Beef |
Beef Bourguignon |
1 1/2 kg. chuck steak cut in 1 inch pieces 1 large carrot, peeled, chunked 2 stick celery, roughly, chopped 2 bottle red wine 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 head of garlic, cut in half, horizontal 4 Bay Leaf 50 g unsalted butter 225 g smoked bacon, or, pancetta 450 g shallot, peeled 2 tbsp plain flour 375 g chestnut mushroom 300 ml beef stock 75 ml brandy fresh flat-leaf parsley |
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pan. Add the carrot, onion and celery and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the wine, thyme, garlic and 2 bay leaves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Pour the marinade over the beef cubes in a large bowl. Allow to cool and refrigerate overnight. This is known as a cook marinade. Remove the beef from the marinade into a colander over a glass bowl. Reserve the marinade and set aside. Use three spoonfuls of the leftover marinade to deglaze the frying pan and pour this into the casserole dish. Stir the remaining marinade, the flour and the beef stock into the casserole, bring to the boil and place in the oven for 3 to 3 ½ hours, until the beef is very tender. Halfway through the cooking, heat the remaining oil and brown the whole mushrooms. Add the brandy and cook for a minute or two. Add this to the casserole and return it to the oven for the remaining time. |