Clodagh’s slow cooked classic beef bourguignon
With the weather feeling grey - Clodagh’s here with her warming winter recipe, the French classic beef bourguignon. A family favourite perfect for batch cooking in your slow cooker.
Slow cooked beef bourguignon
Serves: 8
Ingredients
50g butter
1.5kg beef pieces
150g smoked pancetta lardons or streaky bacon, sliced
300g Chestnut and/or Shitake mushrooms, sliced
16 shallots, peeled
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
1 bottle of red wine (high in tannin)
400ml beef stock
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 bay leaf
50g good quality dark chocolate
Salt and pepper
Method
1. Place a heavy bottomed casserole dish over a medium heat and add a knob of butter. When the butter has melted turn up the heat and add in the beef and brown on all sides and season with salt and pepper. Then transfer them into a bowl and set aside.
2. Put another knob of butter in the dish (if needed) and add the bacon lardons. When the bacon lardons are crisp add the shallots, followed by the whole cloves of garlic.
3. Stir in the sliced mushrooms, and the tomato puree and cook for a further a few minutes.
4. Place the beef back in the dish, pour in a bottle of red wine, followed by the beef stock, sprig of rosemary and a bay leaf. Cover the dish and cook in a preheated oven at 120oC for 3-4 hours.
5. 30 minutes before the end add 50g of broken pieces of dark chocolate. This creates a velvety texture and smokey flavour.