Wine Merchant's Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds grass-finished beef stew meat
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup flour (gluten-free if you like)
- 4 strips nitrate-free thick bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 4 tablespoons grass-fed butter with a splash of olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bottle Côtes du Rhône red wine
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 15 small pearl onions, peeled, trimmed and left whole
- 4 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 15 small potatoes
- 1 package frozen peas
- Parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
- Season the beef with salt and pepper and toss it in a large plastic bag with flour. Shake it around to distribute the flour evenly. Cook the bacon in a large heavy-bottomed pot until crispy, then remove. Heat the butter and olive oil in the pot over medium-high heat and add half the meat. Sear on all sides and remove. Repeat with the remaining meat. Add the garlic and sauté briefly. Slowly pour in the wine to deglaze the pot, making sure to scrape all the bits off the bottom. Bring to a boil. Add the beef and its juices, thyme and bay leaves and bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 1 hour. Add the onions, carrots and potatoes and cook for another hour until both the meat and the vegetables are tender (it may take longer). Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves and season with salt and pepper. Add the peas and cook for five minutes more or until warm. Plate the dish and garnish with parsley.
