Beef Bourguignon

By darhittel

French Stew with wine

Ingredients

• 6 ounces bacon
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 2 inch cubes
• 1 sliced carrot
• 1 sliced onion
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 3 cups brown been stock
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 cloves mashed garlic
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• crumbled bay leaf
• blanched bacon rind
• 18-24 small white onions, brown-braised in stock
• 1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms, sauteed in butter
• parsley sprigs

Preparation

Step 1

Cut bacon into sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long. Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven 450 degrees.

Saute the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2-3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you saute the beef.

Dry the stewing beef in paper towels, it will not brown if it is damp. Saute it , a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sauteing fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for four minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for four minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in the wine, and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato pasta, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick mix in a few tablespoons of stock. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.Recipe may be completed in advance to this point