Beef Bourguignon is a classic French beef stew, which is cooked in red wine that comes from the Burgundy region of France. It was a peasant dish, but is now considered an elegant meal. Serve it with a crusty bread to sop up those wonderful juices.
3 lb. stew beef, cubed
1 lb. wide egg noodles or farfalle pasta
2-3 c. beef stock/broth
3 c. red wine, like a good Burgandy or a Cabernet
5 carrots, washed and chopped
4 slices bacon, cut into strips
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, finely chopped
2-3 bay leaves
3 T. all-purpose flour
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 T. tomato paste
1/2 - 1 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. rosemary
1/4 t. cloves
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Pat cubed beef dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat; cook bacon until browned and crispy. Transfer to a bowl, leaving bacon fat in the Dutch oven.
Turn heat up to medium-high; brown cubed beef in batches, adding more olive oil as necessary. When browned, transfer to bowl with the bacon; set aside.
Add onions and carrots, seasoned with salt and pepper; saute until soft and tender, about 6-8 minutes.
Return beef and bacon to the vegetables; sprinkle in flour; toss to coat everything; transfer Dutch oven into the oven for 4 minutes, uncovered.
Toss everything again; roast 4 minutes.
Remove pot to stove on medium heat and turn oven heat down to 325 degrees.
Stir tomato paste into beef and veggies; cook for 3-5 minutes.
Pour in liquids until meat is just covered; add garlic, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary and cloves; simmer.
Cover; place in oven for 3 hours. Check at 2 hours to see how much liquid is left, adding more stock if meat is no longer covered. Note: sauce should be reduced and thickened, and meat should be falling apart.
When meat is tender, transfer Dutch oven back to stove; keep on low heat until ready to serve.
Adjust seasoning to taste, as necessary.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil; cook farfalle according to packaging directions, or until al dente.
Serve beef bourguignon hot, on top of farfalle, pouring extra sauce over if desired, or instead of pasta, serve with mashed potatoes.
6-8 servings.