Beef Bourguignon

Hi, this recipe is a cut out from an Aldi, summer magazine from last year (2020), fortunately, they also have a copy on their website, if you are interested. It was part of an inspired french cuisine special edition, and there were a few different recipes there (see link), but it was the beef bourguignon that caught my eye. Personally, I really enjoyed this dish, with the extended, low and slow cooking times, you get a really deep flavour. I also think this is due to there being more meat in this than we would normally use, and so you get extra juices leaking out into the gravy. My Dad, who does typically eat less meat and will try veggie options, thought it would also be okay with less meat. I agree, it would be fine with less meat too, but the flavour would change a bit. If you wanted to use less meat, replace 200-400g of the beef with veg: sweet potatoes, potatoes, courgettes, aubergines, cherry tomatoes, even sprouts might work. However, if you do this, you may have to decide when to add the vegetables into your dish, like the mushrooms were added at the end, to cook to how you would like them. You may also need to add more seasoning, to still get a rich flavour. If you have any more questions, leave a comment and I'll get back to you asap. Enjoy!

While you're here, I have a Pinterest for all my recipes where you can save them to boards for the future and categorise them into different types of recipe e.g Sunday Dinners, picnic ideas etc. My account is @hazellikestocook, or find the link below. Also, I have a whole blog post explaining this in more detail here and https://hazelscookingandbakingblog.blogspot.com/2021/02/pinterest.html. 
https://pin.it/5xDvARk - my profile

This recipe: https://pin.it/1k0umLz

Dietary Info:
-Unsuitable for Vegans / Vegetarians {In place of the beef, use chopped up sausage-alternatives, or diced tofu/seitan/tempeh. You could also use couple tins of chickpeas or lentils, a mix of both even. For Dairy, see below.}

- Contains Dairy {Use oil in place of the butter, and serve with bread and a dairy-free spread. If making mash, use a dairy-free spread and a splash of almond milk, if okay with dietary requirements, also add an egg}

- Contains Gluten {In place of cornflour, use g-f flour, serve with mashed potatoes or a g-f loaf}

- No Nuts

- Main Meal

Prep: 15mins   {More like 35mins}
Cook: 180mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

-800g Specially Selected diced beef {I used 2x400g Tesco Organic Diced Beef, but really any brand is fine as long as it adds up to 800g. However, I would advise you use full fat, not lean beef, as it gives a deeper flavour.}

-85g smoked pancetta {I used 65g as I had two snap-off packets worth 65g each, pre-diced, and I didn't want to open the other just to use a small amount of it. I used these. Also, if you prefer, you could use ham or unsmoked pancetta}

-150g shallots, peeled and halved {These are best if you can get the small shallots, like these (see image on site), as you can just halve them. However, there were no small shallots that we could find. So, instead I used Eschallion Shallots/Banana Shallots,(look in the 'choose the best shallots' section) and because they were larger, I halved and then quartered each half, so they weren't diced, but also weren't too big either}

-2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks {These don't have to be tiny brunoise chunks, instead make them larger and chunkier as they will shrink a bit in the oven. For me, I halved and then halved again my carrot (1/4), and got long carrot sticks. Then, I chopped these into about 0.5-1cm chunks}

-2 cloves of garlic, crushed

-75ml red wine

-1 Quixo stock cube {any stock cube is fine, I used a chicken one}

-2tbsp rapeseed oil {I used ground nut oil, but any neutral oil is fine}

-1 sprig fresh rosemary {I used dried, about 1-2tsp}

-1 sprig fresh thyme {I substituted for about 1tsp dried oregano}

-1/2tsp salt {I don't measure salt and pepper out, I just add it whenever I think it necessary}

-1/2tsp pepper

-optional; 1tbsp The Pantry cornflour {I included cornflour, any brand works}

-1tbsp cold water

-1tbsp butter {I used margarine}

-200g button mushrooms {If you have larger mushrooms, make sure to chop them into smaller chunks}

to serve:

-Specially Selected sourdough baguette or Inspired Cuisine mashed potato {I served with a baguette}

Method:

1: Preheat the oven to 170℃/ 150℃ fan /340℉/ Gas 3. {If your dish is tall, make sure to remove one of the trays in the oven as well, to make space for your casserole dish}

2: Heat 1tbsp of the oil in a large, hob-safe casserole dish. {I used one similar to this, but not exactly the same. This one is induction suitable, so can go on induction hobs. If you don't have a hob safe dish, cook the stew in a saucepan, before transferring to an oven-proof dish} In small batches, {2x400g} brown the beef {and season!} and then place on a plate to one side. {Drain away, into a bowl, any fat that comes off the beef, to put in the green bin}

3: Next, add the remaining oil to the pan, followed by the pancetta. Cook for a couple of minutes until the pancetta has started to crisp, then add the shallots and cook for 2-3 mins until they have browned and the pancetta is crispy. Add the crushed garlic and the carrots to the pan and then, over a medium heat, pour in the red wine. {carrots will still be hard, but don't worry, they'll cook in the oven}

4: Next, add the beef back into the pan along with 150ml boiling water {not enough water, I had to add at least another 150ml during cooking as it kept drying out, if you want to start with this much and see how it goes that's fine, but keep an eye on it.} and the stock cube, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Place the lid on the casserole dish and transfer to the oven, then cook for 2hrs. {stirring occasionally, maybe every 30-45mins, I did every 1hr, but mine started to dry out, so more frequent checking will help make it less likely}

5: After 2hrs, heat the butter in a small frying pan {I needed a bigger frying pan, as my mushrooms didn't fit in a small one} and sauté the mushrooms for 5mins until they have browned. Add the mushrooms to the stew and if the sauce is thick enough, then cover with the lid and roast for 20mins more. If you want to thicken the stew, mix the water and cornflour and add to the stew along with the mushrooms.

6: Serve the beef bourguignon hot with fresh crusty bread or mashed potato.