Beef Bourguignon

Saute bacon until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels and set aside. Keep drippings in the pot and sauté beef cubes, a few at a time until browned on all sides. Then set these beef cubes aside and continue with a fresh batch until all have been browned. You may need to add some olive or vegetable oil, depending on how much fat was originally rendered from the bacon.

When the beef is done, add the chopped onion into the remaining fat. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and flour. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Then add back in the beef cubes.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF

Add these four items, along with the reserved cooked bacon cubes, to the other ingredients in the Dutch oven. Bring to a simmer on the top of the stove.

Cover and place the pot in the oven, adjusting the heat so that the liquid simmers very slowly. The Rest of the Best cookbook says 2 hours. Julia Child recommends 3 or 4 hours. I tend to go with Julia. However, you will know it's ready when when a fork pierces the meat easily. Be careful not to overcook as you don't want the cubes to fall apart.

Boil the sliced carrots in a pot of water until just tender. Lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside.

In the same water, boil the small onions until just done. If using frozen pearl onions instead, defrost and drain. If using chopped larger onions, saute them in a skillet with half the butter and set aside until evenly browned. Set aside.

In a skillet, melt the remaining butter and, over high heat, saute the mushroom halves until browned. Set aside.

Note: If you need to add more liquid to the sauce, you can use reserved vegetable water from this stage. Forget I said this - more red wine is probably an even better idea!

When the meat is cooked and tender, but not falling apart, transfer the Dutch Oven onto a burner. Add the prepared carrots, pearl onions, and mushrooms. Bring the contents up to a boil, then simmer to reduce and thicken the sauce with cornstarch if it is too thin.

Garnish with fresh parsley, and serve in shallow bowls with mashed potatoes. Have sliced baguettes on hand to sop up every last bit of the beef bourguignon.