Here are the ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 8 ounces good bacon – diced
• 2½ to 3½ pounds Hole-In-One Ranch Grass Fed chuck roast cut into 1 1/2 - 2” cubes – trimmed to remove any large pieces of fat
• Coarse Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 6 carrots sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
• 2 yellow onions, sliced
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• ½ cup Cognac or good brandy (I use Courvoisier VSOP)
• 1 bottle good dry red wine (I use a $15-20 bottle of California Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 2 to 2 ½ cups beef broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• ½ stick butter (4TBSP)
• 1 bay leaf
• Flour
• 1 pound frozen small whole onions
• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
• Freshly chopped parsley – for garnish

Preparations:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Heat a little olive oil in either a large heavy skillet or large stock/soup pot or in your Dutch oven. Add the bacon and sauté over medium heat until brown. Remove bacon with slotted spoon to a large bowl.

Dry the beef cubes with a paper towel and sprinkle them liberally with salt, pepper, and coat with flour. In small batches with the meat not touching, lightly brown (not sear) the beef in the hot bacon grease for less than a minute on each side.  Remove the cubes to the bowl with the bacon and continue browning the remaining beef.

In the same bacon fat toss in the carrots, sliced onions, and garlic.  Cook over medium heat until the onions are lightly browned (10-12 min).       Then, add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol, which takes a few seconds.

Combine and mix the beef and bacon with the vegetables, along with any juices from the beef bowl into your Dutch oven. If you will be using a crock pot, add and mix the beef and bacon to the skillet/soup pot with the vegetables.

Add the wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the beef.  Add the tomato paste, bay leaf and thyme and bring to a boil on top of the stove.  As SOON as it begins to boil, remove from heat.  Pour into crock pot and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or cover the Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid and put in 180 degree oven for 7-8 hours. No peeking!

In the meantime, combine 2 TBL butter with 3 TBL flour and set aside. Then sauté the mushrooms in remaining 2 TBL butter until lightly browned. Cover and refrigerate.

After 7-8 hours . . . . . Dutch oven: Remove stew from oven and add flour and butter mixture, mushrooms, and frozen small onions.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

After 7-8 hours. . . . . Crock Pot: Turn crock pot to HIGH and add flour and butter mixture, mushrooms, and frozen small onions. Keep on high for 1/2 – 1 hour until sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

**If the sauce is too thin, you can add more of the butter and flour mixture. If too thick, add more broth.

Serving:

If serving that night, Remove bay leaf and Enjoy!

If serving the next day, cover and refrigerate when cooled down. Take out of refrigerator; remove bay leaf and fat on top.    Let sit at room temperature for and hour, then reheat to a simmer over LOW heat, cover and simmer about 20 minutes. Stir gently and often, Enjoy!

Presentation:

Toast or grill County/Rustic bread, rub one side with garlic cloves cut in half, butter the same side (optional) and sprinkle with just a little fresh parsley.

Spoon into bowls and top with fresh chopped parsley.

We love it over garlic mashed potatoes, but you could also use noodles, boiled potatoes, or even rice. Add a simple fresh “greens” salad before dinner, just perfect.

Beef Emergency:

Call Teri at 530-249-3791