Adalaide and Herb Balaban	Return beef and bacon to casserole

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Beef Bourguignon

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 24, 1973

Yield: Serves 4

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Ingredients

• 1 (4-oz) chunk of bacon or salt pork

• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil

• 2 lb lean stew beef, cut in 2-inch cubes

• 2 carrots, cut in diagonal pieces

• 1 onion, sliced

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 2 Tbsp flour

• 3 cups Burgundy wine

• 1 (13 1/2-oz) can beef bouillon

• 1 Tbsp tomato paste

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1/2 tsp thyme

• 1 bay leaf, crumbled

• 1 lb small white onions

• 1/2 lb quartered, fresh mushrooms, sautéed in butter

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Preparation

Remove rind from bacon or pork and cut into strips. Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes and drain.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sauté bacon in oil over moderate heat in a heatproof casserole for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Set aside. Sauté the stew beef in smoking fat, a few pieces at a time, until brown. Set aside.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the fat. Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with flour, and toss again to coat the beef slightly with flour.

Set casserole uncovered in the middle of the preheated oven for 4 minutes more. This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust. Remove the casserole; turn down to 325 degrees.

Stir in the wine. Dilute the beef bouillon with one can of water in a separate container. Add enough stock to the casserole to barely cover the meat, reserving about 1/4 cup for later use. Add tomato paste, garlic, herbs. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Cover the casserole and set on lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 3 or 4 hours. The meat is done when easily pierced with a fork.

Clean onions and mushrooms. Simmer onions in remaining stock for about 10 minutes. Sauté mushrooms and distribute through stew before serving on buttered noodles.