af en toe over de biefstuk.
Leg de biefstuks op een bord en dek licht af met een stukje aluminiumfolie en laat 5 minuten rusten. Verwijder de grove steeltjes van de waterkers en snijd de waterkers grof. Voeg toe aan de stamppot en roer er goed doorheen.
Lepel de stamppot op 2 borden en leg de biefstuk ernaast. Voeg sappen die op het bord van de biefstuks liggen, toe aan de koekenpan, warm lichtjes op en lepel over de biefstuks. Serveer met de grove mosterd.
Pure Wagyu
Farmer Chris Boomsma rears Japanese Wagyu cattle, which are known for the tender, exclusive and flavourful meat. ' Wa ' means Japan and ' Gyu ' means beef. Until the 19th century, the Wagyu in Japan where only be used as draft animals in forestry and agriculture. Through the centuries of selection on muscular strength and endurance, the modern, high-quality and very tender meat came to be.
A portion of Chris's livestock were the first Wagyu's to ever be maintained and graze the dunes of Schoorl. The animals have a good life and help take care of the natural landscape.
Wagyu beef is a tasty delicacy known for its typical fat distribution and characteristic marbling. This marbling, with his polyunsaturated fat, ensures an unprecedented taste sensation. The more marbling in the meat, the higher the quality.
A few interesting points about Pure Wagyu Beef:
• the cattle 100% pure-bred Wagyu's are
• the cattle come from North Holland
• the calves remain for at least 8 months at their own mother
• the cattle are kept in a sustainable and humane way
• the meat contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
• the meat is free of antibiotics or growth hormones
• a Wagyu Sirloin steak contains less cholesterol than a lean chicken breast
One common myth is that the tenderness of the Wagyu meat is obtained by the cattle being massaged, listening to classical music and being fed beer.
To taste and purchase Pure Wagyu for yourself, visit their stall at The Sunday Market on 1st March at the Westergasfabriek.
Bilder & de Clercq's new recipes week 31
As you may know by now, we are the chefs behind Amsterdam hotspot, Bilder & de Clercq. Every week we develop 3 new recipes for the stores and we'll be keeping you updated with the week's newest recipes. This weeks new recipes are:
