Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 200g cured smoked bacon, diced
• 1-1.5kg beef cut into 25 mm cubes
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 400g carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup Cognac
• 1 (750 ml.) bottle good red wine
• 2 cups beef or chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 4-5 fresh bay leaves (free recipe item this week)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 250g fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced
• Serve with Mash or Sour Dough Bread, toasted or grilled and rubbed with a fresh garlic clove
• Gremolata – mix 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley, lime zest of 1 lime (free recipe item this week) and 2-3 cloves of finely chopped garlic