On Jul 14, 3:51*pm, "Hugh" > wrote:
>
> That sounds absolutely DREADFUL! For the same price and effort you can make
> this classical dish from the late master Julia Child. This is one of the
> great dishes of the world, and on my top ten dishes.

While I agree that boeuf bourguignon is one of the great classic
dishes and I take pleasure in making it a la Julia, it doesn't follow
that a simpler approach wil be dreadful. You and I may agree that the
extra effort is amply rewarded but it is silly to deny that the
classic dish requires more effort.

When I make an ordinary stew I always use onion and garlic rather than
their powders, and I always include thyme. Beyond that, everything is
fair game for your creativity -- what kind of wine, what kind of
broth, how much carrot, what form of and how much tomato, if any, what
kind of mushrooms and whether to saute them separately, etc., etc.
Some of these come out really well, some only so-so. To say they're
all bad because they're not boeuf bourguignon would be ridiculous. -
aem