Boeuf Bourguignon
The Hairy Bikers' classic French beef stew — rich, deeply flavoured, and built for slow Sunday cooking. Well-marbled braising steak from the butcher makes all the difference; supermarket meat is often too lean and will dry out rather than turn succulent during the long braise. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes and green vegetables, or a crisp salad with a mustardy dressing.
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C Fan/Gas 3.
- 2
Cut the braising steak into chunky 4–5cm pieces, trimming off any hard fat or sinew. Season generously all over with salt and pepper.
- 3
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in three batches until deeply coloured on all sides, adding more oil as needed. Transfer each batch to a large flameproof casserole.
- 4
Add a little more oil to the pan and fry the bacon lardons for 2–3 minutes until the fat crisps and browns. Scatter over the beef.
- 5
Add a touch more oil and fry the chopped onion over low heat for 5–6 minutes, stirring often, until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add to the casserole.
- 6
Pour the wine over the meat. Stir in the tomato purée and 150ml cold water. Crumble over the stock cube, tuck in the bay leaves and thyme, and bring to a simmer. Stir well, cover, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1½–1¾ hours until the beef is almost completely tender.
- 7
While the beef cooks, prepare the pearl onions: place in a heatproof bowl, cover with just-boiled water and leave for 5 minutes. Drain, then trim the root end close to the base and slip off the skins.
- 8
About 10 minutes before the beef is ready, melt half the butter with a little oil in a non-stick frying pan. Fry the pearl onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes until golden brown all over. Set aside. Add the remaining butter and mushrooms to the pan and cook over high heat for 2–3 minutes until golden, stirring often.
- 9
Mix the cornflour with the cold water in a small bowl until completely smooth.
- 10
Remove the casserole from the oven. Stir in the cornflour slurry, then fold in the pearl onions and mushrooms. Return to the oven and cook for a further 45 minutes, until the beef is meltingly tender and the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If the sauce remains thin, stir in a little more cornflour blended with cold water and simmer briefly on the hob.
- 11
Remove and discard the thyme stalks. Scatter with freshly chopped parsley and serve with creamy mashed potatoes and green vegetables, or a crisp salad with a mustardy dressing.