Queen Kim’s Boeuf Bourguignonne ( AKA Good Ol’ Beef Stew with Red Wine, Honey)
Boeuf a la Bourguignonne ”Serves 2 generously with leftovers, or 4 people”
“6 strips bacon, cut into 1/2″” pieces “
“3 lbs (or more) beef chuck or rump, cut into 1/2″” cubes”
“6 carrots, peeled and sliced (I like to use Publix’s bagged “”Microwavable carrots”" as a time saver)”
“1 medium onion, diced”
1.5 t salt
1/8 t pepper
3 T flour
10 oz can of condensed beef broth or beef consomme
1 T tomato paste
“2 cloves garlic, minced”
1/2 t thyme
1 bay leaf
The following gets added later in the recipe:
“1/2 pkg of Birds Eye Frozen Pearl Onions, defrosted”
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms (or one can button mushrooms)
2 C (or more) Burgundy wine (Gallo’s Hearty Burgundy is an inexpensive choice that works well)
1/4 c flour
2 T butter
“Small Shell noodles, cooked”
“Crisp bacon in a 6 qt pot. Remove and drain on paper towels, saving grease. Add beef cubes , carrots and onions to brown in bacon grease. Once browned, add flour and cook 3-4 minutes while stirring. Add crisp bacon pieces, salt, pepper, broth, tomato paste, garlic, thyme & bay leaf. Add wine (2 C, at least, enough to cover meat). Bring to a boil on top of the stove and then cook slowly over low heat (can be done on stove top or in 350 degree oven) for 3 hours or until beef is tender, stirring occasionally. In a separate pan, fry fresh mushrooms until barely cooked (this step is not necessary if you use canned) and add these along with Pearl Onions to stew and cook for an additional 1/2 hour. In a small bowl, combine flour with butter (cutting it in much like you would if you were making a pie crust, adding more flour if necessary - you want it to be drier rather than too buttery. Add this mixture 2 T at a time while mixing in order to thicken the sauce. (Mixing the flour with the butter eliminates lumps.) You want the juice to be slightly thick but not as thick as regular gravy. Serve stew over shell noodles (they catch the good sauce!). This can be made ahead and I believe it actually tastes better the next day, as the flavors meld. “