Eats: Beef Bourguignon

Thanks to the ever changing Bay Area weather, today is the perfect day to share with you a recipe for one of my all-time favorite rainy day foods. Beef Bourguignon may seem a bit tedious in its preparation, but I've tested both complicated (sorry Ina Garten) and simple recipes (love you William-Sonoma meat handbook) allowing me to realize that the end results are similarly delicious. Pare it with mashed potatoes and crusty bread to sop up all the delicious juices and I promise your belly will be thanking you. Keep reading after the jump for the full recipe. File under yummy.

Ingredients:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 lb. beef chuck, cubed (I used 3 large steaks)
• Dried thyme
• Salt and Pepper
• 4 slices of peppered bacon, diced
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 3/4 bag of baby carrots, chopped in half
• 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
• Bundle of fresh thyme, celery leaves and bay leaf tied together with kitchen twine
• 1/2+ bottle of yummy red wine (Bordeaux preferably but any old red will work)
• Can of beef broth
• About 12 pearl onions (defrosted if frozen, boil them for a few minutes to peel if fresh)
• Small package of baby bella mushrooms
• Fresh Italian flat leaf parsley for garnish
• Roux made of melted butter and flour or slurry made of cornstarch and water

Recipe: 

The overall basic structure is as follows: saute the meats and veggies separately (one after the other in the same pot), dump the liquid and herb bundle in, cover and simmer for as long as you can bear it. If it needs thickening after an hour or two, add a slurry of  cornstarch and water or a roux of butter and flour. Saute the pearl onions and mushrooms separately and add right at the end of cooking time. Garnish and enjoy!

1. Sprinkle the cubed meat with about a tablespoon each of dried thyme, salt and pepper.
2. Saute in small batches in a deep bottom pot over medium heat with a little olive oil.
3. Remove meat as it's cooked and set aside to add later.
4. Saute chopped bacon in same pot until crispy. No need to add any more oil.
5. Add chopped onions, carrots and garlic to pot with bacon and saute until the onions are translucent.
6. Add back the sauteed meat and her bundle. Cover with the wine and the beef broth, almost all the way up the side of the whole mixture.
7. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for one to two hours, add the slurry or roux if needed after an hour.
8. When almost ready to eat, saute the pearl onions and mushrooms in olive oil with salt and pepper. 
9. Turn the heat off the large mixture, add in the onions and mushrooms, remove the herb bundle, garnish with parsley and serve!

[Images via: Food & Wine]