A winter favourite for the whole family made from fresh organic vegetables and of course organic beef. This recipe is popular with everyone looking for a hearty meal with the cold nights of winter.
There are few things more satisfying on a cool day than a rich beef stew. Making your meal with natural organic foods from a local organic supermarket can make you meal just that much more rich. This recipe is a traditional French beef bourguignon stew with a modern mushroom twist. This recipe will feed a large family of five, with plenty of left overs.
Chunky Beef Bourguignon Ingredients
- half kilo of salt pork
- two kilos of trimmed and thickly cut organic beef flank steak from your natural organic butcher
- ten large chopped shallots
- two large chopped carrots
- four chopped garlic cloves
- half kilo of shiitaki mushrooms, chopped
- 30 grams tomato paste
- 150 ml brandy
- one bottle sweet red wine
- 300 ml beef stock, low or no salt
- 150 ml chopped parsley
- two bay leaves
- pinch of dry thyme
- four whole cloves
- around twenty pearl onions
- flour
- olive oil
Preparation
First clean and pat dry your mushrooms. Next, you will simmer your salt pork in enough water to barely cover it in a large frying pan. Simmer it until the water is nearly gone and the fat has mostly rendered out of the meat. Remove the meat when crispy into your large Dutch oven pan. You will now fry your organic beef in pork fat. Be sure to brown each side evenly. Try to get a good crispy shell on your meat. When each piece of meat is nicely seared, remove it to the pan with the salt pork.
After the meat is done, stir in the chopped shallots and one carrot. Slowly add the garlic and the tomato paste. Cook on low for several minutes. Now you will stir in the brandy. Be careful to fully mix the liquid at this point. Simmer until the liquid is halved. Pour over the meat in the Dutch oven. Add the bottle of red wine to the Dutch oven and stick the bay leaves into the side. Pour in just enough beef stock to cover the meat. Add remaining spices and herbs. Simmer covered for an hour. Add your second carrot.
While these are cooking, begin to prepare your mushrooms. Clean and cube if you have not already done so. Prepare your pearl onions by first boiling them inside their skins and then dipping them into a bowl of ice water. The skins will slide right off. Stir fry the mushrooms and onions in your frying pan, using olive oil to prevent sticking.
When the beef is tender, remove it from the pan with tongs. Use a slotted spoon or ladle to remove all other solids. Strain the fluid into a sauce pan. Simmer it on low until you like the salty tasty or you have 400 ml worth. Thicken with flour to taste.
Serve meat on a platter with the onions and mushrooms arranged around it. Wet with sauce. This dish is traditionally enjoyed with fresh crusty bread.
You can of course order all your natural organic vegetables and beef from either of The Meat-Ting Place’s two stores or place your preferred beef cut online for pick-up at your convenience.