Beef Burgundy

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Storm Desmond drove many of us indoors this weekend so what better way to stay warm and hygge than a delicious beef stew.  What I love about this recipe is that it is simple and very hard to ruin so we had the chance to sit back and decorate the tree for the six and a half hours it took to cook......more on that later.

Beef Burgundy comes from humble roots and started out life as a peasant’s dish which has evolved over time, as you can probably tell from its name the dish comes from Burgundy which is in the east of France.  Traditionally the stew would have been made with beef from Charolais cattle due to their abundance in Southern Burgundy.

Things you will need for the recipe:
  • Large non-stick pan
  • Slow cooker but it can also be done on a conventional cooker
  • patience
  •  a lot of it
  • a big breakfast or something to keep you going for the 6.5 hours it takes to cook

Don't be put off by the waiting though, you will be rewarded with a delicious, rich and satisfying stew.

The recipe

"certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man" Julia Child

  • Prep Time:  20 mins
  • Cooking time: 6.5 hours in slow cooker on low temp
  • Feeds 4-6 people

 Top Tip: Always buy your meat from your local farmer or butcher; the quality of meat will be much better and therefore full of flavour!

Ingredients
Flour - 50g (make sure you season it)
Olive oil - 4 tbsp
Bay leaves – 2
Pancetta or if you are poor then bacon will do - 150g of it cut into lardons
2lbs  Beef – 5 cm cubes
2 carrots chopped into chunks
1 leek - you only need the white bits and slice these thinly
12 shallots - peel then halve them
2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
8 thyme sprigs - you just need the leaves 
Mushrooms - chestnut or button will do, chop them into quarters
50g Butter
1 bottle of red wine preferably from the Burgundy region, but if you don’t want to spend that much any Pinot Noir will suit the task at hand.

Method
With most slow cooker recipes you can just bung all the raw ingredients in it and leave to cook, this recipe requires you to do a few things before you can sit back and relax.


1. Heat 1tbsp of olive oil in your large non-stick pan add the lardons and cook until golden brown – transfer to the slow cooker

2. Lightly coat the beef in the flour and heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in your pan and brown off the meat for 5 mins and then transfer to the slow cooker

3. Heat 1tbsp of olive oil and half the butter – add the carrots, leeks and shallots cook for a couple of minutes and then transfer to the slow cooker

4. Heat the last of the oil and the butter add the mushrooms, bay leaves and thyme cook for a few minutes then add the wine and boil for 8 minutes to burn off the alcohol add to the slow cooker and cook for 6 hours. Season as desired.
We had our stew with mash potatoes and green beans but you really can have it with anything from rice to pasta or just a good chunk of wheaten bread.  

It really is worth the wait – I don’t think we had quite prepared ourselves for how long 6.5 hours was but when it was ready it really didn’t disappoint.  It was bursting with flavour and the meat was melt in the mouth stuff.  This is perfect for a Sunday when you want to do nothing; it is warming and lazy just like Sundays in December should be!  



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About
Hello, my name is Joel. I'm a farmer from County Tyrone and am writing this blog to share my experiences of farming for flavour and cooking with the seasons. You can find out more information and meet my fantastic co-blogger, Sophia, by visiting the About page. Happy reading!

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