Personal

Car Stuff

Extras

Braised Beef in Red Wine with Jambugo Ham

From Raymond Blanc, http://www.raymondblanc.com/
This hearty classic dish requires little effort and makes the most of flavourful but less tender cuts of beef. Serves 4

1.5 kg (4) Ox cheek , shin or blade, sinews removed, each cut into 3 pieces
15g (1 tbsp) Flour, plain
30g (2 tbsp) Butter, clarified
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the marinade:
1L Full bodied red wine, ie Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon
200g (2) Carrots, medium, cut into slices 2cm thickr
60g (1 stalk) Celery, cut into slices 1 cm thick
20 Baby onions, peeled but left whole
30g (6) Garlic cloves
5g (1 tsp) Peppercorns, black, crushed
1 Bouquet garni (a few parsley stalks, 4 bay leaves, 6 sprigs of thyme, tied together)
For the garnish:
15g (1 tbsp) Butter, unsalted
100g Jambugo ham, finely sliced
400g Mushrooms, button, trimmed
15g (1 tbsp) Flat-leaf parsley, fresh, chopped

Marinating the beef: Bring the red wine to the boil and reduce by a third to remove the alcohol (*1). Leave to cool. Mix the beef pieces, carrots, celery, baby onions, garlic, peppercorns and bouquet garni together and pour the cooled red wine over them. Cover with clingfilm, refrigerate and leave to marinate for 24 hours.

Place a colander over a large bowl and put the beef mixture in it to drain off the marinade. Leave for a minimum of 1 hour to remove excess liquid. Separate the beef, vegetables and herbs and pat dry with kitchen paper. Reserve the liquid.

Toasting the flour: Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Sprinkle the flour on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until it has turned a wonderful pale brown colour. Set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 110°C.

Searing the beef: Season the beef with 4 pinches of salt. On a high heat, in a large, heavy-based casserole, heat the clarified butter and colour the beef pieces in it for 5-7 minutes on each side. With a slotted spoon, transfer the beef pieces to a plate and set aside. Add the drained vegetables and herbs to the casserole. Lower the heat to medium high and cook for 5 minutes, until lightly coloured.

Making the sauce: Spoon out the fat; add the toasted flour to the casserole and stir for a few seconds. Then add the wine from the marinade little by little, whisking constantly to incorporate it into the flour. The sauce should be smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the beef pieces, bring the sauce to the boil and skim. (*2) Cover with a lid and cook in the pre-heated oven for 3 hours. (*3)

Finishing the sauce: Place a colander over a large saucepan and drain the boeuf bourguignon through it. Put the saucepan on the heat and boil until the sauce has reduced by half. Taste the sauce. Do not add any salt as you will be adding the smoked diced bacon later. Put the beef pieces back into the sauce.

Cooking the garnish: Over a high heat in a medium non-stick frying pan, heat the butter and cook the button mushrooms until lightly caramelised. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix the finely sliced Jambugo ham and button mushrooms into the Boeuf Bourguignon. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve piping-hot.