This recipe is easy and you don’t have to be exact. Remember Sister Bridget who taught Home Arts? If you didn’t measure each ingredient to within dust and check it off in your cooking journal, she went into a snit for a week. You can with sweet memories cook this in her honor.
2 1/2 lbs beef stew in 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces or any cut of beef you prefer
4 to 6 slices of bacon, quartered
Olive oil
All purpose flour
Salt and Black Pepper
14 oz can of beef broth
2 cups of red wine
6 oz can of tomato paste
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons of herb – either marjoram, parsley, thyme, tarragon, or chives. Select one.
1 to 2 cups cut carrots
15 oz jar of drained pearl onions or frozen pearl onions
8 oz mushrooms, cut in half if large
Lightly coat beef with flour and set aside. Begin bacon in stockpot over medium heat, then increase heat and brown half of beef and remove. Brown the other half of beef and remove.
Add half of beef broth to stockpot and deglaze by scraping the bottom with a plastic spoon and stirring for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in red wine, remaining beef broth, tomato paste, garlic, herb, salt and pepper. Return all the beef to the stockpot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
Add carrots and onions, cover, and simmer for another 30 minutes. As the last step, add mushrooms, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve over noodles or rice or with crusty bread. It looks and tastes great. Charles Marlin
