Recipe of the Week: All-Day Beef Bourguignon

I always wanted to make Beef Bourguignon, and I found this recipe for this crockpot version.

All-Day Beef Bourguignon

2 cups thinly sliced onion (from 1 extra-large onion or 2 medium-size ones)
1 cup thinly sliced pre-peeled baby carrots
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 pounds pre-cubed lean beef stew meat salt and black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 package (8 ounces) pre-sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves 1 can (14 ounces) low-sodium beef broth
1 cup dry red wine
2 scallions, both white and light green parts, chopped (for 1/4 cup), for garnish

1. Place the onion, carrots, and garlic in the bottom of a 4 1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker and stir to mix.

2. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge the beef in the flour, then shake off the excess. Place the beef on top of the onion mixture, then scatter the mushrooms, oregano, and bay leaves on top of the beef. Pour the beef broth and red wine over the beef.

3. Cover the cooker and cook the beef until it is quite tender and the liquid has cooked down and thickened, 6 hours on high heat or 10 hours on low heat.

4. To serve, remove and discard the bay leaves. Spoon the stew into bowls and garnish with chopped scallions.

Recipe found in The Dinner Doctor cookbook.

From my experience: I wanted to an easier way without patting and flouring the meat, so I asked my good friend the chef. She advised me to take the lid off, then put a little mix made of same parts water and cornstarch into the stew once it was nearing the end to thicken it. That mixture was sneaky. I thought it wasn't going to work since nothing was happening, so I added a little more. Then I checked on it about 15 minutes later and magically it had a much thicker consistency. I started my stew later than I should have, so it didn't get the full 6 hours. As a result, not only was there more liquid but it had a pretty strong wine flavor which would have reduced given more time to cook off. For the red wine, I used a dry, cheap Pinot Noir. Anyway, I will probably make this again because it was a fancy meal fit for the crockpot. Enjoy!