Bacon and Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce
Ingredients:
6-8 pieces of thick sliced bacon, chopped into 1" pieces
Olive Oil
2 – 2 ½ lbs. boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1″ pieces
Salt and black pepper to taste
¼ C. all-purpose flour
2 C. good red wine (quality matters in this recipe)
8oz. package of mushrooms, thickly sliced
5 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2″ pieces
1 finely diced yellow onion
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1½ Tbsp. tomato paste
5 C. beef stock
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried thyme
5-6 red potatoes, chopped into 1" pieces
1 package frozen pearl onions
4 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary
3 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme
For pearl onions:
24 small white pearl onions
1½ Tbsp. Olive oil
1½ Tbsp. Butter
¾ C. Beef broth
1 tsp. dried rosemary, powdered
1 tsp. dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
Directions:
1. In a large cast iron skillet, cook bacon over medium-low heat until browned and fat is released. Transfer cooked bacon to a medium bowl, leaving fat drippings in the skillet.
2. While bacon is cooking, place beef pieces in a large mixing bowl and add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with half the flour and toss, then add the rest and toss again to evenly coat all beef pieces. Transfer half the beef into the hot bacon fat when bacon is done, and cook over medium-high heat until beef is browned, turning each piece after 3-4 minutes. Add olive oil if the bacon fat cooks away. Transfer seared beef into the bowl with bacon.
3. Preheat oven to 325?. Pour wine into your oven-safe pot and bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat immediately to a simmer and add sliced mushrooms. Simmer for about 10 min, then add beef and bacon to the pot.
4. Meanwhile, wipe out your skillet and heat 2 Tbsp. Olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic cloves, and sauté for about 4 minutes or until onions run clear. Add tomato paste and sauté for another minute, until tomato paste is evenly distributed amongst the vegetables, then transfer all into the soup pot with the beef.
5. Pour beef broth, bay leaves, dried thyme, 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper to the pot. Stir ingredients together and bring to a slow boil.
6. Add potatoes, making sure they are completely covered by broth. If they aren’t, add enough broth to just cover them, then put the lid on and cook in oven for 1 hour, 45 minutes, or until beef is very tender.
7. While the stew is cooking, prepare the pearl onions. In the same cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil and the butter over medium heat until they are gently bubbling. Add the onions and sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until each side is browned. Pour in the beef broth, and add the seasonings and bay leaf. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 30 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated and the onions are caramelized, firm enough to hold their shape, but soft to the touch. Set aside until stew is finished cooking.
8. Once the stew is done cooking, add all of the pearl onions and fresh rosemary and fresh thyme to taste immediately. Stir enough to combine ingredients and allow the stew to cool for 15-20 minutes. Serve in bowls, and top with a sprig of fresh rosemary to garnish.
