Ingredients
- 3.3 lb (1.5 kg) of braising steak
- 2 bottles of good quality red wine
- 2 tbsp of rapeseed or olive oil
- 1 pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- 4 bay leaves
- 50 mm (2”) chunk of fresh ginger, grated
- Bunch of fresh parsley washed and chopped
- A small bunch of fresh thyme
- Optional. 8 peeled shallots left whole
- 2 tbsp of tomato purée
- 8 medium carrots peeled and chopped into large chunks
- 3 tbsp of plain flour
- 1 lb (450 g) of baby mushrooms, washed and whole
- 300 g of bacon lardons
- A large knob of butter
How to Make It
- Put the beef into a large mixing bowl and add the wine, a pinch of salt and pepper, thyme, ginger and bay leaves. Cover tight with plastic film and leave in your fridge overnight.
- Next day. Pre-heat the oven to 200C (400F). Strain the marinade and beef into another bowl, reserving the wine and set aside.
- Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a pan on high heat in a large frying pan. Brown the meat in batches and set aside. Now using the same pan, pour a little of the wine in to the pan and stir, releasing any caramelised remnants from the beef browning. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Next, heat the rest of the oil in the large empty frying pan on a medium heat and gently fry the carrots and optional shallots, until they start to lightly brown. Stir in the flour for about a minute, then add the tomato purée. Next, add the beef, remaining juices, rest of the herbs and the wine. Season, bring to the boil, then immediately simmer, stirring all the time. Transfer into a casserole dish and cover. Cook in the oven for about 2½ hours in total, until the beef is nice and tender.
- After about 2 hours of oven cooking, heat the butter in a frying pan, add the bacon and fry for about 10 minutes on a medium heat until the bacon becomes crispy. Add and stir into the beef bourguignon and carry on cooking as above for a further 20 to 30 minutes.
- Serve straight from the oven and sprinkle with the chopped parsley on the top of each serving.
