← Nouns Cooking · French

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg beef chuck or braising steak, cut into 5 cm chunks
• salt and black pepper
• 3 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
• 150 g smoked bacon lardons or thick bacon, cut into batons
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 Carrot, cut into thick chunks
• 3 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 3 tbsp Plain (all-purpose) flour
• 750 ml dry red wine (a bottle of Burgundy or Pinot Noir)
• 300 ml Beef stock
• 4 sprigs Thyme
• 2 Bay leaves
• 30 g Butter
• 12 small shallots or pearl onions, peeled
• 250 g button mushrooms, halved if large
• 1 handful Parsley, chopped

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan, 325°F). Pat the beef very dry and season it well. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large casserole over medium heat and fry the bacon for 5 min until golden; scoop it out, leaving the fat behind.
2. Turn the heat up to high. Brown the beef in 3 batches, adding a little oil each time, for 3–4 min per batch until deeply browned on all sides. Do not crowd the pan or the meat will steam instead of sear.
3. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion and carrot and cook for 5 min, scraping up the browned bits. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute, then sprinkle over the flour and stir until it disappears.
4. Return the beef and half the bacon, then pour in the wine and stock and add the thyme and bay. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and move to the oven for 2½ hours, until the beef is tender enough to cut with a spoon.
5. Near the end, melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the shallots for 10 min, shaking the pan, until golden and softened. Add the mushrooms and the rest of the bacon and fry until browned.
6. Stir the shallots, mushrooms and bacon into the casserole. If the sauce is thin, simmer it uncovered on the hob for 10–15 min until it coats the back of a spoon. Fish out the herb stalks, season and scatter with parsley.

Tips

• It is even better made a day ahead: cool, chill, lift off any set fat and reheat gently.
• Serve with buttery mash, boiled potatoes or crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

Sources

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

RecipeTin Eats Great British Chefs Jamie Oliver