I call this recipe ‘secret’ because it is just so good. It’s my ‘secret weapon’ when I forget I’ve invited people for dinner and haven’t had time to cook anything spectacular, so I pull this from the freezer and douse a bit more wine on top as it bubbles away in a favourite Le Creuset casserole.

Food inspires so many memories for me – this was a staple as I was a little girl, and then growing older in Toronto and on subsequent trips to France I couldn’t stop ordering it. No dish (not even mine) was as spectacular as in a ‘ferme auberge‘ in the Morvan forest. This type of accomodation is like a bed and breakfast, but on a working farm. A certain percentage of the food and wine grapes must come from the near vicinity – so nowhere else in the world will you taste such a spectacular terroir. Lise, the proprietor of the Ferme Auberge ‘La Pierre Des Canes‘ in Villurbain (maybe the naming inspiration for ‘UrbanMommies’!) was the most athletic woman I had ever met – and also the best chef. You saw her wrestling goats and chickens in the morning, and then whisking no less than 6 courses to your table for dinner – after she made cheese in the kitchen.

Though it doesn’t top hers, hopefully when I serve this to you in the future you won’t have read this!!!

Boeuf Bourgignon

Ingredients

• 4 lb. beef blade or chuck steak
• 1 bottle Burgundy
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• bouquet garni
• 2 1/2 oz butter
• 1 chopped carrot
• 1 chopped onion
• 2T. flour
• 12 oz. shallots
• 8 oz. button mushrooms

Instructions

1. Marinate meat, cut in cubes, with wine, garlic and bouquet garni overnight.
2. Fry onions, carrot and bouquet garni in half of the butter. Drain and place in covered casserole.
3. Preheat oven to 315 degrees.
4. Drain meat and reserve marinade. Pat meat dry and fry in batches for about 5 minutes. Add to casserole dish.
5. Place the reserved marinade in the pan and deglaze.
6. Return casserole to heat and sour flour onto the meat. Stir until meat coated in flour.
7. Pour in the marinate, stir and then simmer. Cover and cook 2 hours.
8. Heat the remaining butter in the skillet and cook bacon and shallots, stirring 8-10 mins. Drain and then add these as well as the mushrooms to the casserole.
9. Cover and return to the oven for 30 minutes. Discard the bouquet garni before serving.

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