Beef, red wine and mushroom stew

Tam West

This the ultimate beef stew. In France it is known as boeuf bourguignon and is without a doubt the most famous and popular beef casserole. You can use any type of stewing beef that has lot of natural fat and connective tissue or collagen (chuck, short rib, brisket). This is perfect for stewing as it will melt into the surrounding sauce giving a wonderful thickness and rich flavour. Traditionally the dish uses lardons made from salted pork, but for ease and simplicity I have used bacon this time round and pearl or baby onions are replaced with regular onion.

Ingredients

1 ¼ kgs	Stewing beef (Main)
4 Tbsp	Oil
100 g	Bacon, sliced
1	Onion, diced
1	Celery stalk, sliced
2	Carrots, diced
2	Garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup	Red wine
3 cups	Beef stock
2	Bay leaves
3 Tbsp	Flour
2 Tbsp	Butter
150 g	Button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered (Main)

Directions

1. Dice the meat into 4cm cubes. In a large fry pan heat 2 Tbsp of the oil, season the meat with salt then panfry in batches until well browned on all sides. Remove the meat then fry the bacon until cooked and remove.
2. Add a little more oil then fry the vegetables until lightly caramelised. Stir through the garlic.
3. Add the red wine, beef stock and bay leaves and season with pepper. Bring to the boil. Toss the browned beef in a bowl with the flour to coat, then place into a casserole dish. Pour over the boiling liquid and vegetables.
4. Place a piece of baking paper on the meat to keep it submerged while cooking, place a piece of tin foil on top of this (to prevent excess evaporation and concentrate the flavours).
5. Cover with a lid and place in the oven at 130C for 3 hours (or simmer very gently on the stove top or cook in the crock pot on a low setting). If serving the next day, allow to cool to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator overnight.
6. Just before serving, heat butter in a large frying pan, add mushrooms and fry until golden. Season with a little salt then add to the stew.
7. Enjoy with buttered baby potatoes or mash.

More slow-cooked meals from Geoff

• Chicken, sausage and white bean casserole
• Pickled pork, parsley dumplings and pineapple pickle