A provincial French classsic from Floyd with a few embelishments by me…

There’s no recipe although Floyd insists otherwise – I stay with his version for the most part. If you make this astonishing one pot feast at home just be aware it takes lots of preparation and cooking time.

My dog eared copy of Floyd on France (1994) edition. Turn to page 173.

Good quality full bodied red wine is essential. Burgundy, of course. Oh, and whilst your about it, beef stock is a must.

There are so many variations of this recipe online that I won’t bother to repeat any of them here. A list of ingredients and a few photos will do instead.

  •  Beef of your choice.
  • Onions
  • Carrots
  • Shallots (I didn’t bother)
  • Garlic
  • Thyme
  • Bay leaves (not needed IMO)
  • Parsley
  • 2 bottles red Burgundy (one bottle is plenty)
  • Brandy
  • Streaky bacon

  • Madeira (makes little difference)
  • Pig’s trotter 
  • Mushrooms
  • Butter

You get the idea by now. Too much booze in Floyd’s version (!) Strange thing to pick up on with Keith Floyd, isn’t it? But come on: two bottles of wine, glass of brandy and Madeira? Some restraint needed but use it if you think it’s right.

A quick note on the beef : Use a cut that needs slow braising. I know you know that point but somebody out there must have tried cheap fatty minced ‘beef’ and been horrified at the results. Me? I used a topside joint cut into large pieces.

I had to use celery due to it being a delicious savoury stem. Why leave it out? All the veg received a going over in a food processor but not to the point of oblivion. I like the textural differences – fine and chunky.

As for the pig’s trotter, well here it is (above). Why? It adds gelatine to the dish thus making a richer more unctuous result. Please, leave it out if you must but the advantage will be lost…

The wine and beef stock should just cover the pot contents. I went for one bottle of Vin rouge and about 300ml of stock.

Fry the mushrooms and bacon together but separately from the other ingredients. Add them in with 45 minutes cooking time remaining.

Brown the beef! Yes! I fried the pieces in lard. When did I last use that fat for anything else but pastry? Possibly never. Yes there is a flavour improvement to my palate. Somehow all that mighty list of ingredients do not clash for dominance. Subtle it ain’t but has refinement.

The steamy lens just about shows the casserole on the hob about 10 minutes before going into the oven.

You can brown the trotter before adding it but I didn’t bother. As for seasoning the dish I used juniper berries, crushed along with black peppercorns by a pestle & mortar. No extra salt, though – the bacon is enough.

The sprigs of rosemary and thyme plus the garlic are in there, I swear. The pot goes into the oven for about two hours. Don’t forget to add the precooked mushrooms and bacon for the last half hour. Also keep an eye on the liquid level. More wine or stock as necessary.

Reduced to its own perfection. Look at the tide marks on the casserole dish!

Enough for four hungry people or maybe six curious souls. Leave it for 24 hours at room temperature. Why? A thin layer of orange fat will set on top – scrape off with a spoon (or stir it back in if you like). I didn’t pick out the herb stalks either.

Plate up with mashed pommes de terre and a few haricots vert. This culinary giant needs nothing fancy on the side. Merci, monsieur Floyd.

So, your thoughts? Are the French maters of culinary self promotion? Does cooking meat with wine take it to ultimate perfection? Let me know below…

Leave a comment