Beef Bourguignon

When I was looking up beef bourguignon recipes, I came across a very complicated one by Ina Garten that required a lot of ingredients I never have on hand: cognac? fresh thyme leaves? "a bottle of good dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir"? First of all, who below the age of fifty has a bottle of Cognac lying around? (And if you do, all power to you!) Plus, I'm not going to use an expensive bottle of red wine to cook with, I'm going to drink it! I only make bourguignon when I've got a cheap red wine or a nice one that's been sitting around uncorked for too long. (But really, how often does that happen?). It shouldn't be an extravagant meal; it's a stew! Throw whatever you got into the pot, pour wine over it, save some for your glass, and call it a day!

Here is my simplified version of the recipe: 

Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients

• Olive oil

• 4 oz Bacon, diced

• 1 1/2 lb Stew/ chuck beef - cut into 1 inch cubes

• Salt & pepper -to taste

• 
  

1/2 lb carrots- chopped into 1" chunks

• 1/2 yellow onion- diced

• 
  

2 Tbsp flour

• 2 cloves garlic- diced

• 1/2 chopped potatoes

•  1 1/2 cups of red wine/red cooking wine (375 mL)

• 1 cup of beef broth 

• 1 tbsp of tomato paste

• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

optional: 1/2 lb sliced mushrooms

                 1 Tbsp butter

                 1/2 lb frozen pearl onions

                            Mis en place 

Preheat oven to 250 .

In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed skillet, heat oil and add bacon. Stir and cook until crispy, remove with slotted spoon onto a plate. Add onions and carrots to bacon fat until onions are transparent. Garlic should be added at the last second because it burns so easily. 

                   Look at all that flavor!

Add salt, pepper and the potatoes. Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup of cognac or red wine and cook for a couple minutes  until alcohol is cooked out (you shouldn't be able to smell it anymore).

 Meanwhile, coat the meat with flour (this will thicken the stew) , add to the pan and stir until four is cooked out. Add the cooked bacon. Pour the broth and the rest of the wine in until it almost covers the meat. Stir in the tomato paste, add thyme, and cover. Simmer.

 Put the Dutch oven in the oven on the center rack for about 2 hours. (If using a skillet, either simmer on low or place in a crockpot on low) until beef is fork tender. If you want, add the frozen onions to the stew. Saute the mushrooms in butter until slightly brown and add to the stew. Put on stove top and simmer for about 15 minutes. Serve with warm crusty bread.