1.8kg (4 lb) beef: 1/3 rump,
1/3 silverside, 1/3 chuck
1 litre (13/4 pints) red Burgundy wine
250g (9 oz) bacon
36 small onions
36 small button mushrooms
30ml (2 tbls) mare or cognac
10ml (2 tsp) cornflour or
arrowroot
50g (2 oz) butter
15ml (1 tbls) oil juice of 1/2 lemon salt and pepper
How to cook:
1. Peel the onions. Cut the bacon into sticks 1cm (1/2 inch) across. Cut the meat into cubes 4cm (11/2 inches) square, and season.
2. Bring to the boil 2 litres (3 1/2 pints) water in a saucepan, immerse the bacon sticks and blanch for 5 minutes, drain.
3. Heat the oil in a large stewpan and lightly brown the bacon sticks over a low heat for about 8 minutes, till the bacon fat is transparent. Remove with a skimmer and put aside in a bowl.
4. Add 20g (3/4 oz) butter to the pan and add the onions. Lightly brown over a low heat for about 15 minutes. Remove with a skimmer and add to the bacon.
5. Add several of the cubes of beef to the pan and brown lightly (about 5 minutes), then remove and put aside. Repeat until all the meat is browned. Then discard the fat from cooking and pour the wine into the pan while scraping up the crusty bits with a spatula. Bring the wine to the boil, set alight, and when the flame is extinguished, return the beef to the pan. Bring back to the boil, cover and simmer over a very low heat, without boiling, for about 4 hours.
6. After 3 hours, add the bacon sticks and onions. Trim the earthy base off the mushrooms, wash, wipe and place in a saute pan with the lemon juice and the remainder of the butter. Brown over a high heat until they give out no more liquid and are lightly browned, then add the mushrooms and their juices to the stew.
7. After about 4 hours, when the meat is almost tender, pour the contents of the stewpan into a saucepan through a strainer. Return the contents of the strainer to the stewpan and cover. Allow the sauce to stand for 5 minutes, then skim off the fat with a spoon.
8. Dilute the cornflour or arrowroot with 30ml (2 tbls) cold water and pour the mixture into the saucepan, stirring with a wooden spoon. Bring the sauce to the boil, then heat the mare or cognac in a small saucepan, set alight and add to the sauce. Boil over a high heat until the sauce thickens enough to coat the spoon and reduce until just enough is left to cover the pieces of meat (5 to 10 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste, pour into the stewpan and simmer for 10 minutes, then serve immediately.
Boeuf Bourguignon should be served very hot on hot plates, accompanied by steamed or gratineed potatoes. This dish is best when prepared with a large quantity of meat and better still when reheated: so prepare two meals at once, one to serve tonight and one to refrigerate.
