Fancy Beef Stew
Fancy Beef Stew (Beef Bourguignon)
Adapted from My Prairie Cookbook
This is a bit higher in points than a regular dinner, but I think it will be worth it for a special meal!
https://cmx.weightwatchers.com/details/MEMBERRECIPE:62b660a3154eb213217afa5d
- 3 pounds lean beef stew meat
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 bouquet garni (see note)
- 1 750 ml bottle red wine, such as Pinot Noir ((I am only counting points for 2 cups of wine because that is all we will be using in the final recipe))
- 6 oz center cut bacon, cut into small pieces
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 1/2 pounds small button mushrooms, trimmed, quartered if large
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Put the beef, onion, carrots, garlic and bouquet garni in a large bowl. Add the wine. Using your hands, mix all the ingredients together, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
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Remove the beef from the marinade, reserving 2 cups of the liquid, and dry the meat well on paper towels,
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Fry the bacon in a large pot over medium heat until crisp, about 7 minutes. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add it to the pot and brown it on all sides, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and cook, stirring constatly for 3 minutes. Add the reserved marinade, vegetables, 3 cups of beef broth and 2 cups of water and bring them to a boil over high heat, scraping up any brown bits. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the meat is tender, about 3 hours.
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Add the mushrooms and cook for 30 minutes longer until the mushrooms are tender. Remove the bouquet garni before serving.
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NOTES: If you can't get a bouquet garni in the store, you can make your own with 1 sprig fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf, 4 sprigs fresh parsley, 1 spring fresh tarragon (optional) and 4 peppercorns. Wrap it all up in a bundle of cheesecloth and tie closed with kitchen string – leave the string long to tie to the handle of the pot to make it easy to remove.