Beef Peninsula – a local take on Beef Bourguignon

We really are spoilt for choice with food and wine here on the Mornington Peninsula. So many wonderful farmers growing great and ethical produce, and wine makers making a fine drop for us to enjoy and savour.
With the cooler weather coming in, the vegetables were basically asking to be made into a Beef Peninsula – a local take on Beef Bourguignon!

Traditionally made with wine from the Bourgogne region of France, our new take of Beef Peninsula should utilise a beautiful red from the Mornington Peninsula. A Pinot Noir ideally.
Speak to your local butcher about where he gets his beef from, the nearer the better. Is it from an ethical and organic farm where its grass fed? There are places on the Peninsula that also specialise in organic meats.
Lastly, maximise on those vegetables from the weekly vegetable box.

Given that some households may not have a slow cooker, I’ve written up instructions for both stove top and slow cooking methods. My personal recommendation if you have a slow cooker would be to use it; the process just does wonders for softening your meat.

Recipe for Beef Peninsula – a local take on Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients

1kg Diced chuck beef
120g Pancetta, or a smoky bacon
15 Small onions (or shallots)
1 Leek
2 Carrots
100-200g Mushrooms
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
2 Fresh or dried bay leaves
10 Thyme sprigs
20g Butter
1 Bottle of red wine

Slow cooker Method

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 6.5 hours

** Please note – if you have a slow cooker that has a sauté function, you can use that for step 2 and 3 instead of using a seperate pan on the stove. The less dishes the better!

1. Cut your pancetta into lardons. Half your onions, skins removed. Cut leek and carrots into small slices.
2. Heat a pan and brown off the diced beef. You will need to do this in batches, so avoid overfilling the pan or else you will get too much liquid. Once the beef is done, set aside and do the same with the pancetta.
3. Add the butter into the pan followed by the onions, leek, carrot, garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Cook for a few minutes until starting to brown.
4. Add the bottle of wine and bring to a boil for around 10 minutes to start cooking away the alcohol.
5. If your ingredients aren’t already in the slow cooker dish, transfer them across. Set the slow cooker to cook for 6 hours.
6. Remove the bay leaves and any thyme stems and serve with mash and some steamed vegetables.

Stove top method

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 2.5 hours

1. Cut your pancetta into lardons. Half your onions, skins removed. Cut leek and carrots into small slices.
2. Heat a pan and brown off the diced beef. You will need to do this in batches, so avoid overfilling the pan or else you will get too much liquid. Once the beef is done, set aside and do the same with the pancetta.
3. Add the butter into the pan followed by the onions, leek, carrot, garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Cook for a few minutes until starting to brown.
4. Add the bottle of wine and bring to a boil for around 10 minutes to start cooking away the alcohol.
5. Lower the heat so that its a gentle simmer. Put the lid on and let it cook for 1.5 hours.
6. Add the mushrooms and let it cook for a further 30 minutes.
7. Remove the bay leaves and any thyme stems and serve with mash and some steamed vegetables.

Instead of serving with a typical green been, I utilised the broccoli, red cabbage and corn on the cob. Its nice to bring your own twist to a meal.
A wonderful dish that goes far, so be sure to invite neighbours, friends and loved ones to share.

Bon appétit.