Mat's Recipe Of The Week

Serves 4

100g speck 1kg stewing beef 1 carrot 1 onion 1 tablespoon flour 500ml red wine 400ml beef stock 4 cloves of garlic bouquet garni

12 medium shallots 30g unsalted butter 70ml beef stock bouquet garni 12 medium mushrooms 30g unsalted butter

Heat oven as hot as it will go. Cut the speck into 1 cm strips. Cut the beef into 5cm squares. Heat oil in a pan and brown the beef and the speck and remove from the pan. Chop the onion and carrot and cook in the same oil until soft. Return the meat to the pan and sprinkle the flour over the top. Add salt and pepper and stir. Place in the oven uncovered for 10 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 160. Return casserole to stove top. Add the red wine and stock so it's covered by 1cm. Add the garlic and the bouquet garni and bring to a simmer. Cover and place in the oven for 3.5 hours.
For the onions, heat the butter in a pan on medium. Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes being careful not to burn them. Add bouquet garni and salt and pepper and beef stock and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
For the mushrooms, heat the butter on a high heat and cook the mushrooms, rolling them for 5 minutes.
When the meat is tender, remove from the liquid and place evenly in 4 bowls with onions and mushrooms. Skim the fat off the liquid and strain into into a pot and season. Thicken over a high heat until it coats the back of a spoon. Pour over meat and vegetable.
Serve with creamy mashed potatoes or season French fries and crusty bread. And of course, a lovely red!

Enjoy it with these perfectly matched wines