Boeuf Bourguignon
Considered by many to be the mother of all stews, Beef Bourguignon is a French dish made with beef, bacon lardons, carrots, onions and mushrooms slow-cooked in a rich red wine sauce.
Ingredients
1kg beef chuck steak
10 shallots
3 rashers of bacon
300g button mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
30g butter
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Seasoned plain flour to dust the meat
1 cup (250ml) beef stock
2 cup (500ml) red wine
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp fresh oregano or thyme or a mix, chopped
Method
Cut beef into large chunks (3cm)
Peel onions leaving root end in tact so that they don't fall apart when cooking
Dice bacon
Heat oil in a heavy based casserole dish
Dust beef in flour and fry in batches until browned all over
Put the beef aside and place the butter, onions, bacon, mushrooms and garlic in the same casserole dish
Stir constantly over medium-high heat until the onions are brown all over
Add stock, bay leaves, sugar, beef and any juices to the casserole dish
Bring back to the boil
Place casserole dish with a lid in the oven at 160°C for 2 to 3 hours, or until the beef is tender. Stir every 30 to 45 minutes.
Before serving, remove the bay leaves and stir in the oregano/thyme
Notes
Best made the day before and re-heated.
Not traditional, but some chunks of carrot go very well in here.
If you have some cream, stir a bit in before serving to add a bit of richness.
Great with tagliatelle, mashed spuds or just some crusty bread.