October in New England is the beginning of that special season that is NOT the leaf-turning, apple-picking, pumpkin-finding, deer-hunting, baseball playoff, football or other outdoor activity season. It’s the coming of the indoor STEW season, which arrives best when the nights are crisp outside the house and glowing inside from a wood fire.
Barbara and I had our favorite stew Sunday night. That would be beef (or boeuf for you Francophiles) bourguignon, as prepared by our daughter Jessica, who is a great cook. You can practically smell and taste the hearty deliciousness from this image of Sunday’s dinner:
This classic French stew contains lots of chuck beef that is slow-cooked with onions, carrots, garlic, mushrooms, herbs, bacon and, especially, lots and lots of added, big-bodied red wine for the ingredients to tread in. As you might have guessed, the stew originates from the Burgundy region of France and is renowned for its savory gravy and fall-apart-tender meat.
Beef bourguignon began as a peasant recipe designed to make tough meat more palatable, according to what I’ve read. It was then modified for complex tastes and popularized by Julia Child, among others. Here on the Blue Hill peninsula, you’ll probably also want to have some crusty Tinder Hearth bread handy to sop up that exquisite gravy. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on October 12, 2025.)