CORALTO BŒUF BOURGUIGNON

Preparation :  30 minutes.

Cooking : 3 – 4 hours

For 6 people

1,5kg of beef in small pieces –  1thik slice of smoked bacon (200 gr) – 6 carrots – 2 big onions– 2 garlic cloves – 18 small onions – 50 gr of butter– 1 tbs of olive oil –  1 liter of Coralto Nero d’Avola– 2  slices of bread – 1 cube of stock – 50 gr of flour – 1 tsp of thyme – 2bay leaves– parsley–Salt & pepper

Peel the carrots and cut them in dices. Cut the onions, garlic and bacon.

Put everything together in a casserole with the olive oil and half of the butter and heat during 8-10 minutes.  Put on a side.

In the same casserole, cook the beef cubes: when they are slightly golden, add the flour using a sieve, and stir during 5 minutes.

Put the vegetables back in the casserole, and add the wine. Add salt and pepper, stir, and bring to a boil. Keep the flame to a minimum, add the thyme, the bay leaves, the vegetable stock and 30cl of hot water (1 glass).  Cover and leave for cooking slowly during 3 hours.

When the casserole is cool, put it in the fridge overnight.

The day after, put the casserole for cooking on a low flame during 1 hour and 30 minutes aprox.

While cooking, cut finely the parsley, cut the bread slices in small cubes, and  peel and cut the onions.  Cook the bread cubes in a hot pan until they become crunchy, add the remaining butter, the onions and the parsley.

If the sauce is too liquid, leave the lid off during the last 30 minutes.

Add finally the croutons, onions and parsley, and serve hot with mashed potatoes, polenta or rice on a side.

Wine suggested: Curatolo Arini Nero d’Avola 2009 Single Vineyard: just the perfect match!

Buon appetito!