• Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan or sauté pan over a high heat. Season the beef well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then add about a quarter of it to the pan and brown it well on all sides (around 3 minutes per batch). Tip the browned meat into a large deep casserole dish. If there are lots of brown and crusty bits in the pan, tip off the excess oil between batches, let it cool down a little and add a glug of wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape off the brown bits and tip them into the pan with the meat. Repeat with the rest of the meat, adding more oil if you need to.
• Add half of the bacon to the pan and brown it well, then tip it into the casserole dish and repeat with the remaining bacon.
• Sprinkle the flour over the bacon and beef so that it is lightly covered and mix it together so the flour is completely dissolved. Add the garlic, rosemary, thyme and season with freshly ground black pepper. Now add the wine and Marsala (if using) or stock.  Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 2.5 hours.
• Meanwhile, heat some more olive oil over a high heat, in the same frying pan or saute pan you used for the meat and bacon. Add the shallots and fry for about 5 minutes, until they are turning a deep golden brown. Add the carrot and cook for a further minute, then set aside.
• After 2.5 hours, carefully remove the casserole dish from the oven and add the shallots, carrots, and porcini mushrooms, then return the casserole dish to the oven and cook for another 30 minutes.

Thicken the gravy (optional) and serving:

• Once the bourguignon is ready, remove the dish from the oven. If you’d like the gravy to be thicker, remove the meat and vegetables from the casserole and bring the gravy to a Slowly pour in the cornflour slurry, stirring the gravy as you do. You may not need all the cornflour and water mixture – use as much as you need until the gravy has thickened to your liking. Return the meat and vegetables to the casserole dish and heat everything together. Check the seasoning and add more to taste, if required.
• Serve with some mashed potatoes and other vegetables of your choice – check out the selection of side dishes here on Felly Bull.   Don’t forget the glass of red wine too!!