Beef Bourguignon

1. Start by marinating the beef. Add the celery, bay leaves, thyme and beef to a large bowl and cover with the wine. Stir and add a crack of black pepper. Cover and transfer to the fridge overnight.
2. Tip the lardons into a cold pan and place over a medium-low heat. Stir occasionally and cook for 5-8 minutes, until the bacon releases some of its fat and begins to crisp at the edges. Use a slotted spoon to lift into a bowl. Add the mushrooms and shallots to the pan with the bacon fat and season with salt. Cook until the vegetables are golden, about 5 minutes. Remove to the bowl with the bacon.
3. Place a colander over a large bowl and strain the marinated meat, keeping the wine and aromatics .Pat dry on kitchen towel. Heat the olive oil in the same pan and brown the meat in batches, turning to brown each side, and lifting onto a plate once browned. Pour in a splash of the wine to release any caramelised meat stuck to the pan. Fry the celery, carrots and onions in the pan with a pinch of salt, adding a drizzle more oil if needed. Cook, stirring often for 8 minutes until the vegetables start to colour. Stir in the flour, continue to cook for a minute, then stir in the tomato puree.
4. Add the browned beef to the pan, along with any juices, the strained wine, stock and aromatics and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently for 90 minutes until the meat is completely tender. Add the bacon, mushrooms and shallots back into the pan and warm through for 10 minutes. Taste and season, then serve sprinkled with fresh parsley and mashed potatoes or rice.

For the beef

• 2 sticks celery
• 2 bay leaves
• Bunch thyme
• 500g beef chunks
• 500ml red wine

For the stew

• 100g bacon lardons
• 300g button mushrooms, halved
• 4 shallots, halved
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 400ml beef stock
• Small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper