Crock Pot Beef Burgundy

Crock Pot Beef Burgundy
from The Gourmet Slow Cooker, by Lynn Alley

I was given my crock pot for Christmas last year, and I’ve used it twice, both times for this recipe. Once last summer (a bad idea considering the heat) and once a week ago … perfect for the chill that’s finally in the air at night. I know that the point of crock pot cooking is simplicity: just throw a bunch of stuff in the pot and leave it until a miraculously fantastic dish occurs. This recipe, while easy, does require some sautéing, though you could probably go without if you’re feeling lazy. It’s satisfying on day one, and even better on days two and three, squished between two slabs of buttered bread.

Ingredients:

- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 ½ lbs beef stew meat, trimmed of fat, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cups full-bodied red wine, such as Pinot Noir or Beaujolais
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 20 baby white onions
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 lb small button mushrooms, halved
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh thyme, for garnish

Directions:

Prepare meat:

1) Combine the flour and salt in a resealable plastic bag. Add the meat to the bag, several pieces at a time, and shake to coat completely.

2) Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add 2 Tbsp of the oil. In batches if necessary, add the beef and cook, turning, for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned on all sides. Using tongs, transfer to paper towels to drain, then arrange in the slow cooker.

3) Add the wine to the pan and stir over medium-high heat to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken. Stir in salt to taste. Add the garlic, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Pour over the beef in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours until the meat is very tender.

Prepare onions (to add one hour before beef is done):

4) While the stew is cooking, peel and trim the onions. Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 Tbsp oil. Add the onions and sauté, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. One hour before serving, add the onions to the stew and continue cooking until the onions are tender.

Prepare mushrooms (to add half an hour before beef is done):

Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the butter. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms to the stew 30 minutes before serving. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Transfer the stew to a soup tureen. Garnish with the chopped thyme and serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6.

Next up from this book: Apricot Chicken. There is also a curry I'd like to try.

Crock pot note:
I know that there are some wonderful gourmet crock pots out there … I think it was some fancy All-Clad Slow Cooker that all the food magazines were raving about earlier this year … but mine does an admirable job and can be found at Target for $20 or less.

SERVE IT FORTH: INDEX OF RECIPES