Boeuf bourguignon

Cut the beef into 4–5 cm chunks, pat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

Dry meat sears; wet meat steams in its own juices and won't brown.

Cut the bacon into strips and render it in a heavy casserole over medium heat for 5 minutes. Lift it out with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot.

Add the vegetable oil and sear the beef over high heat in 2–3 batches, 2–3 minutes per side, until deeply browned. Transfer to the bacon.

Don't overcrowd the pot, and lay the meat in away from you: the hot fat spatters a lot.

Slice the carrots into rounds, dice the onions and finely chop the garlic. Fry the carrots and onions in the same pot for 5 minutes, add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

Return the beef and bacon, sprinkle with the flour and stir. Pour in the wine and 300 ml of water so the liquid almost covers the meat. Add the bay leaves and bring to a boil.

Cover and braise over the lowest heat or in a 160 °C oven for 2.5 hours, until the beef falls apart easily with a fork.

Check the liquid once an hour and top up with a little hot water if it has reduced too much.

15 minutes before the end, quarter the mushrooms and fry them in the butter over high heat for 7–8 minutes until golden. Season with salt.

Remove the bay leaves, stir the mushrooms into the stew and heat through for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt. Done!