Beef and Mushroom Stew

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 slices bacon, finely chopped
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced into thick coins
• 1 stalk celery, thickly sliced
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (you can use less, if you wish)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 lbs stewing beef, in large cubes
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups peeled white pearl onions (optional)
• 1/2 lb button mushroom, cleaned and left whole
• 1 cup sour cream (lowfat is fine)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley

Directions

1. 1

   In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt butter and add oil.

2. 2

   Add bacon pieces to fat and cook, stirring often, until bacon starts to brown.

3. 3

   Add onion, garlic, carrots, celery, worcestershire, and herbs and spices.

4. 4

   Cook, stirring often, until onion is softened (it takes about 5 minutes).

5. 5

   Pat beef cubes dry with a paper towel, if necessary, then dredge in flour until cubes are evenly coated.

6. 6

   Increase heat under Dutch oven to medium-high and cook beef, adding a few pieces at a time to pan; let pieces brown before adding new ones.

7. 7

   When all beef cubes have browned, add wine to pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring and scraping up any brown bits on bottom of pan.

8. 8

   Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.

9. 9

   Reduce heat to low, partially cover pot, and let simmer for one hour.

10. 10

    Stir in pearl onions; if you don't want to be bothered peeling the pearl onions, substitute 1-1/2 cups of cubed yellow onion.

11. 11

    Continue to cook on low heat, partially covered, for another hour.

12. 12

    Remove pot lid and add mushrooms; simmer for 30 additional minutes; beef should be very tender.

13. 13

    Just before serving, remove pot from heat and stir in sour cream and parsley; return to heat to heat through; DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL.

14. 14

    Taste, add more salt and pepper if necessary, fish out bay leaf (if you can find it) and discard, and serve.

15. 15

    I serve it with rice (personal preference) but mashed potatoes or egg noodles also work well.