Beef bourguignon

This is a good old fashioned, but oh so tasty dish. Easy to prepare and it cooks itself! A nice alternative to a roast dinner.

Serves 4-6

1kg braising steak cut into 2 inch cubes 
2 x 130g packs of cubetti pancetta (or 225g smoked bacon cut into cubes)
4oz mushrooms cut into chunks 
Salt & pepper 
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced 
1 tbsp plain flour
425 ml red wine 🍷 
2 cloves chopped garlic 
2 sprigs fresh thyme 
1 bay leaf 🍃 
350g shallots, peeled and left whole
1 tbsp cornflour (optional)

1) preheat oven to 140 c
2) bring 1 tablespoons of the oil to sizzling point in the casserole or pan and sear the beef, a few pieces at a time, to a rich, dark brown on all sides.
3) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a plate as it browns.  Next add the sliced onion to the casserole and brown that a little too.
4) Return the meat to the casserole or pan and sprinkle in the flour, stirring round to soak up all the juices. Then gradually pour in the red wine, stirring all the time.
5) Add the chopped garlic, herbs and seasoning, put the lid on and bring to a simmer then transfer to the oven for 2 hours.
6) Then, using 1 tbsp olive oil, fry the shallots and bacon in a small frying pan to colour them lightly. Add to the casserole, together with the mushrooms, then put the lid on and cook for a further hour.
7) If the sauce is too runny, mix 1 tbsp of cornflour with cold water in a cup and then stir into the casserole to thicken 

✔️Top tip: this can be prepared up to 2 days in advance, follow up to and including step 6 but do not cook for the additional hour.  Leave to cool then pop in the fridge until ready to eat. Remove from the fridge and bring to a simmer on the hob then transfer to the oven for 1 hour.