Boeuf Bourguignon!

Boeuf Bourguignon!
Wow!  My feet hurt from standing, and my house smells wonderful!

You will need: paper towels, a fry pan, a couple of pots, a chicken roaster, long tongs, and a slotted spoon.  You will also need to address and thank Julia Child! 

Don't forget your favorite apron!

Ingredients:
6oz bacon
1Tbsp. olive oil
3 lbs. lean stew beef cut into squres/ cubes
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp flour
3 cups Chianti (I used our home brew wine-Yum!)
2-3 cups beef broth
1 Tbsp tomato paste or puree
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 tsp thyme
1 crumbled bay leaf (if small use 2-3)
18-24 small white onions, brown-braised in stock
1 lbs quarted fresh mushrooms, sauteed in butter
Parsley sprigs (for garnish)

Cut rind (fat) off bacon and cut the bacon into 1.5 inch long strips.  In 1.5 quarts (6cups) water simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes.  Lift out with slotted spoon and then dry with paper towel.  Seperate the rind from the bacon when doing this.

Dry the beef cubes with paper towels while this is simmering.  the beef will not brown if it contains too much moisture.

Sautee bacon in oil over moderate heat for 2-3 minutes to lighlty brown.  Remove to small roaster and set aside.  Reheat oil/ bacon fat until it is almost smoking.

In the oil/ bacon fat, brown beef cubes a handfull at a time until nicely browned on all sides.  Place in the roaster with the cooked bacon pieces.

While this is occuring you can sautee the mushrooms in butter and boil the small white onions in any kind of broth you like/ have.   Also, preheat your oven to degrees. 

Do not drain the fat!  Now, sautee the sliced carrott and onion in this same fat.  

While the veggies are in the fat, add salt and pepper to the beef & bacon.  Mix.  Next, add the flour.  Stir the meat in the flour.  Mixing this flour in will help add a nice, light crust to the beef.  Cook for four minutes in your degree oven.  Take out and mix again.  Place back in the oven for another four minutes.

Remove from oven.  Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees.  Add your favorite red wine, beef bouillon broth top almost cover the meat, stir in the tomato paste, carrot, thyme, bay leaf,  the sauteed mix, and the bacon rind (cut now into small pieces) into the beef/ bacon mixture.

Bring to a simmer on your stovetop.  Place in oven for 2.5 to 3 hours.  When you can stab the meat with a fork and it is tender it is done.

Next,  put a strainer on top of a large sauce pan.  Drain the roaster.  Place meat mix back in the roaster.  Place mushroom/ onions over the meat.

Simmer the sauce.  Remove the fat as it rises to the top.  If sauceis to thick, add a little extra bullion.  If too thin, boil down rapidly.  Taste for seasoning.  Add what you need in small amounts.  You should have about 2.5 cups of sauce in the end.  It should coat your spoon well.  Pour sauce over meat/ veggie in roaster. 

To immedetly serve cover and simmer roaster for 2-3 minutes while basting the meat with the sauce.  Arrange over rice, pasta, potatoes-your favorite starch and garnish with parsley. 

Refrigerate and reheat?  Keep cold and covered.  Aboout 15-20 minutes before serving bring to a simmer on the stove very slowly for 10 minutes , while occasionaly basting with the sauce. 

Have fun and enjoy!