The French have a gorgeous traditional beef dish from Burgundy, Boeuf Bourgignon. I've put my own slant on it here to make it "Traditional English cooking in France". The wine really should be a bottle of Burgundy red..... but I tend to use any good full bodied red wine.
This recipe is so incredibly easy, and relies on a slow cooker to gently simmer everything for about 12 hours.
I hope you love it as much as I do
Beef Bourgignon
1 tbsp duck fat (use olive oil if you don't have duck fat)
600g beef shin, cut into large chunks
100g smoked streaky bacon, chopped (Lardon)
2 onions, peeled and chopped
3 carrots peeled and sliced
4 garlic cloves crushed, peeled and sliced
2 heaped tablespoons Herbes de Provence
1 small can tomato purée
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
750ml bottle red wine, Burgundy is good
A glass of water
200gms mushrooms, sliced into largish chinks
In the Slow Cooker
Heat the duck fat in a frying pan and brown the beef for about 3 minutes a side. (cook the beef in batches) Toss the browned beef in flour then add to slow cooker. After frying the beef, fry the bacon, onions and garlic in the same pan, adding a little more goose fat if needed. Add to slow cooker
Rinse out the pan with a little red wine, making sure to get all the lovely juices and add this to the pot.
Reserve out the Mushrooms and put the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker. Give everything a good stir
Cook for 4 hours on the high setting and then a further 8 hours on low.
Add the mushrooms 2 or 3 hours before finishing. (after about 9 hours cooking)
From time to time check the mixture for liquid and give a stir. If the liquid gets a bit low, just add a bit of water
Oh, one last little thing, I have a friend who lives just down the road from here and owns and runs a "Restaurant Gastronomique". He hails from Burgundy and makes, what I believe is the best Boeuf Bourgignon in South West France.... Please, please, please, I want you all to promise not to mention this cheating recipe of mine, I'm sure he would seriously disapprove! Hervé, I apologise.
