It is undeniably stew weather. I am, I’m afraid, one of those people who grimace all the way through summer, longing for autumn, thinking of fall-clichés: big cosy jumpers, afternoons spent reading on the sofa with a blanket, an excuse to bring out my knitting, rain drumming on the windows. Predictably, my greatest reason for embracing this time of year is the food it brings with it, and above all, is the presence of a casserole on the hob, bubbling away, slowly gaining body and flavour, and filling the kitchen with boozy, meaty, smoky smells. I have a lot of love in my heart for all kinds of stews, but boeuf bourguignon probably takes the crown.
Boeuf bourguignon was rightly famous before Julia Child came along, but in the cookbook that shot her to fame, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, it became synonymous with her, and with the French cooking that she introduced to American kitchens.
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