Adapted from Julia Child and “The Answer is Always Pork” http://theanswerisalwayspork.com/julia-childs-beef-bourguignon/

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. bacon
• 3 lbs. beef stew meat, cubed (about 2″)
• 3 large carrots, chopped roughly (about 1″ or so)
• 1 large sweet onion, diced roughly
• 2-4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups red wine
• 2 cups (or more) plus 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1 heaping Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 tsp. dried thyme, divided in half
• 20 pearl onions
• 3 Tbsp. salted butter
• 1 lb. mushrooms (Cremini preferred), rinsed and quartered.
• 2 Tbsp. flour, optional

Step 1: Browning
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

  If bacon is purchased in a slab, slice in large pieces (do not dice); if already pre-sliced, do not slice further. In a large pot (cast iron or ceramic – like Le Creuset work best), brown (sear) the bacon on the stove top over medium high to high heat. If it begins to smoke, add a small amount of olive oil to prevent burning. Once each side is brown and begins to crisp, remove from heat with a slotted spoon, leaving as much bacon fat as possible in the pot. Do not reduce the heat. If oil does not coat the pan, add olive oil gradually to coat.

  
Next, pat the beef to dry as much as possible using a paper towel. In batches, arrange beef cubes in a single layer in the pot; sear and brown each surface of the cube (about 2 minutes per side); then remove the cubes and set them aside while browning additional batches. Make sure to leave as much fat as possible in the pot for the next batch. Add more oil as needed, making sure the beef does not stick and burn. Once finished, remove the remaining browned meat, while retaining the oil/fat.

  
Brown the chopped onions and carrot by cooking in the same pot over medium-high heat, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Add the beef and bacon back to the pot. Toss in about 1 Tbsp. flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper to coat the mixture. Cover and place in the 450 degree oven. Bake for 4 minutes; remove from oven; toss the mixture again and return to oven for another 4 minutes. Remove.

If you plan to braise the meat in the oven (and not, instead, using a slow cooker), reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees at this point. If using a slow cooker, turn off oven.

Step 2: Braising
Return the pot to the stove top on medium heat. Add the red wine and beef stock; stir to incorporate. Add the tomato paste, garlic, one bay leaf, and 1/2 tsp. thyme (if using fresh thyme, chop and double the amount). Bring the mixture to a simmer; cover and cook for about 15 minutes.

If braising in the oven, cover the pot and place it back in the now 325 degree oven. Cook for 2-3 hours.

If using a slow cooker/Crock Pot, transfer the stew to the slow cooker’s bowl; turn on the unit. If you must leave unattended for an extended period of time, use a low heat setting and cook for 5+ hours. If you are able, cook over high heat for 90 minutes to two hours; add the pearl onions (see instructions below), reduce heat setting to low and cook for 2 or more hours on low.

Step 3: Vegetables and Assembly
While the meat undergoes the slow braise, cook the Pearl onions: If using fresh Pearl onions, peel them. An easy way to do so is to first bring about a quart of water to a boil in a clean saucepan. Add the onions and blanch for about 3 minutes. Drain and remove the onions. Cut the tip of one end of each onion and gently squeeze each onion out of its skin. You can also rub the skin off with dish towels. Cut off the root ends and set aside.

If using the slow cooker, you can reuse the original stew pot to cook the onions; just discard or gently wipe out any pieces of yellow onion or meat left in the pot. Add 1 Tbsp. of butter and heat on high. Once the butter has melted and begun to sizzle, add the peeled pearl onions to the pot and brown. Add about 1/2 cup beef stock, and the remaining bay leaf and thyme. Toss to coat and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Add to the braising stew mixture up to 2 hours before serving or storage.

While the stew continues to cook, rinse and quarter the mushrooms. Over medium heat (reuse the same pot used for the onions), melt 2 Tbsp. butter until sizzling. Add the mushrooms and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt to draw liquid out of the mushrooms and provide additional liquid to cook the mushrooms. Cover and cook for 5-10 minutes until the mushrooms have reduced in volume by about half. Remove the lid and simmer on low heat for another 5-10 minutes to allow some of the liquid to reduce.

About an hour prior to serving, you may add the mushrooms to the rest of the stew. Meanwhile, prepare your starch (boil, roast, and/or mash potatoes or substitute (see Tips, above).

Step 4 (Optional): Thicken the stew
If you need not stay gluten free, make a roux to thicken the stew. add about 2 Tbsp. flour to a small, dry bowl. spoon about 1/3 cup of the hot stew liquid (avoid the solid ingredients) into the bowl and whisk thoroughly until a smooth paste is formed. Gradually ladle another 1/2 cup (give or take) of hot stew liquid into the paste and whisk again. Gradually whisk/stir in the roux into the stew pot until fully incorporated. Simmer for about 10 minutes to thicken if desired.

Store leftovers in airtight containers. This dish is one for which leftovers are as good – if not better than freshly prepared!