Recipe Index

Ingredients

• 2lb 4oz braising beef, such as shin, cheek, brisket or stewing or chuck steak, cut into 1½-2 in/1½– 2in chunks
• 9oz shallots, peeled and larger ones halved
• 5 garlic cloves, 4 halved, 1 crushed
• 7oz bacon lardons or smoked streaky bacon, sliced into strips
• 4–5 large carrots, peeled and each cut into 3–4 chunks
• about 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 beef stock pot or stock cube, crumbled
• 13fl oz red wine
• ½oz butter
• 4½oz button mushrooms, larger ones halved or all thickly sliced if preferred
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp cornflour (optional)
• freshly steamed green vegetables and creamy mashed potato, to serve

Method

1. Set the slow cooker to high to preheat, then add the beef chunks, shallots, the halved garlic cloves, the bacon lardons, carrot chunks and thyme sprigs.
2. Mash the plain flour, tomato purée and crumbled stock pot together in a large bowl and gradually stir in 10fl oz water until the mixture is smooth.
3. Stir that mixture and the red wine into the beef and vegetables, cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for about 5 hours, until the beef is tender.
4. Near the end, melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the button mushrooms until golden-brown and soft, then stir in the crushed garlic clove for 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Tip the mushroom mixture into the slow cooker and let it mingle with the beef and wine sauce.
6. For a thicker sauce, blend a tablespoon of cornflour with a splash of the hot cooking liquid to a smooth paste, stir in another ladleful, heat it in the mushroom pan until it thickens sharply, then stir it back through the bourguignon.
7. Taste the finished stew for salt and freshly ground black pepper, then ladle the bourguignon into bowls to serve as it is, rich with beef, bacon and mushrooms.

Prep: 30 min · Cook: 2 h

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data