SLOW COOKER BEEF BURGUNDY

SERVES 6

Beef Burgundy, also know as Beef bourguignon, is an iconic French recipe. It is a sumptuous and comforting slow-cooked stew. It is delicious over mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash.

INGREDIENTS
6 pieces bacon, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp/30 ml tomato paste, preferably in a glass jar

2½ lbs/1130 g beef stew meat or chuck roast, cut into 2-inch/5 cm cubes

salt and pepper

10 fresh thyme sprigs

1½ cups/350 ml Pinot Noir

2 cups/475 ml Beef Broth (bay leaves)

1 bay leaf

¼ cup fresh parsley leaves, minced for garnish

2 tbsp/30 g butter

1 cup/150 g of onions, sliced

8 oz/230 g of mushrooms, stems discarded and sliced

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Cook bacon until crisp, in a heavy bottom pot with a lid or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour bacon fat into a small bowl or a glass jar, leave enough behind to sauté the vegetables, about 1 tablespoon. Add chopped onion and carrots to the skillet and sauté until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes, add garlic cloves and sauté until fragrant about 1 minute. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and set aside. Generously add salt and pepper to the beef. Add another tablespoon of bacon fat if needed to the pot. Brown the beef, turning to make sure all sides are browned, about 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stirring frequently to make sure beef is well coated and cook until tomato paste goes from a bright red to a brick color, about 45 seconds. Add the wine, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of your pot. Add the broth, bay leaves, and thyme. Cover the pot with a lid and turn the heat down to low. Cook for 1½ hours covered. Cook for an additional 30 minutes uncovered to allow the sauce to thicken. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves. 15 minutes before the beef is ready, prep the sliced onions and mushrooms for garnish. Add butter to a medium-sized saucepan and turn heat to medium. Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes, add mushrooms and sauté for an additional 10 minutes, or until onions and mushrooms are tender. Add cooked and chopped bacon back to the beef. Adjust salt and pepper of beef to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley and mushroom and onion sauté and serve.