Fat is our friend. really! Copy
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Fancy a beef stew?

Classic Boeuf Bourgignon

What's it all about? 
​It's the ultimate French comfort food and although some people may be put off by the  large quantity of wine needed, it adds wonderful flavour - remember: 95% of the alcohol evaporates during the cooking, just in case you're concerned.
       That being said, although it's simple to make, it does require some prep work and a little project management.

​1/ The previous Day
       Cut up the meat and carrots into largish bite-size pieces. Peel the onions and pieces of garlic, roughly chop and marinate the meat and the vegetable garnish in the red wine overnight in the refrigerator.
2/ For the meat
       Drain the meat and pad dry on kitchen paper while retaining the wine (very important!).
       Separate the carrots, onion and garlic from the meat.
       Remove the leaves from the parsley and keep the green stems for cooking and the leaves for your final presentation.
       In a hot pan, put olive oil (or lard) and brown the pieces of meat for about 1 minute on each side.
       Add the carrots, onion and garlic, season with salt and cook gently for 3 minutes. Add flour (if using) and cook again for 1 min while mixing well to incorporate the flour nicely in the sauce
​       Pour in the red wine, veal stock and tomato puree (not included in the most traditional versions). Add the parsley stalks and bay leaf tied up as a bouquet garni and then bring to the boil before lowering the heat and simmering very gently for 2 1/2 hours.
       When the meat is cooked, remove it from the pot, pass the sauce through a sieve, check the texture and if it is too liquid, reduce it for several more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3/ For the garnish
       Clean the mushrooms and trim the stems.
    Arrange peeled baby onions in a pan, add water halfway up and 20 g butter. Cover with a loose fitting lid which lets vapour escape slowly and bake until  the water has completely evaporated.
   Just when they begin to caramelize, add 1one tablespoon of water and coat them well. Set aside.
     In the same pan, put the olive oil and sauté the mushrooms to colour them. Set them aside to.
4/ To serve

       Combine the meat and sauce with the baby onions and mushrooms - warm through and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

Note on thickening the sauce:
     If you slowly cook this dish over two and a half hours, you will end up with a rich thick sauce, whether you add flour or not. You can pass it through a sieve and then reduce the sauce further but traditionalists add a little flour, some also adding in the tomato puree for taste - and to achieve a nice glossy consistency in the sauce. Use rice flour if you want to use flour - I don't think it's needed - but stay gluten-free.

 Ingredients for 6-8 people

​For the meat
  • Stewing/Braising steak 1.5 kg
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 onion
  • Lardons/chopped streaky bacon 150g
  • 30gm Einkorn flour
  • 50 gm tomato puree
  • 3 pieces of garlic
  • Burgundy wine 1.5 l
  • Olive oil (or lard) 3cl
  • Salt - 1/2 tsp



  • Pepper 1/2 tsp
  • Veal stock – 40 cl
  • Bouquet garni: parsley stems/bay leaf
For the  Garnish
  • Small onions 150g
  • Button mushrooms 150g
  • Butter 20g + 30g
  • Olive oil 3cl
For the dressing
  • Flat (Italian) parsley ¼ bunch


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Macronutrient picture
This is a healthy dish in many ways, full of countless nutrients. When used as a meal for 6-8 people, the actual carb figure is determined by the wine you use and whether you add some flour and/or tomato puree.

​For 8 people you end up with a final net weight of about 3.6 kilos and still be talking of about 10 grams of carbs per person. If you need to get below that, I recommend replacing half the wine with a mixture of chicken and beef broth, but keeping the onions and carrots for the flavour they add.

       Serve with pureed cauliflower and al-dente green beans... for just a few more carbs!


​
​
The traditional recipe used here is based on the one outlined at: 
www.atelierdeschefs.fr/fr/recette/17741-boeuf-bourguignon-traditionnel.php

School meals "all-in-one" project
Cooking, language, mathematics & project management

‘Cooking’ as a Project Management, Language and Maths Class 
Cooking a traditional French dish such as Beef Bourguignon, a hearty French beef stew, also presents the opportunity for a 180 degree learning exercise. Cooking is not just about culinary skills… though they are admittedly invaluable in the junk food world in which we live; cooking gives you the opportunity to discuss some of the ethical and food safety issues involved, as well as presenting you with language and arithmetical learning opportunities.
     Really! There’s absolutely no reason why English and Arithmetic cannot be taught together with cooking, and those that argue against it becoming part of the core curriculum focus purely on the food and not enough on the organisational skills needed, which range from learning about budgetary matters through project management to the discussion of topical and ethical issues. And why not add in some language skills as well? French in the food-case selected here. The history and geography of Burgundy offer up still further opportunities but... enough now!
         Unfortunately, we live in a world of specialists and examining bodies don’t think in this way; they don’t see the bigger picture real life situations which involve young people maturing in a modern, media driven environment, having to cope with numerous, sometimes conflicting issues; but… let’s just imagine how things could be different:
        Today’s lesson: We are going to cook Boeuf Bourguignon (beef in the Burgundy style) using a classical French recipe. We will need one large pan for slow cooking and a frying pan. The original version of this delicious, nutritious and traditional recipe has been chosen at: https://www.atelierdeschefs.fr/fr/recette/17741-boeuf-bourguignon-traditionnel.php; just download the pdf if you'd like to know more.
educational_boeuf_bourgignon_1.pdf
File Size: 612 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Sammy Pepys was the pseudonym used by James Capon when writing this book. He is not a doctor or a nutritionist. He is concerned and increasingly suspicious of today's conventional wisdom when it comes to diet, health and the lack of progress on tackling growing rates of type-2 diabetes, obesity and related diseases.
Since then, he has advised numerous people about the benefits of low-carb diets and seen their health and energy levels rise. Weight loss is associated with this eating approach (he lost 7 kilos) but feeling good and having more energy is the main driver!
Disclaimer: The information, recipes and results mentioned on this site may not work for everyone. They do not represent medical advice and it is best to discuss any significant dietary changes with your Doctor.
  • Why fat is our friend
    • LCHF - A beginners' guide >
      • Which fats to use? >
        • More on low-fat & sat fat
        • Demon Fat
        • Fatty Facts: Omega 3 & 6
        • Eat fat, don't get fat!
        • How fat became the enemy
        • Fats, oils & LCHF
      • Diabesity & Food to avoid >
        • Resolving the Junk Food Dilemma
        • More on Diabesity
      • Red and processed meats?
      • Exercise to slim?
      • Milk. Low fat or regular?
      • Going low-carb step-by-step
      • LCHF. Who started it?
    • Overweight? Take a low-carb step
    • Wheat ain't what it used to be
    • What is a diet?
    • We are the experiment
    • Calories in equal calories out?
  • Junk Food
  • The book
    • About >
      • Recommended reading
      • Contact
  • LCHF Recipe Index
    • Breads and crackers >
      • Gluten free crispbreads
      • Einkorn Bread
      • Savoury Cheese muffins
    • Basic ingredients >
      • Chicken Stock
      • Wheat substitutes
      • Roux, Bechamel and Souffle
      • Yogurt and cream cheese
      • Make your own Ghee
      • Mayonnaise
    • From Muesli to Granola >
      • Benchmarking commercial brands
      • New York Cheesecake
    • Frying fish
    • Meat ragout >
      • Cottage Pie >
        • Comparisons
      • Chili con Carne
      • Moussaka
      • Meatballs
    • Boeuf Bourgignon
    • Italian Chicken Wrap
    • Country Pate
    • Omelettes
    • Quiche
    • Sides and dips >
      • Bacon, Water Chestnut Crisp
    • Salads >
      • Simply Salad in a Jar
      • Chopped Chicken Salad (spicy)
      • Thai inspired beef salad
      • Salade Nicoise
    • Veggies made interesting >
      • Cauliflower Rice
      • Cauliflower Mash
      • Indian style aubergine mash
      • Zucchini noodles
      • Suspiciously delicious cabbage
      • Tastier Tomatoes
    • Pizza base
    • Desserts >
      • Chia Seed Dessert
      • New York Cheesecake
  • Blog