Beef Burgundy

Boys being boys, they are always hungry.  Even in the summer, when I make a dish like this there are no leftovers.  Everyone complained of being hungry about 10 PM and I think this stew finished around 1:30 AM.  No one complained when they finally ate, they snacked on bacon till it was done, and I had to keep remaking bacon in the microwave. The source for this recipe was Dr. Atkin's New Diet Revolution.

Burgundy Beef Stew

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour

3 lbs. beef chuck, stew meat, cut into 1" cubes

1/4 lb. sliced bacon

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 med. onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 cups of dry red wine

1 can (14 1/2 ounces)  reduced-sodium beef broth plus a can of water

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tbsp butter

1/2 lb. button mushrooms

1. Spread flour on a plate; lightly coat beef pieces, tap off excess.  In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp.  Remove bacon, crumble and set aside.
2. Add oil to bacon fat in Dutch oven.  Brown beef in batches.  Transfer to a platter.  Add onion, carrot and celery to Dutch oven; cook 8 minutes, or until softened.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.  Pour in wine; increase heat to high.  Boil until wine is reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes.
3. Return beef and accumulated juices to Dutch oven.  Pour in beef broth and water; add bay leaf and thyme.  Reduce heat to low; cover partially and simmer 1 1/2 hours, until beef is tender.
4.  Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Saute' mushrooms until golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms to stew along with reserved bacon.  Remove bay leaf.  

Mine is served up on toasted sourdough bread for the boys.  Without the bread it is relatively low in carbs.  But any way you serve the stew, it is very tasty.  
6 Servings