MUST EAT
Once maligned by the French, boeuf bourguignon is now one of the country’s most prized dishes. Views abound on what the recipe should be, but at the end of the day it all comes down to a delicious beef and red wine stew
Being a dish that originated in Burgundy (bourguignon meaning ‘of Burgundy’), it is only appropriate that we should suggest our own recipe with a lot of help from our featured couple, Huub and Sonja.
INGREDIENTS:
1 kg of braising steak
150 g smoked bacon
1/2 bottle of Pinot Noir (from Burgundy, of course!)
4 carrots
1 small box of mushrooms
1 or 2 bay leaves sauce
1 clove of garlic
1 onion
3 tablespoons of flour
Salt and pepper.
And a drizzle of sunflower oil (or other similar oil)
Cut the beef into cubes of about 4 cm (Ed: one and a half inches in old money!!)
Roll the pieces of meat into the flour. Sear them in a pan with a little oil to seal the meat.
Then place the pieces of meat in a cast-iron casserole with a bottom of oil. Start cooking over very low heat.
Brown the smoked bacon in the pan and add them to the meat.
Pour the rest of the flour over the meat and bacon and mix well.
Add the wine, carrots cut into slices, mushrooms, bay leaf, garlic and sliced onion adding salt and pepper to your preferred taste.
Make sure that all of the meat is soaked in the wine. If not, add a little water to cover it.
Cover and cook over medium heat for about 120 minutes to 150 minutes (until the meat is tender).
So, while it’s cooking it’s time to enjoy an aperitif – nothing too heavy because you still have that half bottle of Pinot Noir left to enjoy with the stew!