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Boeuf Bourguignon | DonalSkehan.com, Tender, slow cooked beef in a rich sauce...Perfection.
  • main-meals

Boeuf Bourguignon

October 08

Thanks to the film Julie & Julia now every time the classic French dish boeuf bourginon is mentioned all I can think of is Julia Child. Although this dish was a regular in mom’s repertoire, I have had to consult Mastering the Art of French Cooking to make sure this comfort food classic would get the approval of Mrs Child. It’s a rich and deeply flavoured dish, which sings comfort and is ideal for cold winter weekends. This recipe is from my cookbook HomeCooked.

  • serves Serves 4
  • time 40 mins + long cooking time

Method

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 150˚C/300˚F/Gas Mark 2. Place the steak pieces on a plate and pat dry with kitchen paper. Dust each piece in a little flour.
  2. 2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy casserole pot with a lid over a medium-high heat. Add the steak pieces and brown on all sides so they have a deep brown colour. Don’t overcrowd the pot or you won’t get a good colour on the meat so it’s best to do this in batches. With the last batch add in the bacon and fry until it is sizzling and golden.
  3. 3. Remove steak pieces & bacon and set aside on a plate. In the remaining meat juices, fry off the onions and carrots until softened and then add the meat back in.
  4. 4. Remove the steak and bacon parts from the pot with a slotted spoon and place on a plane lined with kitchen paper. Add the carrot and onion and fry the vegetables for about 6 until the onions are softened.
  5. 5. Stir through the garlic, then return the parts steak and bacon back to the pan and add the flour. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring every now and then.
  6. 6. Pour in the wine, beef stock and the bay leaf, add the tomato purée and stir through. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper and bring to a steady simmer.
  7. 7. Cover the pot and place it in the oven to cook very slowly for 3 hours until the liquid has reduced by half and the meat is incredibly tender when pierced with a fork.
  8. 8. About 20 minutes before serving, fry the pearl onions and mushrooms in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat with the remaining oil for about 6 minutes until they are tender. Add these to the casserole 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
  9. 9. Serve with creamy mashed potato and freshly chopped parsley scattered over the top.

Ingredients

900g chuck steak cut into 3cm cubes

2 tbsp olive oil

150g streaky bacon, sliced

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced

1 large onion, peeled and sliced

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp plain flour

500ml red wine

300ml beef stock

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp tomato puree

Sea salt and ground black pepper

18 pearl onions or small shallots, peeled

300g button mushrooms, wiped and left whole

Good handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, to serve