Boxing Day Beef Casserole

Ingredients

• 900g cubed beef
• 225 g pancetta
• 200g cooked and peeled whole chestnuts
• 1pint rich Madeira
• 2 tblspns olive oil
• 2 sliced medium onions
• 2 sliced garlic cloves
• 20g dried porcini mushrooms
• 175g dark chestnut mushrooms
• 1 tblspn plain flour
• fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves

Directions

Heat oven to 140c – very low

heat oil and cook onions for about 6 mins until dark, add garlic, cook for a minute then remove the lot with slotted spoon.
Add pancetta till golden then remove
Add more oil and brown cubes of meat in batches
Remove and then add chestnut mushrooms
Everything now should be in a large casserole dish
Sir well, add seasoning, add madeira, then all the other stuff including the dried porcini mushrooms. Bring to simmering and then put in over for 2.5 hours.