My disappointing lunch inspired me to cook tonight. You know Food Snob's rule: dinner must be on the table in an hour or less (Food Snob prefers less; however, she felt inspired tonight to extend the preparation to an hour to make up for the awful lunch).
Last night I was watching "Julie and Julia" on TV, and it reminded me of how much I have enjoyed using Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" over the years. Since Julia Child uses a lot of fat, butter, and cream in her recipes, I have made it my mission to retain the delicious flavor in her recipes while reducing the richness to ensure the food is healthy. My version of Beef Bourguignon is no exception.
I decided to make Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon for dinner - which I have done many times over the years - only I usually make Buffalo Bourguignon. Buffalo is very lean, low in fat, and good for you. Alternatively, you could substitute grass-fed beef. Buffalo in French (according to my online English to French translator) is Buffle or Bison. So, I actually made Buffle Bourguignon.
Julia Child's recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon requires about 3 to 4 hours. I'll be honest - if you have 3 to 4 hours, take the extra time and the food will be stupendous. Food Snob rarely has 3 to 4 hours, however, unless it is the weekend. So, with some alterations to the recipe, Food Snob got this meal on the table in exactly one hour. Start time: 6:09 p.m. Here's how to do it.
Buffalo (Buffle) Bourguignon a la Julia Child (4 to 6 servings)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a heavy dutch oven (with lid) with cooking spray. Heat on top of stove over medium to medium high heat. Add:
1 slice of lean turkey bacon (or regular bacon, if you wish), sliced in 1/4 inch pieces.
Allow the bacon to brown; remove the bacon to paper towel. Retain the drippings (there won't be much) in the pan; add a little cooking spray. Add to the dutch oven:
One carrot, peeled and sliced
One onion, sliced
Allow the vegetables to brown lightly, stirring occasionally. Adjust heat so the vegetables do not burn. Remove vegetables to a plate; keep dutch oven on the heat. While vegetables are cooking, prepare:
a 1 and 1/2 pound (24 ounces) buffalo pot roast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Keeping the cubes small is important for reducing the cooking time. Dry the cubes thoroughly on paper towels. Spray the dutch oven with more cooking spray, if needed, and add the buffalo cubes to the dutch oven. Allow the cubes to brown thoroughly. When the meat is brown, add the vegetables and bacon back to the dutch oven. Add:
a generous amount of white pepper
1 Tablespoon flour
Stir the mixture and put in the 450 degree oven for 4 minutes. Remove buffalo from the oven an stir. Return to oven for 4 more minutes. The flour coats the meat with a crust and thickens the sauce. Remove from oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees. Add:
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 heaping teaspoon minced fresh garlic (1 to 2 cloves)
leaves from 4 to 5 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 crushed bay leaf
1 and 1/2 cups red wine
1 cup low sodium beef broth (or one beef bouillon cube and one cup water)
Stir mixture and add just enough water to barely cover the meat (about 1/4 cup). Bring the mixture to a simmer on top of the stove, cover, and then transfer to the stove. Bake for the remainder of the hour (for me, it was about 25 minutes).
While buffalo cubes are in the oven, begin preparing mushrooms and any side dishes you wish to serve with the buffalo. To prepare mushrooms, heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Add to the pan:
5 oz shitake mushrooms (asian mushrooms reduce inflammation, according to Dr. Andrew Weil), washed, sliced, and dried throughly with paper towels
Allow mushrooms to brown, spraying the mushrooms with cooking spray if they begin to get dry. Turn occasionally. When mushroom are light brown, add:
2 sliced green onions
1 small clove minced garlic
Cook another 2 to 3 minutes until onions and garlic soften. Add:
sea salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper
a very small amount of butter (about 1/2 teaspoon or less - the point here is to add flavor, not fat)
1 Tablespoon dried bread crumbs (optional)
Set mixture aside until the Buffle Bourguignon is done. Remove the Buffle Bourguignon from the oven and put the dutch oven on top of the stove at medium high heat for a few minutes to reduce the sauce so that it is thick enough to lightly coat a spoon (if your Buffle Bourguignon is thick enough after removal from the oven, you can omit this step). Stir in the prepared mushrooms. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Allow to heat through and serve. Garnish with parsley or fresh thyme sprigs. I served my Buffle Bourguignon with winter squash and sautéed sliced okra, as you can see in the photo below. Serving time: 7:09 p.m. or 60 minutes start to finish!!!!
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