Post Type ArchivesRecipes

Chili Oil Wontons

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Glossy chili oil wontons coated in vibrant red chili oil, shiny, spicy and incredibly appetizing.

I used to order chili oil wontons at least once a week.

It became my own personal drug.

There was this small place — nothing fancy — but the wontons came drenched in this deep red chili oil, glossy and aromatic. Garlic, vinegar, heat, a hint of sweetness… and those soft pork wontons underneath, soaking everything up.

It was sheer comfort for me. My fellow heat lovers know what I’m on about. The tingling, the painful but so pleasurable heat; and the instant relaxation that comes with eating properly spicy noods and/or dumplings. Like your body saying: about time!

Some days I’d go just for that bowl. Other days, I’d order them on the side — but somehow they always became the main event. There’s something about chili oil wontons that’s dangerously addictive: they’re light, but intensely flavorful. Spicy, yet soothing. Simple, yet deeply layered.

And then I moved to Lille.

Dayum.

No chili oil wontons in sight — none.

It felt slightly unreasonable, if you ask me. Possibly reason enough to go back.

A whole city, and not a single proper bowl? I somehow understood why Parisians were so Paris-centric.

I briefly considered the obvious solution: open a restaurant.

But in the meantime, I did what any obsessed person would do — I started making them at home.

And honestly?
NEVER. GOING. BACK.

A Dish Inspired by Sichuan

Chili oil wontons are strongly inspired by Sichuan cuisine, particularly Hong You Chao Shou (红油抄手) — Sichuan wontons served in chili oil.

Unlike Cantonese wontons, which are usually served in broth, Sichuan-style wontons are:

  • coated in chili oil
  • brightened with vinegar
  • loaded with garlic
  • balanced with sweetness
  • often finished with herbs.

It’s all about contrast: this bowl should be spicy, aromatic and savory, but also slightly sweet and lightly tangy.

Chili Oil Wontons – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

For some ingredients in this dish (like the Chankiang vinegar, or the Sichuan black pepper), you might need to visit an Asian store :

  • If you’re in Paris :
    • your could go to the K-mart near Opera (there are several others K-marts, check on Google) ;
    • you can also go to Tang Frères in the 13th (they have other stores in Paris but be careful, some are small, this one is large) or Paris Store in the 10th ;
    • ever since I moved to the 18th, I’ve been going to XP 16 or Chen Market, but those shops are slightly smaller, especially XP16, and you might not find everything you need. 
  • If you’re in France :
    • Paris Store has several shops across the country ;
    • you can also order online ! There are several online Asian websites you can order from.
    • For my foreign friends : I bet you can easily find some Asian shops around you or online, but if you can’t, message me with your location and I will try to find it for you !

Cooking process – Advice & key points

  • Use Chinese chili flakes, not chili powder
    → better texture, better aroma

  • Don’t skip the hot oil pour
    → releases fragrance

  • Careful though ; only use heatproof bowls (ceramic, glass, or metal) for this hot oil pour.

  • Add hot cooking water
    → emulsifies sauce

  • Use fatty pork 
    → juicier wontons

Make This a Lazy Recipe

Here’s the real trick: Freeze your wontons.

Lay them on a tray -> Freeze until solid -> Transfer to freezer bag.

Then whenever the craving hits:

  • boil frozen wontons (5 min)
  • make the sauce (10 minutes)

That’s it.

Which makes chili oil wontons one of the best lazy comfort meals you can have ready.

Got everything you need ? Let’s fill your belly with spicy-ass dumplings !

PS : The wonton recipe will provide you around 40-50 dumplings, which is good for ~4 servings depending on your appetite ! Don’t forget to buy enough dumpling wrappers.

Halloumi Pita (Shawarma-Style Vegetarian Kebab)

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Grilled halloumi pita sandwiches with crispy cheese, fresh vegetables and creamy sauce in warm flatbread, an easy Mediterranean vegetarian lunch idea.

I’m not vegetarian, but I absolutely love halloumi.

There’s something about it — the salty bite, the way it browns beautifully, the chewy texture that almost feels… meaty. It’s one of those rare ingredients that can genuinely stand at the center of a dish without feeling like a compromise.

So when I saw FoodieHolly peel her halloumi into thin strips to create shawarma-style kebab filling, I immediately thought: what a brilliant idea.

Because besides than this being ridiculously cute -I know you feel excited about peeling halloumi, come on- it makes perfect sense technically.

Instead of thick slices that can sometimes turn rubbery, the halloumi becomes thin, golden ribbons — slightly crisp at the edges, soft and juicy in the center, and perfect for stuffing into warm flatbreads.

Here, the halloumi is tossed with warm spices — cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cinnamon — then roasted until just golden. It’s paired with sumac-pickled red onions, fresh cucumber, loads of herbs, and a creamy garlic yogurt sauce that brings everything together.

The result? Something between a vegetarian shawarma, a halloumi kebab, and the kind of street food you’d happily queue for.

Even for committed meat lovers.

And the best part?
This halloumi pita recipe is ready in under 30 minutes, with minimal prep and maximum flavor.

If you’re looking for a vegetarian pita recipe, a halloumi wrap, or a shawarma-style vegetarian sandwich, this might quickly become one of your favorites.

Halloumi Pita (Shawarma-Style Vegetarian Kebab) – Recipe

Before you start, a few important tips make all the difference:

Ingredients – Advice & key points

  • Halloumi : It may seem obvious, but do not try to replace halloumi! This recipe was specifically crafted for halloumi. If you use any other cheese, it will melt. Definitely not the aim here.
  • I love using thin flatbreads from Middle Eastern grocery stores — they wrap beautifully and feel extra authentic. But regular flatbreads or pita bread work perfectly well too, even slightly thicker ones.

Cooking & prep – Pieces of advice

  • Don’t overcook the halloumi. You’re aiming for golden, not golden brown. If it gets too dark, it will turn firm and slightly tough as it cools.
  • Don’t salt anything. Halloumi is already quite salty, and once roasted, it seasons the entire pita naturally.

Now come and cook !

Butternut and guanciale pasta

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Butternut and guanciale calamarata pasta with parmesan

If you could have a dish reminiscent of carbonara AND eat your veg, that’d be a no-brainer, right ?

Well, there you have it. And there is absolutely no sacrifice flavour-wise.

I’d say you could eat it without guanciale for my fellow vegetarian friends, because the magic happens with this creamy butternut sauce paired with lemon zest. Squash and lemon is a classic association that does not disappoint.

Of course though, the guanciale adds some decadent flavour to these nutty, fruity pasta.

Have at it. And send me love messages when you’re done.

Butternut and guanciale pasta – Recipe

Most of my recommendations here are similar to those on the Authentic Carbonara recipe.

Ingredients – Advice & key points

I usually go to Eataly to get the produce I need. If you don’t have one near your location, you can find fresh produce like guanciale and pecorino at your local Italian deli, maybe even your pasta. For pasta, if not available there, you should be able to order it online quite easily.

  • Pasta :
    • I believe calamarata is a grat choice here, as the sauce will nestle in the pasta’s holes, but you could also use another type you have on hand, preferably short (because the sauce is heavy).
    • If you chose to sieve your sauce though, it will get much thinner, so you can opt for long pasta.

What you must not compromise on is using Bronze Drawn pasta. Why so ? Because when processed this way, the pasta will present small irregularities that will enable the sauce to cling to it.

  • Guanciale : You can buy it in blocks at your deli or have it pre-sliced. We want quite thin slices -not paper-thin, but almost- so that they crisp up in the pan, about 1,5cm x 4cm.

Cooking your pasta – Pieces of advice

  • Pasta :
    • While 10g of salt/liter is usually recommended, here I’d recommend only 7g/liter because of the guanciale.
    • As for most pasta recipe, we’ll finish cooking the pasta in the pan with the sauce. Contrary to classic carbonara, we’ll just put them in for the last 4 minutes (there is not as much water here and we don’t want risking the sauce to be too watery).   
    • It is important that you taste several times starting 2 minutes before the packet theoretical time, so that you get perfect al dente pasta
  • Guanciale :
    • You want to crisp it up, but still let the fat melt. Therefore, cook on medium heat. The process should last around 6 to 7 minutes.
  • Plating :
    • I recommend heating your plates in the oven for 10 minutes at 80°C before plating. This will keep your pasta warm longer and will prevent the sauce from getting cold too quickly and become unappealingly “set”.

Now come and cook !

Duck Confit, Butternut Purée & Roasted Brussels Sprouts

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Duck leg on a bed of butternut purée, surrounded by roasted brussels sprouts -some halved, some whole

I’m not a big meat eater. In fact, I usually shy away from anything with a strong, gamey flavor—wild boar, venison, you name it.

But duck confit is a completely different story.

Slow-cooking duck legs in their own fat works a kind of alchemy:

  • the meat becomes rich and intensely savory,
  • the fat becomes aromatic and silky, and
  • the skin, when roasted, turns shatteringly crisp.

It’s that rare combination of melting tenderness, deep umami, and caramelized edges that very few meats can deliver.

So when I was told you could enjoy all of this straight out of a can, I was… skeptical, to say the least. Yet the truth is simple: choose a quality canned duck confit and you’ll be blown away by how good it is.

Good confit isn’t industrial—it’s heritage cooking.
Producers in Southwest France (IGP Sud-Ouest) still craft it the old-school way:

  • slow confit
  • clean ingredients
  • no shortcuts.

When you open a jar from a real maison—Maison Lafitte, Comtesse du Barry, Clos Saint Sozy—you’re tapping into centuries of gastronomic know-how.

And you can see the quality: the fat is pale and clean ; the meat is firm ; there’s no strong smell. This isn’t “canned food” the way most people imagine it. It’s craft preserved in tiny cutey boxes.

Now with the main protein handled, all that’s left is to focus on the sides and elevate the whole plate into something restaurant-worthy.

If you’re looking for an easy Christmas dinner idea, or simply a comforting autumn–winter dish that balances rustic depth with a touch of elegance, this trio never disappoints: oven-roasted duck confit, caramelized Brussels sprouts with balsamic and maple syrup, and a velvety butternut squash purée so smooth it could make your favorite bistro blush. Then you finish it all with a 10-mn saucy sauce and people will call you Chef all day !

This beautiful dish is refined, seasonal, and surprisingly effortless—especially because, yes, using canned duck confit is more than fine (and often far better than most so-called “fresh” shortcuts).

Let’s dive in.

Duck Confit, Butternut Purée & Roasted Brussels Sprouts – Recipe

Recipe – Advice & key points

  • How to buy quality canned duck:
    • Check for the IGP Sud-Ouest on the label — a reliable sign of origin and quality.
    • Pick artisan producers such as Maison Lafitte, Comtesse du Barry, Clos Saint Sozy, etc.
  • Buy a quality balsamic vinegar!
    The cheap stuff flooding supermarkets is an insult to the name “balsamic.” A good aceto balsamico should be syrupy, aromatic, and balanced—not just brown vinegar with caramel coloring.

    • My go-to for everyday cooking ? Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP. The prices range from 8€ to 25€ a bottle. And it keeps forever, because you use teeny tiny amounts !
      • If the first ingredient is grape must, it’s usually higher quality.
      • If wine vinegar is listed first → cheaper, harsher taste.
  • The magic trick for an exceptionally silky purée? Roast your butternut halves cut-side-down on the baking tray. This traps steam inside the squash, softens the flesh deeply, and concentrates its sweetness. When it’s done, the flesh becomes so tender it practically scoops itself out. Blend it for maximum smoothness.
    • If you have a powerful blender: you’re set.
    • If not: pass the purée through a fine sieve for a restaurant-grade texture.
  • For the Duck sauce, if you don’t have homemade veal stock, buy quality powdered veal stock !
    • The key is to look for a natural / traditional process — stocks produced following traditional methods (long simmering of bones + veggies) rather than quick industrial bouillons tend to yield richer, deeper flavour, better texture and more balanced taste

Now let’s purée away !

Authentic Amatriciana

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Most people rave about the carbonara, which is an Italian treasure, no doubt about it.

I feel that the Amatriciana is the unloved brother though. I don’t get why, because (i) we all love a good tomato sauce, and (ii) guanciale rules. Maybe it’s because you couldn’t mess up with it using bacon instead, as it would have absolutely zero interest, so it didn’t become popular.

With the guanciale though (cured pork cheek, a highly fatty part), the classic tomato sauce has an added depth and umami flavour that is unmatched. Add a healthy portion of grated Pecorino, some pasta water, and there you have it ! The 30-mn dish that will make you and your friends go wild for seconds.

Authentic Amatriciana Ingredients – Advice & key points

I usually go to Eataly to get the produce I need. If you don’t have one near your location, you can find fresh produce like guanciale and pecorino at your local Italian deli, maybe even your pasta. For pasta, if not available there, you should be able to order it online quite easily.

  • Pasta : The best choice for this recipe would be bucatini, which is what I used. These thicker tubular pasta are holed in the middle ; it’s what you’ll be served in Rome when you ask for pasta all’amatriciana. However, it can be tricky to find, especially is a bronze drawn version. Don’t worry and just pick spaghetti instead. The Italians also use mezze penne rigate, which are short ridged pasta ; you can use it, too (but I find it less satisfying).

What you must not compromise on is using Bronze Drawn pasta. Why so ? Because when processed this way, the pasta will present small irregularities that will enable the sauce to cling to it.

  • Guanciale : You can buy it in blocks at your deli or have it pre-sliced. I usually cut it in really thin matchsticks, so that they crisp up in the pan, about 1cm x 4cm.

I’d really advise against replacing Guanciale with Pancetta, or worse, bacon or lard, as it simply yields a different flavour and fat content.

  • Cheese(s) : The cheese of choice is Pecorino Romano here.
  • Tomato purée : I advise you to use tomato purée here, which cooks quickly but is not as thin as Passata ; some bits of tomato remain, which I like better. If you want to use diced canned tomatoes or whole canned tomatoes, that’s perfect, but be sure to smash it a bit with your hands, and to cook the sauce longer (at least 20 minutes instead of 10-15).

Authentic Amatriciana Recipe – What to pay attention to

  • Pasta :
    • Instead of 10g of salt/liter, I recommend 7g here, with the salt from the guanciale and the cheese.
    • We’ll cook the pasta half of the packet cooking time in water, then in the pan with the guanciale. It is important that you taste several times starting 2 minutes before the theoretical end time, so that you get perfect al dente pasta.
  • Guanciale :
    • You want to crisp it up, but still let the fat melt. Therefore, cook on medium heat. The process should last around 6 to 7 minutes.
  • Pecorino :
    • It is very important to thinly grate your Pecorino to that it melts properly. Look at my carbonara picture ; this is the thickest you can get. You can use a microplane, but if you have a kitchen robot with a really thin setting, it will also work just fine and save you the trouble.
    • Do not use pre-grated cheese ! Additives are added to these cheeses so that they don’t clump together, which will prevent it from integrating properly in your sauce.
  • Plating : I highly recommend heating your plates in the oven for 10 minutes at 80°C before plating. This will prevent the sauce from getting cold too quickly and become unappealingly “set”.

Now you’re fully ready to cook a magnificent pasta dish. Off to your kitchen !

If you’re interested in more authentic italian recipes, you can also check my Ragu alla Bolognese recipe.

Butternut Mini-Pizzas

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Mini butternut pizza with a cheese pull

Every year, come fall then winter, we all feel let down. The grey and cold weather is the main cause for it ; a close second would be the end of summer produce. Bye-bye, juicy tomatoes, sweet courgettes, crunchy bell pepper. It was nice having you around.

Fear not ! I give you the perfect little cold season treat, cute, sweet and comforting : my autumn mini-pizzas ! Plus, they’re for everyone (almost), as they’re vegetarian, and can easily become vegan if you use vegan dairy (cheese, butter and cream).

I found that there are many vegetables that can make you actually look forward to getting in autumn and winter. Squash is the queen bee, with its unique sweet and nutty taste. Its texture is great for many uses, from roasting to blending into a smooth cream.

Picture this smooth cream onto a soft pizza pillow ; some garlicky mushrooms on top, to get a stronger, earthy taste ; a bit of cheese ; then top it off with pickled onions and crushed nuts. You reach a great balance here, both it terms of taste and texture.

My companion and I love sharing these in front of a good movie, buried under one or two blankets.

I hope you will, too !

Butternut Mini-Pizzas – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

  • Mushrooms :
    • I try to use a mushrooms mix to make for a richer taste. Here, I used oyster mushrooms, girolles (be careful, they are not the same as chanterelles, which are cheaper : you can definitely use them instead) and brown mushrooms.
    • If you can use a cast-iron pan, it might yield a better taste. If not, it’s still fine.
  • Squash :
    • I used Butternut squash here, but you can replace it with Red kuri squash. Red kuri squash is tasty and doesn’t need to be peeled ! That’s great when you’re feeling lazy !
    • Please salt your cooking water heavily, then adjust if needed after blending. Salt is your asset here, as there are no seasonings besides it.
  • Cheese : I used mozzarella (for cooking : those are usually tubular) slices here, but you can also use shredded cheese if that’s what you have on hand. I wouldn’t recommend cheddar here, though.
  • Pizza dough : I used a very basic premade dough here, available at your classic grocery store. I wanted this dish to remain quite quick to make. By all means, do it yourself if you feel up for it !

Let’s pizza !

Kimchi Grilled Cheese

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Kimchi grilled cheese sandwich being pulled apart, showing long, stretchy melted cheese strands with bits of red kimchi inside and a golden, crispy bread crust.

On a Friday night, my companion and I were sitting at one of our all-time favourite bars in Paris, Le Supercoin — a place that serves the best ales and amazing, affordable food bites. I quickly scanned the week’s menu when I saw it: the Kimchi Grilled Cheese.

My eyes widened instantly. I love kimchi. I love cheese. I knew right away this was going to work — and oh boy, it did. I even thanked the chef and asked which cheeses he used. He told me immediately, and I wrote it down on the spot: a mix of Comté, Morbier, Gruyère, and Etivaz.

This was my inspiration for today’s recipe. I know Kimchi Grilled Cheese might sound unexpected at first ; but the moment you bite into it, everything makes sense. Kimchi brings exactly what a rich, melty sandwich needs: acidity to cut through the cheese, spice to wake up the palate, and texture to contrast the gooey interior. When the kimchi is lightly re-seasoned with a pinch of gochugaru and quickly pan-fried, it becomes even better — softer, deeper, slightly caramelized, and bursting with umami. It’s the perfect counterbalance to a luxurious cheese pull.

You can’t make it any simpler:

  • Grate your own cheese (important!),
  • Grab your bread & spread mayo and butter lovingly,
  • If using Kimchi, quickly pan-fry it,
  • Assemble it in a pan ; let it all melt,
  • and devour !

Cheese ? But which cheese, you might ask ? Well, this sandwich shines because it uses a French–Swiss blend that melts like a dream. Young Comté, Beaufort, Gruyère, and Appenzeller combine into a nutty, stretchy, ultra-savory mix with just the right sharpness. They remain refined but fully indulgent, giving the sandwich a gourmet backbone that stands up beautifully to the punchy kimchi. But classic Cheddar -not too old!-, Monterey Jack or other melty cheeses -even the industrial American cheese! would work wonders, too !

Kimchi Grilled Cheese – Ingredients & cooking advice

  • Warm the inner sides of the bread first — it jump-starts the melting.
  • For the cheese selection, read above my suggestions ! Anything works, so long as it’s not too old -a rule of thumb: anything older than 18-20 months won’t melt properly.
  • As for the bread :
    • Slice the bread not too thick, not too thin, around 1,5cm thick ;
    • Sourdough is ideal, but a soft bread like Harry’s works too!
  • Cook on low to medium-low heat so the cheese melts before the bread browns.
  • Butter or mayo? Use both: a thin layer of mayo outside for crispiness, and butter inside for flavor. Go light on the mayo — too much prevents crisping.
  • For best results, always grate your cheese. Pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that prevent smooth melting, while freshly grated cheese melts into perfect ribbons.

Let’s sandwich !

Beef Doenjang Jjigae

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Brown Korean Stew in an earthenware pot, with tofu cubes, beef, zucchini -and sides of kimchi and rice

I remember when I first saw Doenjang Jjigae at my Korean university’s cafeteria. A brownish stew, with a funky smell ; didn’t know what to think of it ! I sure thought I should’ve chosen the fried pork instead, but hey, we were there to try new things.

As with almost each meal in Korea, I was flabbergasted. It is likely today my second favourite Korean stew -with Kimchi Jjigae in the lead.

If you know miso, imagine something deeper, earthier, and far more soulful. Doenjang has that same fermented, savory base — but thicker, funkier, saltier, and packed with real personality.

The broth is warm, robust, and comforting, almost like a rustic stew rather than a soup. It has a gentle funk (the good kind!), a soft nuttiness, and a deep umami that feels almost beefy even when no beef is used. When beef is added, it becomes incredibly rich, like a Korean version of a hearty winter stew.

The vegetables soften into the broth, soaking up all that flavor, while the tofu gives it that silky, soothing bite.

To a Western eater, it’s:
✨ as comforting as chicken soup
✨ as umami-heavy as French onion soup
✨ as cozy as a slow-cooked stew
✨ but with the depth of fermented miso… turned up to 10

And the best part? It’s incredibly easy. A handful of ingredients, one pot, and 40 minutes is all it takes to get this bowl of Korean comfort bubbling on your stove.

Forget about Korean barbecues, fried chicken or Bibimbap. Try their stews. You won’t be sorry.

Beef Doenjang Jigae – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

  • Doenjang : The key condiment for this stew ! You should easily find it at your usual Asian store, or online. It is usually packed into a brown plastic container.
  • Beef :
    • You can buy your beef pre-sliced at the frozen section of your Asian grocery store, if the store is large enough.
    • If you cannot find it, it’s ok ; you can easily slice the meat paper-thin at home ! You will only need to freeze your cut around 1 hour to make it easier to cut. It should be quite solid, but not rock-solid.
    • No need for fancy beef here ! Neither do you need large amounts ; the broth and Doenjang make the magic happen, not the meat.
  • Broth :
    • If making the classic anchovy stock, I recommend you go to a specialized Korean store, or large enough Asian store, to make sure you find all the ingredients you need (especially for the fresh Daikon, kelp, and dried anchovies)
    • Great shortcut = powdered/granulated dashi ! When I’m out of stock, I go for it, and it’s just perfect. It should be easy to find at your local Asian store or online.
  • If you can take a bit of heat, but not necessarily much, just remove the green chilies.

Cooking and eating Doenjang Jjigae

  • You don’t need to use a Dolsot like I do. The cool part about Dolsots is that they retain the heat well, so your Doenjang Jjigae will remain piping hot as you eat it. But simply use any pot you have ; I’m sure it won’t turn real cold, because you will devour this dish in no time !
  • It is nice to eat some side dishes to go with your Doenjang Jjigae. If you’re brave enough, you could cook 1 or 2 vegetables banchans along with it -or simply buy premade Kimchi !
  • I often eat my Doenjang Jjigae with rice only, and it’s still the best thing ever.

Trust me on this one !

Traditional Beef Bourguignon

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Beef bourguignon with carrots and mushrooms

As with pasta al ragù, I first met with the Beef Bourguignon at my school cafeteria.

It wasn’t perfect, as you can guess, but it was as beef bourguignon is supposed to be served : with a big ladle and no fuss. Any cook armed with patience and love for food can make it work. I’ve never had one that wasn’t satisfying, because this dish is, by itself, comforting and lovely ; and because the French are too proud of it to mess it up !

I crafted a recipe for this iconic dish, trying to research the subject as much as possible to make it authentic and tasty. I did not want to make a personal interpretation ; I wanted to bake THE beef bourguignon. What any person familiar with it pictures, in its ideal version, thinking about it. A meaty, flavourful and bold wine sauce, thickened but still liquidy ; some pull-apart, deliciously soft and moist beef ; a few vegetables, not mushy ones, bringing texture as well as taste.

My companion said -and he doesn’t say it without meaning it- that it was the best he had ever eaten. This is the biggest win for me.

If you ever feel like making a wonderful Sunday meal, a true crowd pleaser, do consider my Beef Bourguignon ! It will warm you up inside and out. It may be long, but as with most Sunday dishes, you essentially assemble everything, then let it cook for a few hours. The real active time for this recipe, except for checking occasionnally on your dish, is no more than 1 hour.

I chose to serve this Traditional Beef Bourguignon with coquillettes, which are tiny pasta. I find that it pairs wonderfully with this dish, and it’s also significantly simpler to boil pasta than to make a purée -which pairs very well with Beef Bourguignon, too, and is more traditional. You could also boil some potatoes, if you wish, or even use rice.

Traditional Beef Bourguignon – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

  • Beef :
    • I usually use a mix of beef chuck (on the fattier side) and Silverside/topside beef (on the leaner side), but you can also use beef cheek or any kind of stewing beef ; ask your butcher for a meat that will tenderize after a few hours of cooking on low temp. Ideally, ask for a mix of two meats, as leaner meats will bring a nice texture, and fattier cuts add depths of flavour.Here, you want to use some cuts that are collagen-rich. Gentle, long cooking transforms collagen fibers into melting gelatin ; this is how you get a pull-apart meat after a few hours.
    • In order to get the right richness for the sauce, it is important to add, besides your beef, the fattier lard.
  • Wine options :
    • Ideally, you’d want a Burgundy wine, but you also need a full-bodied, quite tannic wine, because it needs to hold the temperature and cooking length of your stew ; a rich Burgundy wine like this means you’d have to buy an expensive bottle ! Try to go instead for southern wines like Syrah wines,  from the Rhône Valley, which are aromatic, warm and slightly peppery. This will enhance the flavors and persistence of your sauce.
  • The classic recipe you’d be served in nice French restaurants uses pearl onions and will require you to cook them separately in a pan, as for your carrots and mushrooms. But personally, I’ve never seen a French cook his Bourguignon this way ! I tried it though, because I thought the taste would be worth the effort, and if anything I found it less tasty than the mix-it-all together version.
      • I simply recommend you to cut you onions and carrots in big chunks so that they don’t turn to mush ;
      • However, the mushrooms’ delicate texture requires you to add them towards the end. You could skip the browing and add them straight to the pot if you’re feeling lazy, they will turn quite soft with the sauce anyway.
  • Veal stock : I use store-bought here, since the large amount of meat already brings in lots of flavour. Feel free to use homemade if you can !

Cooking your Beef Bourguignon – Pieces of advice

  • Do not compromise on the cooking time ! Your stew won’t be tasty if you don’t cook it for a minimum of 2,5 hours, ideally 3 at least, possibly 4 or 5 if you want -or if your meat is not tender enough.
  • You can skip the roasting flour step though, as I didn’t find it to make a big difference in texture -it is supposed to cover you meat with a thin crust. However, do add the flour for the sauce’s texture ! Just wait for it dissolve right on the stovetop.

Let’s Bourguignon !