The Witcher 3: Boeuf Bourguignon

The Witcher 3 is one of the best written games I’ve ever played. I love this game and wish I could spend so much more time with it. One of the characters that shows up in many of Geralt’s adventures is the bard Dandelion. He tells the many tales that he has had with Geralt throughout the years. Of course, they might be fluffed up a bit to make himself look good but they give the general idea of what happened. Currently, in my playthrough of The Witcher 3, I’m on the hunt to find my dear friend Dandelion. During the early stages of the quest I had to go around and meet with many of the women he had been wooing. Eventually, we ended up talking to Priscilla, a fellow bard and friend of Dandelion’s. Here we learn that our dear friend has decided to break into a vault to help a “friend” and that is was urgent. It’s up to Geralt to go and once again save his friend from whatever misadventures he has gotten himself into.

Boeuf Bourguignon is a recipe that Geralt can purchase and enjoy as he travels around the world. This is a recipe that has been on my to do list for years and I appreciate that The Witcher 3 is the game to push me to finally make it. Growing up, I watched a lot of cooking shows and one of my early inspirations was Julia Childs. Many of her recipes introduced the world to French cuisine and how one could approach it in a home kitchen. One of her most popular recipes is the Boeuf Bourguignon. Her recipe inspired me when concepting this meal for The Witcher 3. One of the major differences is that I’ve left the bacon out and replaced it with duck fat. Duck fat gives this recipe a slightly gamey taste that I imagine many of the meat recipes from The Witcher would have.

Ingredients:
3 lbs beef chuck, cut into large pieces
salt
pepper
duck fat
3 tbsp flour
1 onion, sliced
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch thick medallions
7 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tbsp thyme, chopped
3 cups red wine
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp cornstarch
12 ounces pearl onions
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
2 tbsp butter
¼ cup water
parsley, chopped (optional)

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Season the beef chuck with salt and pepper.

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of duck fat. Add a single layer of the beef but be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Brown all sides of the meat. Remove and place on a plate. Add additional duck fat and continue this process until all the beef has been browned.

Add another tablespoon of duck fat to the dutch oven. Once melted, add the onion and carrots. Cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

While the vegetables are cooking, toss the browned beef with flour.

After the onions have softened, add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the beef back to the dutch oven and stir together. Mix in the red wine, thyme, tomato paste, and beef broth. Stir together until the tomato paste has incorporated with the rest of the liquid.

Add the bay leaves and cover with a lid. Place in the oven and cook for three hours, or until the beef is tender.

About 45 minutes before the beef is done, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Place the pearl onions in a bowl and pour the hot water over the pearl onions. Allow them to sit in the bowl for 30 seconds.

Carefully transfer the pearl onions into a bowl with ice cold water. Take the pearl onions and cut the butt end of the onion and then remove the peel.

Place a pan over medium-high heat. Spray with non-stick spray and cook the pearl onions until they start to brown. Add the butter and cook until the butter has melted. Add the ¼ cup of water and cover. Reduce the heat to medium and allow the onions to soften (do not allow them to become mushy and lose their shape), about 15 minutes. Remove any remaining liquid and set aside until the stew is ready.

In another pan, over medium-high heat, cook the mushrooms until just browned. Set aside until the stew is ready.

Once the stew has finished cooking, carefully pour the contents of the dutch oven through a mesh strainer with a bowl to underneath to collect the liquid.

Place the liquid in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Once the stew sauce is slightly simmering whisk in the cornstarch slurry and mix together until the sauce has slightly thickened.

Return the beef and veggies back to the dutch oven. Pour the thickened sauce and add the pearl onions and mushrooms. Stir the contents together. Serve over a bowl of egg noodles and top with chopped parsley.