Boeuf Bourguignon

Cut the bacon into small pieces and cook on the stove top over medium heat (use an oven-safe pot or Dutch oven) until crispy and the fat has rendered. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot.

Dry the beef cubes with paper towels, sprinkle with salt and pepper and sear the meat in the bacon fat. Turn the cubes with tongs to make sure all sides are brown. Remove the beef cubes from the pot.

Add the carrots and onions to the pot and cook in the fat until slightly browned, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add the beef cubes and bacon pieces back into the pot. Add the wine (any good red you’d be willing to drink) and enough beef broth to just about cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot and place it in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 2 1/2 – 3 hours.

In a separate pan, add the butter, olive oil and mushrooms. Sauté over medium heat until the mushrooms are lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

At about the 2 1/2 hour point, or when meat is tender, remove the pot from the oven and thicken the sauce by adding either a flour and water or flour and butter mixture (combine 2 Tablespoons of flour with about the same of water and then add it to the stew). Add the mushrooms to the stew and add more salt and pepper if needed.

This dish can be served over noodles or you can peel and cook 1 pound of small new potatoes and then add them to the hot stew at the end.