The days are drawing in and we have just started lighting the fire in the evening. My mind turns to long slow cooked casseroles that perfume the whole house during the day.
There’s something very comforting about the aroma of a delicious Boeuf Bourgignon bubbling away gently in the oven. Wafts of wine, thyme and orange that invade the senses. This is my version.
For 2 hungry people or 4 if you’re having a starter or cheese.
Stewing beef (don’t get beef that is too lean or it will go dry and stringy) Generally you’ll need to allow around 250g per person but I used 600g recently and it fed the two of us twice (albeit not huge portions).
A couple of big carrots cut into large chunks
One large onion chopped into rough chunks
A couple of cloves of garlic
A bunch of fresh thyme (or half a teaspoon of dried)
A couple of bay leaves
Smoked lardons (around 100g)
A couple of strips of orange rind
Salt and pepper
Red wine to cover (I needed around half a bottle but increase if you use more beef).
Make sure you beef is in large chunks. It tends to disintegrate a little during long slow cooking so keep them big.
Pop everything into a large bowl (beef, onions, garlic, orange, thyme, lardons, bay leaves). Add a teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper, pour the wine over to cover and then put in the fridge. Do this the day before at least and even 2 days if you’re organised enough to think that far in advance.
The following day when you’re ready to cook tip the contents of the bowl into a colander over another big bowl (to catch the marinade) and let it drain for a while.
Remove the chunks of beef, pat with kitchen roll, season with salt and pepper and then seal them until brown on all sides using a little olive oil in a non stick pan. Don’t put too many chunks in at a time or they will sweat. When they are cooked remove them to a plate and set aside.
Take a casserole (or use the same one that you have used to fry the beef), add a little more olive oil and throw in the onions, carrots, garlic, orange and lardons. Fry for a few minutes over a medium heat until the onions start to colour. Add a tablespoon of flour and stir for a minute to mix then add the beef back to the pan and stir.
Pour the red wine marinade into the pan and add the thyme and bay leaves. If the beef isn’t covered with liquid add a little water to cover. The meat doesn’t need to be completely submerged but just poking out the top.
Bring to the boil on the top and then pop into the oven (preheated to 140°C 280F). I prefer really long gentle cooking as it makes the meat more tender and don’t use the fan option.
Check the beef after a couple of hours, give it a stir and check how tender it is. If it’s still tough then leave for another half an hour and check again. It take between 2 and a half to 3 and a half hours normally. Just when you think it’s going to stay tough as leather it turns and becomes deliciously tender.
Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary. I tend to go gently as the smoked lardons can be very salty so leaving it until the end is the best bet.
Serve with creamy mash and a glass of something red and robust.
