Beef Bourguignon Recipe

This dish is ideal for both a family meal and stress-free entertaining. It has the reputation (and the looks) for being a lot harder than actually it is. In fact it’s really easy to make… but don’t let on!

This recipe will serve 6.

Ingredients

• 1 ½kg Chuck or boneless shin/gravy beef
• 4 Sprigs flat-leaf parsley
• 4 Sprigs of thyme
• 1 Fresh bay leaf
• 2 Cups red wine
• 1 cup Beef stock

To serve

• 1 tbsp Plain flour
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 30g Butter
• 12 Small pickling onions or shallots, peeled (about 280g)
• 200g Button mushrooms, stalks trimmed
• 250g Bacon, rind removed, cut into short strips
• 1 cup Water

1. Cut the beef into 2.5-3cm cubes and place in a large bowl. Add the herbs and wine and refrigerate for 2 hours or, if time allows, overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Drain the beef and put aside the remaining marinade and herb mixture. Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Heat a large fry pan over a medium-high heat. Brown the beef in 3 batches. Remove each batch and place in a casserole dish. Pour over the reserved marinade and herbs. Add the stock and flour and stir to mix.

3. Cover the casserole dish, place in oven. Stir every 40 minutes or so, adding water if needed to keep the ingredients just covered. Cook until the beef is almost tender (about 80 minutes).

4. Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a small fry pan, add the onions and cook stirring for 10 minutes or until lightly golden (but not soft), remove and set aside. Cook the mushrooms in 2 batches, adding a little more butter if needed, remove and set aside. Add the bacon to the pan, cook until crispy. Add the onions, mushrooms, bacon and water to the beef, stir gently to combine. Cook for a further 20-30 minutes or until the beef is tender.