Also known as Beef Burgundy this dish, originally a peasant dish, has been elevated to haute cuisine; a simple gentle simmering of beef in wine. Most will follow the original Escoffier recipe, although feel free to make subtle changes to suit your palate or the ingredients you have in.
Don your striped shirt and beret! We're going French ...
Place a casserole pot within reach - we'll be frying off ingredients and putting them together in the pot. The pot should have a lid.
In a dry frying pan, fry off some fatty bacon cut into small strips and some cubed beef. Deviating from Escoffier, you could add some offals like kidney or liver for a full primal experience! Once browned, put into the casserole pot.
Allow the pan to cool a little so as not to burn the next stage. Put a good knob of butter in the pan and gently saute some halved mushrooms - I like chestnut mushrooms. Put into the casserole pot.
Allow the pan to cool again, put in another smaller knob of butter and gently saute some onions and celery. Small onions are best here, but a large white onion can be chopped into large pieces. Put into the casserole pot.
Chop a couple of carrots and add to the casserole dish. Lift the ingredients through the pot to mix them up.
De-glaze the frying pan with a generous amount of red wine - Burgundy, naturally. Add some beef stock once a slight reduction has been seen and some minced garlic. Pour over the casserole pot.
Finally, chop some parsley and thyme, and put into the pot with a bay leaf. Top up with water if necessary.
220C will get this dish ready to eat in about an hour and a half. Drop the temperature to 150C-180C for a slower cooking time.
The dish will reduce as it cooks, but if a thicker sauce is required simply add a little arrowroot stirred in a few minutes before serving.
Serve with simple greens in a wide bowl.
