Beef & Mushroom Bourguignon

• 1.1 kgbeef shin, cut into 5 cm chunks
• 5garlic cloves, minced
• 300 mlbeef stock
• 2 tbspplain flour
• 300 gpearl shallots, peeled and left whole
• 400 gchestnut mushrooms, halved
• 2 tbsptomato purée, optional, removed before serving (optional)
• 6fresh thyme sprigs
• 500 mlfull-bodied Burgundy-style red wine
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 25 gunsalted butter
• 200 gsmoked bacon lardons
• 2bay leaves, optional, removed before serving (optional)
• 1 tbspbrandy, optional (optional)
• 2carrots, finely diced
• Fine salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 160°C fan. Pat the beef chunks completely dry with kitchen paper. Season generously with salt and pepper before they hit the pan. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof casserole over a high heat until it shimmers, then brown the beef in three batches for 3–4 minutes per side until deeply mahogany. Don't crowd the pan; all at once and the meat boils in its own juices instead of building the fond that flavours the entire dish. Lift each batch out to a plate.
2. 2Drop the bacon lardons into the same casserole and fry over a medium-high heat for 4 minutes until the fat renders out and the edges turn golden. Tip in the pearl shallots and diced carrot and cook for 4 minutes more, stirring through the bacon fat, until they take on colour at the edges. Lift out and set aside with the beef.
3. 3Add the butter to the pan. Once it stops foaming, slide in the mushrooms and fry over a high heat for 5 minutes, stirring only occasionally, until they're golden and every drop of moisture has cooked off; wet mushrooms will never brown. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. If you're using the brandy, pour it in and let it reduce to almost nothing, about 30 seconds.
4. 4Scatter the flour over the mushrooms and stir for a full minute to cook off the raw taste. Pour in the red wine in slow additions, stirring constantly so the flour loosens into a smooth sauce. Add the beef stock, tomato purée, then drag your spoon across the base of the pan to lift every brown stuck bit into the liquid.
5. 5Return the beef, bacon, shallots and carrot to the casserole along with any juices on the plate. Nestle in any optional thyme sprigs and bay leaves. The beef should sit mostly but not entirely submerged. Bring to a gentle simmer on the hob, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and transfer to the oven.
6. 6Braise for 2½–3 hours, checking once at the halfway mark, until the beef yields with no resistance to a fork; if it fights back, give it another 20 minutes. If the sauce still looks thin at the end, lift the lid and return the pot to the oven for 15 minutes to reduce and gloss up.
7. 7Fish out the thyme stalks and bay leaves. The sauce should be glossy and cling to the back of a spoon. It improves dramatically overnight if you have the patience. To keep for later, cool in shallow containers within 2 hours, refrigerate and use within 2 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.

Per serving

kcal

646

protein

52.3g

fibre

3.4g

carbs

19.3g

fat

33.9g