beef bourguignon

 a comforting hearty stew for those winter evenings

For 4

• plain flour
• 500g braising steak
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 65g smoked bacon lardons
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot *
• ½ parsnip *
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 20cl red wine
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 beef stock cube
• fresh or dried thyme
• 12 pearl onions (or shallots or half an onion in chunks)
• 100g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
• salt and pepper
• sprigs of fresh parsley, to garnish

Serve with roast or mashed potatoes

*You could reduce the amount of meat and increase the amount of veg

Based on a Hairy Bikers recipe

Oven at 160C.

1. Cut the braising steak into chunky pieces, each around. Trim off any really hard fat or sinew.

2. Coat the chunks in well seasoned flour.

3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the beef in batches over a medium–high heat until nicely browned on all sides, turning every now and then and adding more oil if necessary. As soon as the beef is browned, transfer to a large flameproof casserole.

4. Pour a little more oil into the pan in which the beef was browned and fry the bacon for 2–3 minutes, or until the fat crisps and browns. Scatter the bacon over the meat.

5. Add a touch more oil to the frying pan and fry the chopped onion over a low heat for 5–6 minutes, stirring often until softened. Stir the garlic into the pan and cook for 1 minute more.

6. Add the onion and garlic to the pan with the meat and pour over the wine. Stir in the tomato purée and 100ml water. Crumble over the stock cube, add the herbs and bring to a simmer. Stir well, cover with a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1½ –1¾ hours, or until the beef is almost completely tender. Check and add more water if the sauce is starting to thicken.

7. Add the pearl onions and mushrooms, bring back to simmer then return to the oven for 45 minutes more, or until the beef is meltingly tender and the sauce is thick. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon.

8. Sprinkle the casserole with parsley and serve.