Boeuf Borguignon

This....is a long one. Good luck.

6 oz chunk of bacon, unsliced (salted pork)
3 lbs lean stewing beef, cubed
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp flour
3 c. Chianti wine
2 c. beef broth
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, sashed
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf, crumbled


Remove rind from bacon and cut bacon into small pieces. Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Sautee the bacon in 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove from oil. Reheat oil.

Dry the beef with a paper towl and sautee in hot oil. Remove from oil.

Add chopped onion and carrot to the same pot and sautee. Return the beef and bacon to the pot and sprinkle in the flour. Put the pot, uncovered, into the oven for 4 minutes. Stir meat and cook for 4 additional minutes. Turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in wine and beef broth. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on to p of the stove. Then cover the cassderole and set in the lower third of preheated oven. Cook for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.

When the meat is tender, pur the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole pan and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

Skim the fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce. Serve with rice, potatoes, or buttered noodles.