Easy to cook family meals is a must for me, especially in my current state where I have been without a fully functioning kitchen for over a year now. Due to renovation life, I have been cooking up a storm in my temporary kitchen with just two slow cookers, a microwave and a little camping gas stove. Over the past year, I have built up quite a quick and easy, slow cooker repertoire.
Early this year I holidayed in Paris. A little Parisian restaurant, just around the corner from the Moulin Rouge, inspired me to add Beef Bourguignon to my slow cooker armory of easy to cook recipes. I must be honest; I don’t think I have achieved quite the deliciousness I experienced in Paris but maybe the atmosphere and Parisian vibe contributed to my supper tasting even more delicious. I’ve tweaked online recipes here and there to get to this point where I am ready to share my own Beef Bourguignon recipe with you. Along with Balsamic Short Ribs, this has become a Sunday dinner family favorite. If you try it, I would love to know what you think.
You will notice in my recipes that I use terms like a dash, and a splash. As well as being quite an intuitive cook, I truly don’t want to create further washing up. Washing up in the bath is not fun. Oh, the joys of renovation living!
This Beef Bourguignon recipe is dairy and gluten-free as are all my recipes. I run a gluten-free and dairy-free kitchen.
Beef Bourguignon is a perfect, hearty substitute for a traditional autumn Sunday lunch. The rich, comforting aromas fill the air of my little cottage with anticipation. Sunday is the day, as a family, we can guarantee that all the family will be at home, sitting down at a well-dressed table and sharing our week over a slow-cooked meal and a bottle of wine. Our plates, filled with rich food and seasonal, locally grown vegetables. It’s a moment in time to savor, one of good food and great company.
Ingredients
Dash of rapeseed oil.
800g diced braising steak
400g bacon lardons
Sprinkling of corn flour (approximately 1 heaped tablespoon)
10-12 shallots
1 Onion, thinly sliced
Dollop of Dijon mustard (approximately one heaped teaspoon)
Generous squeeze of tomato puree (approximately 4 tablespoons)
3-4 carrots, diced
3-4 cloves of garlic finely chopped.
400g button mushroom
2-3 bay leaves
Few sprigs of fresh thyme
Generous handful of freshly chopped parsley.
1 bottle of cheap red wine (75cl)
1 Beef Stock Cube
Salt
Pepper
This easy to cook Beef Bourguignon recipe can easily be cooked in a slow cooker. I use a Morphy Richards Slow Cooker. It’s easy to use and delivers tasty results.
Method
The joy of slow cooking is that you can add all the ingredients at once and leave it on all day to cook. This result would certainly deliver something edible and tasty, but I prefer to slow the process down on a Sunday. Here are my Sunday steps to an easy to make, slow cooker Beef Bourguignon.
Turn the slow cooker onto hot setting and add a dash of rapeseed oil, allow oil to heat up whilst slicing and dicing onions and garlic
Add sliced onions to the slow cooker, stir into oil and with the lid on leave for 20 minutes.
Add garlic to onions, give them a good stir and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Remove onions and garlic and put aside.
Add diced beef braising steak to the slow cooker pot and cook until seared. Stir as needed.
Add bacon lardons to the beef braising steak and cook on high for a further 5 minutes.
Return onions and garlic to the slow cooker pot and add sprinkling of a cornflower and give the meat and onion mix a good stir.
Add beef stock cube with a cup of hot water and stir into meat mixture the mea til the stock cube has dissolved.
Finally add all remaining ingredients, keeping back enough parley to sprinkle over plated serving.
Season to taste. I personally love a lot of pepper and not too much salt.
Turn down the slow cooker to low or medium, depending on how long you want to cook it for. Leave to slow cook for 4-6 hours. Even longer if you have all day. A little stir here and there never does it any harm.
Sprinkle the remaining chopped parsley over to serve.
I love serving this slow cooked beef bourguignon with kale and other seasonal veg. Brussel sprouts work just as well. My hubby loves mopping up the juices with a thick chunk of local, slowly fermented sourdough bread.
If like me you work from home, try and keep a bowlful to back to eat for lunch the following day. There’s nothing nicer.
Please do let me know what you think of this recipe. I’d love to hear your feedback.
Enjoy!