Boeuf Bourguignon

Sastojci

1 kg mesa

0.5 l vina

3 srednje veliki korenčki

2 čebuli

3 stroki česni

Zeliščni šopek (zelen list pora, 3 vejice timijana, 3 lovorjevi listi, listi zelene in ali peteršilja)

0.5 l jušne osnove

1 tbsp moke ali koruznega škroba

2 tsp paradižnikovega koncentrata

Garnishes:

Slanina (lardons)

Šampinjoni

Pearl onions

2 tbsp sladkorja

Maslo

Košček temne jedilne čokolade

Upute

—------------

Marination

—-----------

Cut meat into 2-3 inch pieces. They shrink a bit during cooking. Drop them in a big container.

Peel the vegetables and add chopped onions, carrots and crushed garlic to the container. Create a bouquet of herbs and toss it in too.

Drop the wine. All of it. Keep a glass for yourself, you deserve it.

Let this marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.

—------------

THE STEW

—------------

Strain the meat, pat it dry, season with kosher salt.

Sear the meat in oil on high heat until nicely coloured on both sides. Set the meat aside in a smaller container.

Discard the oil if there is an abundance. Scrape the bottom of the pot, maybe deglaze it a little with stock.

Cook for a minute, stirring. Add the meat, then drop the wine with vegetables and herbs (the marinade) and the stock. Add tomato purée for umami and colour.

Sprinkle with flour or drop in the thickener mixture made from cornstarch and half a glass of water.

Bring it to a boil.

Flambé safely (to make sure the alcohol has evaporated) : Don’t put your head over it, don’t do it under the kitchen hood, keep your

Put the closed dish in an oven for 2 hours at 170°C then a little check, then again 2 hours at 170°C (up/down fan). *the temperature may be higher (up to 200 °C if the stew is not boiling)

At the end, the meat should be super soft and tender. If not, keep cooking.

—------------

Garnishes :

—------------

Cook all three garnishes during the last hour of the stew.

Onions:

Place all peeled pearl onions in a pan.

Add a knob of butter, 2 tsp sugar, water till they are halfway covered.

Top with a lid or with a piece of parchment paper, with a hole in the center.

About 10-15 minutes will cook and caramelise them.

When the water is gone, they should be ready (prick with a knife to see if it's soft).

If not, add water and continue. If yes, set aside on a plate.

Bacon:

Cut bacon into sticks ; 1inch long, 1/4inch wide (lardons).

Fry them on medium heat until caramelisation appears.

Remove fat (keep for cooking your next omelet).

Set aside.

Mushrooms:

Cut mushrooms into quarters, halves or leave whole if they are small.

Place them in a pan covered with a bit of beef stock.

Scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the roasted bits from bacon.

5 minutes is all they need.

—------------

Finish

—------------

Add ¾ of the garnishes to the stew, one piece of dark chocolate and cook together for 30 minutes. Top plates with a little more garnishes and some fresh thyme.

Sauce should be glossy. If not you can always drop in a few knobs of cold butter off the heat, and swirl around until melted.

Bonus: cook fresh gnocchi in the stew to thicken it and serve it as a whole.