Beef Bourguignon

Name: Beef Bourguignon
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 tbsp good olive oil; 250g dry cured centre cut applewood smoked bacon rashers, diced; 1.25kg chuck or blade beef cut into 2-cm cubes; Salt; Freshly ground black pepper; 500g carrots, sliced diagonally into 2-cm chunks; 2 onions, sliced; 2 cloves garlic, chopped; 125ml Cognac; 1 (750ml) bottle good dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir; 1 (500ml) tinned beef stock; 1 tbsp tomato puree; 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried thyme; 4 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature; 3 tbsp plain flour; 500g frozen whole baby onions; 500g fresh mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thickly sliced; Country or sour dough bread; Clove of garlic; 5g chopped fresh parsley, optional