On Sunday, not only did himself cook our Sunday Brunch, but Sunday dinner as well !

I had defrosted about 800 grms of Onglet ( hanger steak) without having any real idea of what I was going to do with it.

He seized upon it and then a recipe was needed. Bouef Bourguignon was the answer. A comfort winter dish, which is not an instant meal, but it is all in the preparation and once done, it is done until just before dinner time.

To start with a large casserole with lid is needed.

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 225 grms of either belly pork, cut into chunks OR lardons, which easier
• Several carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 onions, peeled and cut into chunks
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1Kilo beef, cut into chunks
• 1Bottle of good red wine
• 1/2 litres beef stock salt and pepper to taste
• A bouquet garni (parsley, bay leaf, thyme tied in a piece of cloth, they can be bought ready made )
• 1tbsp flour or cornflour
• Large knob of butter
• A handful of button mushrooms

Heat the oil and add the lardons and sauté them until they begin to brown, add the carrots, garlic and onions, cook for about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and put to one side.

Add some of the meat to sear, remove and repeat in batches with all of the meat. Remove. And add the cornflour and stir in to mix.

Pour in the bottle of wine, scrapping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Bring the wine to the boil, add the meat, vegetables and lardons. Add the meat stock *and bouquet garni, bring back to the boil, turn the heat down, cover with the lid and simmer for an hour, longer if you use a cheaper cut of meat. Stir once or twice during this time. Leave now until almost ready to serve. Remove the bouquet garni.

About 15 minutes before serving, return to the oil, if sauce too runny boil rapidly to reduce, if need be, mix some more cornflour with a knob of butter and add to the sauce. TASTE! Add the mushrooms..

Serve with green beans and boiled new potatoes and garnish with some parsley.

An alternative to the above is Daube de Boeuf a la Provençal, in which is added a tablespoon of tomato paste and some pitted black olives, otherwise basically the same.

Bon Appétit!

I don’t usually have beef stock in my freezer, often chicken or fish but not beef. Therefore I succumb to using a commercial product and this is the one I currently use.