Stew Ingredients:

• 6 oz chunk of bacon
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 lb lean stewing beef cut into 2 in. cubes
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp flour
• 3 cups full-boided, young red wine, e.g., Chianti, Pinot Noir
• 2-3 cups brown beef stock
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, mashed
• 1/2 tsp thyme

Onions Ingredients:

• 18-24 pearl onions, peeled
• 1 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 cup brown stock, canned beef bouillon, or dry white or red wine
• medium herb bouquet: 4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf, 1/4 tsp thyme tied in cheesecloth
• salt and pepper to taste

Mushrooms Ingredients:

• 1 lb quartered fresh mushrooms
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 to 2 tbsp minced shallots or green onions (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Boeuf Bourgignon:

1. Remove rind, and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4 in thick and 1 1/2 in long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 min in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.
2. Preheat oven to 450 F.
3. Saute the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 min to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you saute the beef.
4. Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Saute 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.
5. In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sauteing fat.
6. Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle portion of preheated oven for 4 min. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 min more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 F.
7. Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hrs. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
8. When the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.

Onions:

1. In a 9- to 10 in enameled skillet, bring the butter and oil to a bubble, then add the onions and saute over moderate heat for about 10 min, rolling the onions about so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break the skins. You cannot expect to brown them uniformly.
2. Braise the onions by pouring in the brown stock, canned beef bouillon or dry white or red wine, adding in the herb bouquet.
3. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 min until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape, and the liquid has evaporated.
4. Remove herb bouquet.
5. Serve onions as they are, or add to stew (see below).

Mushrooms:

1. Place a 10 in enameled skillet over high heat with the butter and oil. As soon as you see that the butter foam has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add the mushrooms. Toss and shake the pan for 4 to 5 min.
2. During their saute the mushrooms will at first absorb the fat. In 2 to 3 min the fat will reappear on their surface, and the mushrooms will begin to brown. As soon as thye have browned lightly, remove from the heat.
3. Toss the shallots or green onions with the mushrooms. Saute over moderate heat for 2 min.

Final assembly:

1. When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.
2. Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.
   (*) Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.
3. FOR IMMEDIATE SERVING: Cover the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 min, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.
4. FOR LATER SERVING: WHen cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 min before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 min, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, about 4 lbs/1.8 kg, giblets reserved
• salt (sea salt)
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 onion, peeled and cut in half
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary (do not get dried trash anywhere near my bird!)
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme (what did I just say?)
• 2 tbsp/28 g herb butter
• 3 tbsp/42 g butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups/340 ml white wine
• a little chopped flat parsley

Prep the chicken:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F/190 C. Cut off the wing tips, leaving the last joint only. With fingers, remove excess fat from the chicken’s inside cavity. Trim off excess skin at the neck (and at the head, if you’ve bought a head-on bird in Chinatown; good for you, by the way, if you did). You removed the giblets packet, right? You’d better have, ’cause you’re gonna need them. Wash the inside of the chicken thoroughly with cold running water. Allow to dry. Season the inside cavity with salt and pepper.
2. Okay…now, I’m not going to try and explain how to truss a chicken with twine—as much fun as that is. Here’s a shortcut instead. First: Lie on your back on the floor, put your knees together, and draw them both up to your chest with your arms. Press them against your chest. You should look pretty funny down there—but that’s exactly the position I want you to put your chicken in. Knees up, ass out.
3. Undignified, but effective. Now, take a paring knife and just below the end of the chicken’s legs (approximately below where your heels would be), poke a small hole on each side, and tuck the leg carefully inside, pinioning the legs in a position approximately what you just did on the floor. Try not to tear the skin, okay? Now gently give the outside of your bird a good rubdown with salt and pepper. All over. Don’t miss any spots. Put the lemon half, half of the onion, the rosemary, and the thyme inside the chicken cavity.
4. Carefully taking hold of the edge of the skin on each side of the chicken, lift the skin and gently push a tablespoon of herb butter underneath, prodding it along so that one lump of herb button sits on each side of the bird’s breastbone. Rub the outside of the chicken with about half of the plain (softened) butter. Gently! Don’t rip the freaking skin!

Cook the chicken:

1. Remove the giblets from the bag and place them and the remaining half of the onion in the center of the roasting pan. Place the chicken on top of same. Pour 1/2 cup/110 ml of white wine into the pan and roast for 30 minutes, basting occasionally with the fat and butter that collects. When you baste, it’s a very good idea to move the roasting pan around in the oven a little, even rotating it, as many ovens have “hot spots” that might color or cook your bird unevenly.
2. After 30 mins, crank the oven temperature up to 450 F/230 C and cook for another 25 mins. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for 15 mins before carving. If you’re worried about undercooking, with the point of a small knife or with a skewer or cake tester, you can poke the fat part of the thigh. If the liquid that runs out in the clear—not pink or red—your bird is cooked.

Finish:

1. Place the roasting pan on the stovetop over high heat. Stir in the remaining wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with the wooden spoon to dislodge the fond (the brown bits). Bring the wine to a boil and cook until it is reduced by half. Discard the giblets and onion and whisk in the remaining softened butter. Stir in the parsley, season with salt and pepper, and serve alongside the chicken in a boat or gooseneck.

Serves: 2