Bœuf à la Bourguignonne

Most Burgundian dishes are of the long, slow-cooking variety – superb casseroles of meat, fish and game – guaranteed to make even the least expensive cuts of meat taste delicious. Indeed, food and wine are so closely linked together in Burgundy that it is a toss-up whether it is the famous vintages of the region or bœuf à la bourguignonne that has brought Burgundy the greater international fame. For bœuf à la bourguignonne - or bœuf bourguignon as it is sometimes more simply called – is one of the truly great dishes of the world. Combining tender nuggets of beef bathed in a rich wine-flavoured sauce with crisp lardons of green bacon or fat salt pork, tiny white onions parboiled to al dente tenderness, and button mushrooms sautéed in butter and lemon juice, this dish is as delicious to eat as it is easy to prepare.