BEEF BOURGUIGNON

This is one of those dishes that I always fall back on when I need something tasty that I know will go down well with everyone.  

Some years ago I gave Nick a book for Christmas called "Classic French Cooking for Today".  In it the recipe for boeuf bourguignon is very complicated and begins with the words "three days before serving".  I think he did follow the recipe to the letter just once!

There are a couple of tips that are worth the effort though; to marinade the beef in wine overnight before the day of cooking and to stud the onions in the marinade with cloves.  Long, slow cooking in the oven, up to four hours, makes the beef meltingly tender and flavourful.  

With so many recipes out there in cook books and on the internet nobody needs another one but I'm writing this mainly for myself so that I remember how I made one that turned out really well.  It's a combination of tips from various recipes.

I used a cut of beef which in France is called "paleron" and in the UK would be called chuck steak, but any stewing beef would be fine.

Ingredients

1 kg chuck steak (or similar)

2-3 tblsp sunflower oil

1 pack (200g) smoked lardons (or similar)

500g (approx) large shallots or small white onions

a small handful of whole cloves

2 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

2 tblsp tomato purée

1 bottle red wine (Merlot or similar)

150ml beef stock (made using a stock pot or cube)

1 tblsp brown sugar

50g plain flour

4 bay leaves

500g white or chestnut mushrooms

Method

The day before cooking, remove any excess fat or gristle from the meat, cut into large bite-sized chunks and put into a glass or porcelain bowl.

Peel the shallots or onions and press whole cloves into each one, roughly 3 or 4 per onion.  Add to the bowl and pour over enough red wine to cover the whole lot.   (You may not need the whole bottle.)

Cover with clingfilm and put into a cool place or the fridge to marinade overnight.

On the day of serving, preheat the oven to 160°C / 140° fan / gas mk 3.

If you have a flameproof casserole dish (such as Le Creuset) you can use it for frying.  Otherwise, use a frying pan and transfer to an ovenproof casserole dish for the oven stage of the cooking.

Put the oil into your frying pan and turn the heat to high.  Using a slotted spoon, lift the chunks of meat out of the marinade and dry on sheets of kitchen roll.  Brown the meat in the hot oil in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan and transfer the browned meat to a plate.  Add the lardons to the pan and fry until browned, adding a little more oil if needed.  Set aside with the beef.

Lift the marinaded shallots or onion out of the bowl and remove all the cloves.  Put them into the hot pan, adding a little more oil if necessary and fry until just golden.  Add the garlic and tomato purée and cook for a few seconds.

Put the flour into a small bowl or jug and use some of the marinading liquid to mix it to a paste.  Whisk in the rest of the marinading liquid and add this to the pan along with the carrots. 

Return the meat to the pan with the sugar, bay leaves and stock.  Bring to the boil then cover and put into the preheated oven for about 2 hours until the meat is tender.  (This is the stage at which you should transfer from the pan to an ovenproof casserole dish if using.)

Add the mushrooms to the dish and cook for another 20 minutes until they too are tender.

After removing from the oven adjust for seasoning by adding salt and pepper to taste.  

(To thicken if necessary use a little more flour (or cornflour) mixed to a thin paste with a little water.  Stir this into the dish and return to the oven for a few minutes or cook on the hob if you are using a flameproof casserole dish.)

Makes 6 generous portions.