← Nouns Cooking · French

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg beef chuck or shin, cut into large chunks
• salt and black pepper
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 100 g smoked lardons
• 2 Onion, sliced
• 2 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp Plain (all-purpose) flour
• 300 ml dry white wine
• 400 ml Beef stock
• 1 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 3 sprigs Thyme
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 kg Carrot, cut into thick rounds
• 1 handful Parsley, chopped

Method

1. Pat the beef dry and season it. Heat the oil in a heavy casserole over high heat and brown the beef in batches for 4–5 min each, until well coloured. Set aside.
2. Lower the heat to medium, add the lardons and onions and cook for 8 min until golden. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste, then sprinkle over the flour and stir for 1 minute.
3. Pour in the wine, scraping up the browned bits, then add the stock, thyme and bay. Return the beef, bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook on low heat for 1½ hours.
4. Add the carrots, pushing them under the liquid, and simmer covered for another 1 hour, until the beef is tender and the carrots are soft and sweet.
5. If the sauce is thin, simmer uncovered for 10 min. Season, remove the herb stalks and scatter with parsley. Serve with mash or boiled potatoes.

Tips

• Like all braises it improves overnight; chill, lift off any set fat and reheat gently.
• Leave out the flour and it is gluten-free; the carrots thicken the sauce a little as they soften.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Serious Eats Saveur Magnolia Days