Beef Bourguignon 'de George'

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg beef for braising (e.g. shoulder, underside, shank, here 1.3 kg)
• 3 m.-sized carrot(s)
• 3 stalk(s) Celery
• 1 large onion(s)
• 1 beefsteak tomato(s)
• 1 m.-large parsnip(s)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 stalk of sage (some leaves)
• 1 sprig(s) rosemary
• ½ liter red wine, dry (Burgundy)
• salt and pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Cut the meat into large cubes. If using leg pieces, it’s best to use the individual muscle parts. Trim the carrots and parsnips, remove only the stems from the tomatoes, and peel the onion. Brown the meat in batches on the sage leaves in a casserole dish over high heat. Cut the vegetables into large pieces, add the garlic, whole and unpeeled, and braise briefly. Add all the meat and pour in about 0.4 liters of red wine. Season with salt and pepper and add the rosemary sprig. Cook with the lid closed in a preheated oven at 90°C for 4 hours. After about three hours, add the remaining (warmed) red wine. Side dishes: White bread, pain de campagne, seasonal salads. Drink: An extra bottle of the red wine used for cooking (because the cooking wine is all gone by the time it’s time to eat—at least for me). Note: Even though George raises his eyebrows indignantly at leg pieces (he uses meat from the underside), I really like using them. They take about half an hour longer to cook, but the (seared) bones make excellent gravy, and if you like marrow…