Beef Burgundy

We made a trip to Minnesota for Thanksgiving, which by the way I am very proud of our little Stella. She was such a good baby flying for the first time and didn't fuss at all. While we were there visiting my husband's family, his tia Cindy Blaha had a gathering for us at her house. There was a lot of food, but to me the most memorable was the beef bourgogne. The meat was tender and the sauce just right. I found this Crock-pot recipe from America's Test Kitchen and it's actually quite simple and it doesn't have too many ingredients. I think the hardest part of this recipe is the waiting!

A tip about this recipe is to make sure to use the low setting on your slow cooker; the stew will burn on the high setting. Serve with boiled potatoes (the traditional accompaniment), mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or over toasted French bread.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6 to 8)

• 8 ounces bacon , chopped
• 4 pounds beef stew meat (preferably chuck)
• 1 large onion , chopped fine
• 2 carrots , peeled and chopped fine
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 1/2 cups Pinot Noir
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons Minute Tapioca
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• 1 package white mushrooms, sliced

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate and refrigerate. Pour half of bacon fat into small bowl; set skillet with remaining bacon fat aside.
2. Dry beef thoroughly with paper towels. Season beef with salt and pepper; place half of beef in slow cooker insert. Heat skillet containing remaining bacon fat over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook remaining beef in single layer until deep brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer browned beef to slow cooker insert.
3. Add reserved bacon fat to now-empty skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, carrots, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until vegetables begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and stir until beginning to brown, about 45 seconds. Transfer mixture to slow cooker insert.
4. Return now-empty skillet to high heat and add 1 1/2 cups wine, chicken broth, and soy sauce. Simmer, scraping up brown bits, until pan bottom is clean, about 1 minute. Transfer wine mixture to slow cooker insert.
5. Stir bay leaves and tapioca into slow cooker insert. Set slow cooker on low, cover, and cook until meat is fork-tender, about 9 hours. About halfway through the cooking, add the sliced mushrooms.
6. When ready to serve, discard bay leaves and stir in reserved bacon. Bring remaining 1 cup wine to boil in large skillet over high heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir reduced wine and parsley into stew and adjust seasonings. Serve.