Beef Bourguignon

Don't let the title put you off. It may sound fancy (and impress your dinner guests) but this a really easy, versatile dish. The bonus is it uses cheap  cuts of meat, but by the end they are so tender and delicious that no one will even guess! I originally found the recipe on BBC Food, but I have adapted it to make it quicker and easier to put together. This hearty dish is great with rice or baked into a pie with puff pastry and will really warm you up on the cold days to come!

Ingredients (to serve 4-5 people)

• 800g - 1kg of stewing beef (depending on how many bones)
• 1 medium sized onion
• 250g mushrooms(optional)
• 1 tsp garlic (fresh or crushed)
• 3-4 strips of bacon (optional)
• 1 tsp each of dried rosemary and thyme (or fresh if you prefer)
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 600-800ml of dry red wine and beef stock (how much wine you want to use is up to you, I recommend half of each)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 150°
• Cut the beef into ±3cm pieces. Salt and pepper the pieces and then brown them in some oil. Fry them in 2 or 3 batches because if you overcrowd the pot they won't brown properly.
• Place the browned pieces in a colander or sieve over a jug so the juices drain off.
• Once all the meat is browned, dice the onion, mushrooms and bacon and add to the pot. I don't always use mushrooms or bacon if I don't have, but they do add extra flavour! Cook until slightly browned.
• Add in the garlic, spices and tomato paste and cook for a few minutes.
• Now add the meat back into the pot as well as your wine/stock mixture and heat until it begins to bubble. There should be enough stock that the meat is covered completely.
• Next make a cartouche; which is just a fancy word for a piece of tinfoil the same size as your pot that will keep the liquids from evaporating. Cover the meat and stock with the foil cartouche and then place it in the oven.
• Cook the meat for 3 hours (the smells will drive you crazy!) until the meat is tender and just pulls apart. If you want to make it into a pie then reduce the cooking time by 45 minutes and place into a pie dish with puff pastry to cook for an hour.

Once you have tried this you will add it to your list of go-to dinner dishes, it is just that good. It's also guaranteed to knock the socks off your dinner guests with it's rich, hearty flavour and have everyone coming back for seconds!

Keep it cooking,
Kelly