Ingredients
- 1kg diced stewing beef
- 500ml red wine (traditionally pinot noir)
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 garlic cloves
- Handful fresh thyme
- 1 tbs ground black pepper
- 3 tbs vegetable oil
- 20g plain flour, plus 2 tbs
- 1 medium brown onion, cut into wedges
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into small, bite-size pieces
- 1 tbs tomato puree
- 500ml water
- 2 beef stockpots
- 1 heaped tsp honey
- 100g small button mushrooms
- 100g thick bacon lardons
- 100g pickled pearl onions from a jar
- Sea salt and black pepper
- Start by marinating the beef. Place the beef in a large container and cover with the red wine. Add the bay leaves, garlic cloves, thyme and black pepper. Mix well and cover, then leave in the fridge for at least four hours, but ideally overnight.
- The following day, remove the beef from the marinade (reserving the marinade for later). Preheat the oven to 150 degrees/gas 2.
- Now set a heavy-based flameproof casserole dish on the heat and add the oil. Allow it to get smoking hot.
- Dust the diced beef in the 20g of flour and add it to the casserole dish in batches to brown, resting the browned pieces on a plate in the meantime. You may need to top up the vegetable oil as you go. Once all the pieces are browned, clean out the base of the casserole dish if it needs it.
- Now add the brown onion and carrot pieces to the dish and get some colour on them. After about two minutes, return the beef to the pan along with the tomato purée and two tbs of flour. Cook this out for one minute while stirring, then add the red wine marinade, including the garlic and herbs.
- Simmer to reduce the wine by half before adding the water, stockpots and honey. Bring the mix to the boil, then remove it from the heat. Add in the button mushrooms, bacon lardons and pickled pearl onions, then season with salt and pepper and place in the oven. Cook for three hours until the beef is soft and the sauce has thickened.
- Serve warm with mashed potato.
