Boeuf (Beef) Bourguignon

A stew with warm and hearty flavours. If you do not have a bottle of Burgundy, look for a big gutsy red wine such as a nice Shiraz.

Ingredients

For the Stew
1.5kg of Beef Blade or Chuck Steak
1 bottle of Red Wine (preferably Burgundy)
50g of butter
2 tbsp of Plain Flour
Salt and pepper

For the Marinade
1 celery stick coarsely chopped
1 carrot coarsely chopped
3 whole garlic cloves
1 white onion studded with cloves
A few whole peppercorns
A sprig of thyme
A couple of bay leaves
30ml Brandy

For the garnish
200g bacon, cut into short strips
300g French shallots, peeled but left whole
200g small button mushrooms

Directions

Cut the meat into 3-4 cm cubes and coarsely chop the celery and carrot. Next, peel the Onion and Garlic before studding the Onion with 6 Cloves.

Put the meat, celery, carrot, garlic, onion studded with cloves, peppercorns, thyme and bay leaves in a large bowl. Then add the brandy and the red wine.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 150 Degrees Celsius. Drain the meat, reserving the marinade and vegetables.  Dry the meat on paper towels.

Next, prepare the vegetables from the marinade. Remove the cloves from the onion and chopped it finely. Slice the garlic cloves finely. Keep the carrot and celery on the side.

Pour the marinade into a pan and boil for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and skim the surface of the marinade to take off any impurities.

You can use the Quick Skim Technique for this step.

Heat 20g of the butter in a frying pan over high heat. Fry the meat in batches until the pieces are browned. Once done, put the meat asside.

In a casserole dish, heat 30g of the butter. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Cook them over low heat, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.

Add the meat and cook for another further 5 minutes.

Return the casserole to high heat and sprinkle the meat and vegetables with flour. Stir constantly until the meat is well coated with the flour. Leave to cook for another 2 minutes.

Pour in the marinade and stir well. Bring back to the boil, stirring constantly. Add salt, pepper and thyme. Cover the stew and cook in the oven for 2 hours.

Just before the two hours have elapsed, cook the shallots and bacon in a frying pan, stirring until the shallots have softened not browned. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally for another 2-3 minutes.

Once the two hours have elapsed, add the shallots, bacon and mushrooms to the casserole dish. Then cover the dish and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.

Check the seasoning and skim any fat from the surface before serving.

Boeuf Bourguignon works well when served with mash potatoes or with your choice of pasta.