We have some lovely friends coming for supper this Saturday and – if I’m honest – I am peeved about being in the kitchen when everyone else is gathered around the fire telling each other their news while they sip a glass of something or other. No! This time, I am hatching a devilish plan – I am making the easiest ever one pot beef dish, with peas (also easy ‘peasy’ of course) and baby baked potatoes with lashings of butter. For pud, Divine Lemon Pots that I will make the day before and bung in the fridge. When everyone arrives I reheat it for 40 mins or so until piping hot. No missing out on the gossip for me this time!
Very easy Boeuf Bourguignon
Ingredients serves 10-12
2kg good quality beef, cut into large cubes
400g pack lardons
200g chestnut mushrooms, halved
4 cloves garlic peeled and roughly chopped
2 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped
Round shallots** 400g
2 x 280g jars Borettane Onions in Balsamic (Waitrose)
4 sprigs thyme
4 bay leaves
4 heaped tablespoons plain flour
One and half bottles (112cl approx) red wine
170g (half a jar) redcurrant jelly
How to prepare
** Easy peeling: put your shallots in a bowl and pour over boiling water and leave for 10 mins. Drain and douse in cold water. Skins come off quite easily this way.
Pre heat your oven to 140 degrees centigrade. Put everything but the flour and the wine into a large ovenproof casserole and season with salt and pepper. Then sprinkle in the flour and, using both hands, toss it all around till everything is lightly coated.
Next pour in the wine, give it a good stir then – ignoring the unpromising sight before you – put a close-fitting lid on the casserole, pop it into the oven on the centre shelf and leave it there for 3 – 4 hours and look forward to a minimum-effort, maximum-result supper. It will be ready to serve when the meat is super tender. Even if your guests are late, this dish will happily sit in the bottom of your Aga (or a 140 degree oven) for an hour or so. Last time I made this the day before our supper party and added some precooked lentils before re-heating.
Adapted from a Delia Smith recipe.
