Bœuf bourguignon is the Sunday dish of Burgundy, the wine country that holds both Dijon Prenois and Magny Cours. It began as a farmhouse way to make a tough cut of Charolais beef tender: cover it in the local red wine and leave it alone over a low fire for most of the day. The garnish that makes it unmistakably bourguignon, bacon, mushrooms and small onions, arrived later, and nobody has proposed sending it back.

It is not difficult, merely unhurried. The beef needs a proper browning, the sauce needs a slow afternoon in the oven, and the garnish is cooked separately so each piece keeps its own character. Like most stews it improves overnight, which means the cook can make it on Saturday and watch qualifying with a clear conscience.

The braised beef

Ingredients

• 3 lb (1.4 kg) boneless beef chuck
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow onion
• 2 medium carrots
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 bottle (750 ml) dry red Burgundy (pinot noir)
• 2 cups (480 ml) beef stock
• 1 bouquet garni

The garnish

Ingredients

• 6 oz (170 g) smoked lardons or thick cut bacon
• 10 oz (280 g) frozen pearl onions
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 12 oz (340 g) small white or cremini mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

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