Main Courses

Beef Bourguignon

Servings: 8
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French
Prep Time: 00:30    Cook Time: 03:40    Total Time: 04:10
Ingredients:
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil 
  •  120 g (½ cup) bacon lardons 
  •  20 small shallots peeled, 6 of them cut in half, the rest left whole 
  •  1.4 kg (3 lbs) beef braising steak i.e chuck or skirt, cut into large chunks 
  •  3 tbsp plain flour 
  •  ¼ tsp salt 
  •  ¼ tsp black pepper 
  •  1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 x 750 ml (25 oz) bottle red wine it doesn’t have to be an expensive wine, I used Shiraz 
  •  240 ml (1 cup) beef stock 
  •  3 bay leaves 
  •  1 tsp dried thyme 
  •  16-20 chantenay carrots peeled 
  •  150 g (2 cups) brown mushrooms thickly sliced
Method:
  1. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof casserole dish and add the lardons. Fry until golden brown, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl.
    1 tbsp vegetable oil, 120 g (½ cup) bacon lardons
  2. Add the halved shallots to the pan and fry on high in the same pan for a few minutes until seared, then add to the bowl with the lardons.
    20 small shallots
  3. There should still be 2-3 tbsp of oil left in the pan at this point, if there isn’t top up with a little more oil.
  4. Toss the beef with the flour, salt, and pepper.
    1.4 kg (3 lbs) beef braising steak, 3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper
  5. Now brown the beef in the pan in 3 or 4 batches (about 5-6 minutes per batch). Spoon out each batch into a bowl before starting on the next batch.
  6. When cooked, add all the beef back into the pan and stir in the tomato puree.
    1 tbsp tomato purée
  7. Now add in the wine, beef stock, bay leaves, thyme, carrots, mushrooms, and the whole shallots. Give everything a stir – to release any bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan.
    1 x 750 ml (25 oz) bottle red wine, 240 ml (1 cup) beef stock, 3 bay leaves, 1 tsp dried thyme, 16-20 chantenay carrots, 150 g (2 cups) brown mushrooms
  8. Then bring to the boil and turn off the heat. Place a lid on top and place in the oven to cook for 3 hours. Check a couple of times to make sure the Bourguignon isn’t going dry. If it is starting to look a little dry, add half a cup of water.
  9. After 3 hours, stir the bacon lardons and fried shallots into the pan, place the lid back on and place back in the oven for another 10 minutes to heat through.
  10. Serve with mashed potato and greens.

A whole bottle of wine does seem like a lot when you’re pouring it in, but the flavour softens during the long cooking process and you’re left with a rich taste that isn’t at all bitter or ‘wine-y’.

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