Beef Bourguignon

From For the Love, by Jen Hatmaker. This is a very rich and flavorful dish, perhaps even a little manly. It looks like a difficult recipe, but it actually comes together pretty easily. It is best served over noodles or maybe even rice, but not served like a stew or soup. It is also delicious with sourdough bread. I used to leave the bacon grease, but I’m going to try to drain it next time because it was pretty heavy.

**This can be DAIRY FREE if using ghee or GLUTEN FREE if using gluten free flour**

Ingredients

• 8 ounces bacon, diced
• 2 1/2 pounds chuck beef, cut in 1 inch cubes
• sea salt
• pepper
• 1 pound carrots, diced
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 bottle dry red wine, something light
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leave or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 3 tablespoons butter (or ghee) at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or sprouted whole wheat flour
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced, or 8 ounces canned
• Serve with sourdough bread, garlic sourdough bread, homemade sourdough pasta or Bionaturae sourdough pasta, or mashed potatoes

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in a dutch oven. Add bacon and cook over medium for about 10 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and place on a plate for later. Leave grease.

Dry the beef cubes and sprinkle with generous amount of salt and pepper. Sear beef in the dutch oven in the bacon grease. Remove beef and place on the bacon plate for later.

Place carrots, onions, 1 tablespoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of pepper in grease in a dutch oven and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook one more minute.

Put meat and bacon back in pot. Add canned or fresh mushrooms.

Add the bottle of wine.

Add enough beef broth to cover the meat, 2 cups should be enough.

Add tomato paste and thyme.

Bring to a simmer, cover pot with the lid and put in oven for about 1.5 hours or until meat and vegetables are fork tender.

While meat is cooking, combine 3 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons flour in a skillet on the stovetop and stir with a fork.

Add flour mixture to the stew.

Put dutch oven back on stove and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for fifteen minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over egg noodles, or sourdough pasta, or rice with a side of sourdough bread.