Beef Bourgiunon

Beef bourguignon

  • Serves 4
  • Prep time: 40 mins | Cooking time: 3hrs 45mins

This is one of those classic French dishes that you can whip up on a Sunday and let the oven do all the hard work. Yes, it uses a whole bottle of wine, but it’s French – what else would you expect?

Ingredients

  • 1kg beef cheek (or similar slow cook cut), cut into large cubes

  • 200g streaky bacon, thinly sliced

  • 350g pearl/pickling onions, peeled, keep them whole

  • 250g button mushrooms 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste 750ml bottle red wine (Cabernet Merlot or similar) 1 bay leaf

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 150°C bake.

  2. Place a large ovenproof casserole dish on a medium/high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Brown the meat in batches, then remove from the dish and set aside.

  3. Reduce the heat to medium, add the bacon and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure it doesn’t catch on the bottom. Add the onions, mushrooms and garlic, stir and cook for a further two minutes.

  4. Return the beef and any resting juices to the dish, add the tomato paste and stir through until coated, then cook for 2-3 minutes.

  5. Add the wine and the bay leaf, stir and bring to a boil, then cover and place in the oven for 3 hours.

  6. Remove from the oven and check how much liquid remains. If there is still quite a lot, increase the heat to 180°C and pop it back into the oven for 30 minutes.

  7. To serve: Serve the bourguignon with lashings of creamy mashed potatoes and crusty French bread.