Beef Burgundy

Ingredients (7 servings)

• 3 cups dry red wine
• 2 cups beef stock
• ¹/₄ cup cognac or brandy
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
• ¹/₄ cup parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 10 black peppercorns
• 3 whole cloves
• 2 allspice berries
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch chunks
• ¹/₂ pound bacon, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound pearl onions, peeled
• 1 pound white mushrooms, wiped clean and bottoms trimmed
• ¹/₂ teaspoon salt
• ¹/₄ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Cooking Instructions (total time : 1 hour)

1. Make the marinade by combining the red wine, beef stock, cognac or brandy, carrots, garlic, thyme, parsley, rosemary, peppercorns, cloves, allspice and bay leaf. Stir.
2. Take the meat and place it in the marinade overnight.
3. Fry the bacon in butter in a pot then set the bacon aside. The pot should still have the melted butter and the bacon fat.
4. Brown the meat from the marinade in the pot using the leftover bacon fat and butter then remove the meat and set it aside.
5. Now take the vegetables from the marinade and drain them then cook them in the pot still using the butter/bacon juice for cooking.
6. Add the tomato paste to the vegetables cook for a 3 minutes.
7. Now take the marinade liquid and add it to the pot a little at a time, stirring all the time.
8. Now put in the beef and the bacon and simmer for 3 hours.
9. Mix a tablespoon of butter and all purpose flour.
10. In a separate pan saute the onion and mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to taste.
11. Add the butter and flour mix to the onion and mushrooms. Mix till it becomes thick.
12. Add the vegetable and butter mix to the pot with the meat and marinade sauce. Stir.
13. Simmer for 5 minutes then serve.