Rustic Beef Shank Bourguignon

This Bourguignon recipe is very rustic and simple!

   
     Sometimes, a great dinner is uncomplicated.  Beef shanks are not commonly found on a fine dining menu, but this recipe could very well find a place on a Burgundy region cafe menu.  The Burgundy region of France is full of great cooking to go with the famous wines that are produced there.
     Beef tenderloin tips bourguignon is the more common preparation of this recipe.  Thick beef shank steaks are delicious prepared in the style of Burgundy.  In fact, the original bourgignon recipe was prepared with the meat from beef shanks.  Black truffles are part of the original bourguignon recipe too, so add some if you have them on hand.
   
     Rustic Beef Shank Bourguignon Recipe:
     Heat a small saute pan or brazing pan over medium heat.
     Add 1 small splash of olive oil.
     Add 1 pat of unsalted butter.
     Season an 8 to 10 ounce beef shank steak with sea salt and black pepper.
     Add the beef shank to the hot pan.
     Sear the beef shank on both sides, till it is browned. 
     Remove the beef shank from the pan.
     Pour the oil out of the pan but do not discard the fond.  (Fond is the brown bits of the beef that stick to the bottom of the pan.  Fond means foundation, as in referring to the start of a sauce.  Suc is another word for fond.)
     Set the pan back on the burner and lower the temperature to medium/medium low heat.
     Add 2 pats of unsalted butter and stir with a whisk.
     Try to scrape the bits of fond into the butter.
     The milk fats from the butter will combine with the fond.
     Add an equal amount of flour to the butter in the pan and stir constantly to make a blonde colored pan roux.
     Add 3 cups of rich beef stock while stirring.
     Bring the thin sauce to a simmer.
     Add 1 bay leaf.
     Add 1 pinch of thyme.
     Add 1 whole garlic clove.
     Add black pepper and sea salt.
     Add 1 1/2 cups of burgundy wine.
     Return the beef shank to the thin burgundy sauce.  (There should be enough thin sauce in the pan to almost cover the beef shank.)
     Add 1 onion center section.
     Add 1 large peeled carrot section.
     Add 1 fluted large mushroom.
     Add 1 celery stalk to the sauce.  (Rustic vegetable style.)
     Cover the pan and braise in a 325 degree oven, till the beef shank becomes tender.
     Remove the beef shank from the pan and place it on a plate.
     Remove the vegetables and arrange them on the plate.
     Reduce the burgundy sauce over medium high heat, till the sauce thickens to a rich medium thin sauce consistency.
     Pour the burgundy sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl.
     Generously spoon the Burgundy Sauce over the beef shank and onto the plate.
   
     Voila!  This is a rich sauce for a beef shank!  This is a throw back to a simpler day of Burgundy region cooking.  While braising, the beef marrow becomes part of the sauce, causing the Burgundy Sauce to gain the richness of a bordelaise sauce.  The rustic vegetables are perfect with this cut of beef.  I like Bourgogne cuisine!  ...  Shawna