This Provencal stew is borrowed from Elizabeth David's classic, French Provincial Cooking, with a tweak here and there (we dice the beef rather than leave it in the piece, plus we use home made veal stock in addition to the red wine).  The beef and bacon are cooked with soffrito vegetables and herbs gently for hours so that the beef is tender.  Red wine, stock and tomatoes are reduced to make a deep, slow-cooked sauce - ready to be sucked up by an accompaniment of your choice - we recommend mashed potato. 

Beef, bacon, carrot, onion, celery, garlic, olive oil, orange zest, tomatoes, tomato pasted, bay leaves, thyme, red wine, salt, veal stock (veal bones, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, bay, parsley stalks).

• Individual:Serves one adult.
• Small:Serves two adults.
• Large:Serves 4-5 adults.
• Extra Large:Serves 6 adults.

TO COOK ALL SIZES: empty into a saucepan and place over a gentle heat, stirring occasionally, till piping hot (70C) or empty into a microwave-safe container and heat for 2-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until piping hot.

DEFROST INFORMATION: Suitable for freezing. May be cooked straight from frozen or defrosted overnight in the fridge.  Keep refrigerated and consume within 48 hours.

For a quick defrost, place sealed bag in a sink of room temperature water and ensure that you finish cooking within two hours of beginning the defrosting process. 

Cooking instructions are guidelines only. Microwave times are checked in a 900W microwave oven.  Microwaves vary; please adjust cooking times accordingly and ensure your food is piping hot (70C) before serving.