Boeuf Bourguignon

I ventured out and made this wonderful classic French recipe last week for dinner on Friday night. It's definitely worth the time and effort! So pop open and bottle of French wine, create a French music channel on Pandora and get cooking. Bon Appetit!


Boeuf Bourguignon

1 whole head of garlic
2 tablespoons plus 2 cups dry red wine

4 thick bacon slices, cut into 1-inch wide strips
3 1/2 pounds boneless beef cross-rib roast, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 large fresh thyme sprigs
3 large fresh sage sprigs
3 large fresh rosemary sprigs
2 bay leaves
3 cups (or more) canned beef broth

12 ounces pearl onions
3 bunches baby carrots, trimmed, peeled

12 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, quartered

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Place garlic on large piece of foil. Pour 2 tablespoons wine over garlic. Wrap foil around garlic to enclose. Roast garlic until soft, about 40 minutes. Cool. Press garlic between fingertips to release from skins; set aside.

Cook bacon in large pot over medium heat until brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels. Pour drippings into small bowl. Return 2 tablespoons to same pot; reserve remainder. Increase heat to high. Working in batches, add beef to pot and brown, about 7 minutes per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer meat to large bowl.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add chopped onion and chopped carrot to pot; saute 5 minutes. Mix in flour. Return beef and accumulated juices to pot. Stir in tomato paste. Add herb sprigs, bay leaves, roasted garlic and 2 cups wine; simmer 15 minutes. Add 3 cups broth. Cover; simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Uncover; simmer until meat is tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours longer. Discard herb sprigs and bay leaves.

Cook pearl onions in large saucepan of boiling salted water for minutes. Using 4 to 5 inch diameter strainer, transfer onions to medium bowl; cool slightly, then peel. Return water to boil. Add carrots and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain. Transfer to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain.

Heat 2 tablespoons reserved bacon drippings in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; saute until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add pearl onions to mushrooms; saute until onions are golden, about 4 minutes. Add carrots; cook until heated through , about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Bring stew to simmer, thinning with more broth, if desired. Stir bacon and 2/3 of vegetables into stew. Transfer to large bowl. Top stew with remaining vegetables.

Finished Product