Boeuf a la Bourguignonne
	1 kg    rump or topside - whole piece     salt     pepper   100 g    bacon   2 Tbs    plain flour   30 g    butter   375 ml    red wine   250 g    baby onions   250 g    button mushrooms   1 medium    onions   1 medium    carrots   2 cloves    garlic   1 Tbs    tomato paste   1 sprigs    bouquet garni   1 cups    beef stock   1 Tbs    brandy     1 Prep: Finely chop the onion, carrot and garlic Cut bacon into strips and the beef into 4-5cm cubes. 2 Coat the meat pieces thoroughly with half the seasoned flour. Brown the bacon strips in a little of the butter. Remove the bacon and brown the meat in the same pan, adding a little more butter if necessary and not over-crowding the pan (do in batches if necessary). Put the meat aside. 3 Use some more butter and sauté the baby onions overs a medium heat until evenly golden and set aside. In the same pan, using a little more butter and sauté the mushrooms, stirring frequently. Set aside. 4 Add the remaining butter and cook the chopped onion, carrot and garlic over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining flour and cook for 2 minutes, then add the wine, tomato puree and bouquet garni, bringing to the boil to deglaze the pan. Return the beef and bacon to the pan, along with the stock and season to taste. Cover and simmer for 1.5 hours. Add the sautéed mushrooms and baby onions and cook, covered for a further 30 minutes. 5 Discard the bouquet garni. Divide amongst the containers, cool in the refrigerator and then transfer to the freezer. 6 Defrost well before reheating gently in a moderate-slow oven for 30-45 minutes. Stir in chopped fresh parsley before serving.   Servings: 4    Recipe Type beef, tomatoes, wines, onions   Copyright © 2006, The Gourmet Saint