Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients

1.5 kg chuck or boneless shin/gravy beef

4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

4 sprigs of thyme

1 fresh bay leaf

1 cup beef stock

1 tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp olive oil

30 g butter

12 (about 280g) small pickling onions or shallots, peeled

200 g button mushrooms, stalks trimmed

250 g bacon, rind removed, cut into short strips

1 cup water

Cut the beef into 2.5-3cm cubes and place in a large bowl. Add the herbs. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Drain the beef and put aside the marinade and herbs. Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Heat a large frypan over a medium-high heat. Brown the beef in 3 batches. Remove each batch and place in a casserole dish. Pour over the reserved marinade and herbs. Add the stock and flour. Stir to mix.
Cover the casserole dish, place in oven. Stir every 40 minutes or so, adding water if needed to keep the ingredients just covered. Cook until the beef is almost tender (about 80 minutes).
Heat the oil and butter in a small frypan, add the onions and cook stirring for 10 minutes or until lightly golden (but not soft), remove and set aside. Cook the mushrooms in 2 batches, adding a little more butter if needed, remove and set aside. Add the bacon to the pan, cook until crispy.
Add the onions, mushrooms, bacon and water to the beef, stir gently to combine. Cook for a further 20-30 minutes or until the beef is tender.

Cooktop method: Place the browned beef and other ingredients in a heavy-based pot. Partially cover, keep the heat low. Stir occasionally, add water if needed during the cooking time to keep the ingredients just covered. Simmer until the beef is almost tender. Add the browned onions, mushrooms and bacon. Cook for a further 30 minutes or until the beef is very tender.