Serves: 4-6 people
Cooking time: 4½ hours
Ingredients:
1.5kg/3lb5oz chuck steak/diced beef, cut into 5cm/2in pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large onion, peeled and cut into chunks
2 sticks celery, rough chopped
2 bottles red wine (preferably burgundy)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 head garlic, cut in half horizontally
4 bay leaves
50g/2oz unsalted butter
225g/8oz whole piece of smoked bacon( cut in strips)
450g/1lb shallots, peeled
2 tbsp plain flour
375g/12oz mushrooms
290ml/½ pint fresh beef stock
5 tbsp brandy
freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
Method:
- Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large saucepan. Add the carrot, onion and
celery and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the wine, thyme, garlic and 2 bay
leaves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool.
- Place the beef in a large bowl and pour over the wine marinade. Cover
and place in the fridge overnight. This is known as a cook marinade.
- Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas2. Drain the beef from the marinade
into a colander over a glass bowl. Reserve the marinade and set aside.
- Heat 25g/1oz butter and 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan. Add
the bacon and cook until golden and brown. Add the shallots and transfer
to a large casserole dish.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan. Pat dry the cubes of beef from
the marinade mixture using absorbent kitchen paper. Add half of the beef
to the pan and cook until brown on all sides. Remove the beef and transfer
to the casserole dish with the bacon and shallots. Repeat with the remaining
beef and add to the casserole dish.
- Stir in 2-3 large spoonfuls of the reserved marinade mixture to deglaze
or remove any sediment from the pan. Pour into the casserole dish.
- Stir in the plain flour, the remaining marinade mixture and beef stock
into the casserole dish.
- Bring to the boil, cover and place in the oven for 3-3½ hours
or until the beef is very tender.
- Halfway through cooking, heat the remaining oil and butter in a large
frying pan and cook the mushrooms until brown. Add the brandy and cook
for a few minutes.
- Add the mushrooms to the casserole dish,stir and return to the oven
the remaining cooking time.
- Serve with new potatoes, sprinkled with freshly chopped parsley and
purple sprouting broccoli.
