Beef Bourguignon

• Serves 8
• 4+ hours
• Source: Mona
• Serve with potatoes for mash/fries, or pasta, or puff pastry, or bread

• 1400g braising/stewing beef, shin preferred but needs more cooking
• 250g smoked lardons (or streaky bacon)
• 2 big onion, cut into half-moons
• 2 leeks (white part), sliced very thinly, stop before dark green/thick part
• butter
• white mushrooms, cut into quarters
• 2 heaped tbsp plain flour
• 750ml red wine(full bodied, ideally good Burgundy like Cotes de Beaune)
• 750ml vegetable stock
• bouquet garni (thyme, parsley, bay leaf, green leek)

• In a saucepan, heat up your butter and sweat the onions and lardons
• In a large 5L casserole heat oil and brown the beef in batches (standard shin - brown one side of the steaks, cut later, don't crowd)
• Make stock
• Cut the meat into bitesize chunks
• When all is done, pour the bacon fat into the empty casserole, add the meat back in, add the flour, make a roux, then wet it with hot stock gradually
• Onions and lardons back in
• Add the leek, this is a flavoursome thickener
• Add the red wine, large pinch salt, pepper, bouquet garni
• Cover and cook in over with a cracked lid 135C for 3-4 hours, occasionally stir, check the meat, adjust seasoning, add stock if needed
• 30 minutes before the end, add your mushrooms
• Prep sides