Beef Bourguignon
Serves 6
Prep time = 30 mins
Cooking time = 2.5 hours
Beef Bourguignon | If you can’t buy pearl or pickling onions, buy the smallest brown onions you can find, peel and halve. If the button mushrooms are larger than 2cm across the top, then halve them.
Ingredients
- 1.5kg stewing beef (shin or gravy beef), cut into 3cm cubes
- ½ cup plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 12 pearl onions, peeled (see notes)
- 250g tiny button mushrooms (see notes)
- 1 bunch Dutch (baby) carrots, peeled, tops trimmed
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup beef stock
Method
STEP 1 | Preheat oven to 160°C (140°C fan forced).
STEP 2 | Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a bowl.
STEP 3 | In a large enamel pot on the stove top, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over high heat. Toss one third of the meat in the flour and shake off the excess– take care with this step as loose flour will burn in the pot. Place the meat in the pot and brown on all sides and remove to a bowl. Take your time with this step to ensure a good golden colour, as this is important to the flavor of the finished dish. Repeat with the rest of the meat. If the pot has any burnt flour, wipe it clean with a paper towel before moving on to the next step.
STEP 4 | Lower the heat to medium and add the last tablespoon of oil. Sauté the onions, mushrooms and carrots for 3-4 minutes until light golden. Add the garlic and sauté until soft but not brown. Add tomato paste and stir for a further minute.
STEP 5 | Return meat to the pan, then add the bay leaves. Pour in the red wine followed by the beef stock. Cover, place in the oven for 2 hours or until the meat is soft. If the sauce needs to thicken, cook without the lid for half an hour. Serve with mashed potato or cauliflower cream.
