recipe for beef bourguignon

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Moo la la! (Photo by Sander de Graaf)

Beef Bourguignon
(Serves 8)

4 slices of bacon- finely sliced
2 1/2 lbs beef shin, cut into cubes + flour to drudge
2 medium onions, peeled + large dice
2 carrots, peeled + rough chop
2 stalks of celery, peeled + rough chop
1 lb nice mushrooms, quartered
4 cloves garlic
1 bouquet garni (Sprig of thyme, peppercorns, bay leaves, 2 sprigs of parsley)
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1 bottle of Burgundy red wine

1- Fry bacon. Remove with a slotted spoon and put aside.
Remove some of the bacon fat. Season meat with salt and
pepper. Drudge in flour. In same pot, add some olive oil
to the bacon fat. Brown the meat in batches. Remove and
set aside.

2- Preheat oven to 325*F. In the same pot, add 1 T olive oil or bacon fat and then the mushrooms, cooking until lightly browned. Remove the mushrooms and set aside. Again in the same pot, add 1 T olive oil or bacon fat and fry the onions, cooking until just starting to caramelize. Add the carrots and celery- cooking until lightly browned. Add the garlic + tomato paste and cook for a few minutes. Return the mushrooms and the beef to the pot and then add the red wine plus the bouquet garni and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer. Lightly cover with a cartouche (shaped, round piece of tin foil). Cook for about 2-3 hours, checking and giving a gentle stir every 1 hour. Remove the bouquet garni. Taste and adjust seasoning, if neccessary. Serve with mashed potatoes, noodles or rice.