Beef Bourguignon

A few years back I decided I was going to make the Julia Child recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon that was made famous in the movie, Julie & Julia.  I bought my first enameled cast iron dutch oven (which I now have two of, a must in any kitchen), armed myself with the lengthy recipe, gathered the ingredients and went to work.  Well, I never expected it to be as labor intensive as it was.  However, it was a true 'ah ha' moment in my self-taught cooking career.  I immediately understood the often heard discussions about layering flavors, the complexity of flavors, and the need for developing each ingredient for its own value.  When we tasted the dish, we got that eye-rolling, blissful look of deliciousness.  Schrreeeech....I came to a halt-this dish took hours.  Who has time in a little kitchen with basic tools to devote time to doing this?  Once was enough.  I did it; I know I can do it; but, do I need to do it again?  Ok, so yes I wanted to make it again. But, I used a different recipe! I went through many recipes before I chose this highly rated Ina Garten selection (which I made a few adaptions).  Honestly, this was a close second in flavor and significantly less work to the Child French choice.  I would actually rank this as easy.  Do not let the name, or the list of ingredients to turn you away.  The red wine is rich, the beef is melt in your mouth, the hint of thyme and the bit of garlic, all created an exotic, sophisticated stew.

Beef Bourguignon
printable recipe

1 T. olive oil
1/2 lb. slab bacon, cut in small strips
2 1/2 lbs. chuck roast, cut into large pieces
kosher salt and black pepper
1 lb. carrots, sliced diagonally into 1 inch chunks
2 yellow onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (750 ml) dry red wine
2 c. beef stock
2 T. tomato paste
5-6 fresh thyme sprigs
4 T. butter, divided
3 T. flour
1 lb. frozen small onions
1 lb. fresh cremini mushrooms, stems removed, sliced thick

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven.  Add the bacon and cook over medium heat until lightly browned.  Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Pat the beef cubes dry with a paper towel.  Season with salt and pepper.
Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, brown the beef on all sides.  Remove and set aside with the bacon.

Add the carrots and sliced onions to the pot.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned.

Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Put the bacon and meat with any juices back in the pot.  Add the bottle of wine, plus enough beef stock to almost cover the meat.

Add the tomato paste and the thyme.  Bring all to a simmer, cover the pot and place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is fork tender.

Combine 2 T. of butter with the flour.  Add to the stew and stir until smooth.

Saute the mushrooms in a medium skillet with the remaining butter until golden.

Add the mushrooms and small onions to the pot.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove the thyme stems and season with salt and pepper if needed.