So I wanted to make this bean bourguignon thing
Okay, see this recipe online? Looked fancy, like, real French stuff. Bean bourguignon. Figured, hey, beans and stew, how hard can picking stuff be? Went to the store, list in hand, kinda clueless.
First up: the beans. Classic French recipe screamed “dried beans,” right? Like the old grandmas use. So I hunted down dried white beans, haricot or something like that. Big bag, soak ’em forever type deal. But standing there, saw these cans of cannellini beans. Already soft, ready to go. Modern life shortcut? Heck yeah, grabbed a couple cans too. Covering my bases.
The veggie mess
Next, vegetables. Recipe said pearl onions. Tiny little balls, pain to peel. Couldn’t find fresh ones anywhere. Stood in the onion aisle like a lost puppy. Saw big yellow onions. Chopped one up? That’s gotta work, modern style. Tossed one in the cart.
Then, carrots. Classic says baby carrots whole? Or regular ones chopped? Grabbed a bag of washed baby carrots – easy peasy. And mushrooms! Fancy ones? Nah. Just got a box of the regular white button ones. Fine. Saw some cremini ones looking darker and kinda cooler – “baby bella” or whatever? Thought, maybe try half fancy half basic.
The meaty bit
Okay, the heart of it: meat! Recipe called for lardons. What even are those? Tiny bacon sticks? Store butcher looked at me funny. Ended up grabbing thick-cut bacon and figured I’d hack it into pieces myself. Good enough. Then the stew meat. Recipe whispered “beef chuck, well marbled.” Cool. Saw stew beef chunks pre-cut. Grabbed that. Later saw some nicer looking pieces, bit pricier, maybe sirloin tips? Shrugged, stuck with the cheaper pack. Classic frugal vs modern splurge? Went frugal.
The wet stuff
Finally, the booze. Key part! Classic demands burgundy wine. Pinot Noir? Yeah. Strolled the wine section. Saw bottles labelled “Burgundy” – perfect! Pricey though. Then saw a big box of “Cabernet Sauvignon” much cheaper. Modern times, right? Wine is wine? Got the bottle and a box. Figured box for cooking, bottle for… quality control.
How it all went down
Got home, counter covered in classic AND modern junk.
- Dried beans (old school) vs Canned beans (new school)
- Big chopped onion (modern fix) vs wished-for pearl onions (classic)
- Regular mushrooms vs some “fancy” creminis
- Bacon chopped up vs mythical lardons
- Chuck stew beef vs maybe-better cut
- Actual Burgundy wine vs cheap boxed stuff
Mixed and matched a bit in the pot. Honestly? The dried beans needed way more time. Cans were super easy. Cheap stew beef was fine. Bacon worked great. That boxed wine? Tasted perfectly fine cooked down! Classic maybe feels fancier, but modern options? So much less stress. Next time, sticking with mostly modern shortcuts for sure.
