Description
This gluten-free boeuf bourguignon is made without tomato paste, bacon, or wheat flour, but it retains everything we love about the classic French stew: tender beef slowly braised in red wine, a rich, silky sauce, and generous chunks of carrots, mushrooms, and pearl onions. The aromatic vegetables used to build the sauce are strained after cooking, while the remaining vegetables are added toward the end so they retain their shape and texture. Hearty and deeply flavorful, this is a naturally tomato-free and lectin-free adaptation of a comforting classic.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 grams) grass-fed stewing beef, cut into chunks
- Extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, for browning and sautéing
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 small bouquet of fresh thyme
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) dry red wine
- 2 cups (480 milliliters) beef stock, bone broth, or beef broth
- 4 to 5 cups small cremini mushrooms, left whole or halved
- 3 medium carrots, cut into large pieces
- 1-2 tablespoons tapioca flour, as needed
- 2 cups frozen pearl onions
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley, for finishing and garnishing
Instructions
- Pat the beef dry and season it with salt and pepper. Heat a small amount of olive oil or avocado oil in a heavy stew pot or Dutch oven. Brown the beef in batches, leaving space between the pieces so they develop a good crust. Transfer the browned beef to a plate and set aside.
- Add the chopped red onion, chopped carrot, and celery to the same pot. Sauté until softened, translucent, and aromatic, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Return the beef and any accumulated juices to the pot. Add the fresh thyme and stir to combine. Pour in the red wine and let it simmer for a few minutes. Add the beef stock and bring to a gentle boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer gently for 2 to 3 hours, or until the beef is tender.
- Remove the beef pieces from the pot and set them aside. Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve, pressing gently on the softened vegetables to extract as much liquid and flavor as possible. Discard the vegetables and thyme.
- Pour the strained sauce back into the pot and return the beef. Season with salt and pepper and keep the stew at a gentle simmer.
- Heat a little olive oil or avocado oil in a separate skillet. Add the mushrooms and sauté until aromatic and lightly browned. Add the larger carrot pieces and continue cooking for another 7 to 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the tapioca flour with enough cold water to make a smooth slurry. Stir a small amount of the hot cooking liquid into the slurry to temper it. Gradually pour the slurry into the stew, stirring continuously.
- Add the mushrooms, carrots, and frozen pearl onions to the pot. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened. If the sauce is still too thin, prepare and gradually add a little more tapioca slurry.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. Stir in chopped fresh parsley and garnish with more parsley before serving.
Notes
Chuck, brisket, or another flavorful stewing cut will work well for this recipe. For a larger batch, keep the beef pieces large enough to separate easily from the softened aromatic vegetables before straining.
Tie the thyme sprigs together or place them in an herb sachet for easier removal.
Straining the cooking liquid creates the stew’s smooth sauce. Adding the mushrooms, carrots, and pearl onions toward the end allows them to retain their shape and texture.
Serve with steamed broccoli, cauliflower-root vegetable purée, basmati rice, fermented vegetables, or a simple green salad.