Beef Bourguignon

Recipe by: Leslie Brenner

Cubes of beef braised in red wine until they're incredibly tender, then simmered with lardons, mushrooms and pearl onions: That's the French stew known as boeuf bourguignon. Soulful and delicious, it's a dream of a dish for a dinner party, as it can be made entirely in advance – even the day before.

It’s also a dish that fills your living place with wonderful smells, and gets even better the next day — making it an ideal cooking project for when you want to cozy up inside. Feel free to take liberties with the ingredients, as long as you use chuck, short rib, shank, or another fatty, long-cooking cut for the beef. (Those are the kinds of cuts that will result in tender meat at the end of a long braise.)

Serve it with boiled or mashed potatoes, or buttered noodles – and crusty French bread for sopping up the wonderful sauce. If you're looking for a small cheat or you don't find nice, small pearl on…