Boeuf Bourguignon

        9- to 10-inch, fireproof casserole dish , 3 inches deep

      Slotted spoon

            6 ounces bacon

      1 Tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil

      3 pounds lean stewing beef , cut into 2-inch cubes

      1 sliced carrot

      1 sliced onion

            1 tsp. salt

      1/4 tsp. pepper

      2 Tbsp. flour

             3 cups full-bodied, young red wine , such as a Chianti

             2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon

      1 Tbsp. tomato paste

              2 cloves mashed garlic

      1/2 tsp. thyme

      Crumbled bay leaf

      Blanched bacon rind

      18 to 24 small white onions , brown-braised in stock

              1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms , sautéed in butter

       Parsley sprigs

      Remove rind from bacon, and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and

       bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef. 

Dry the stewing beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon. 

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sauteing fat. 

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees. 

Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily. 

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed. 

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat. 

Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

For immediate serving: Covet the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley. 

For later serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

This is Julia Childs recipe.  It's the second time I've made it and I have to say that this time was a lot easier than the first.  I was very intimidated making it the first time.  I was so afraid of messing it up and there were a lot of terms and steps that I was not familiar with.  That's one of the reason why I have embraced cooking.  I wanted to learn to be a better cook and I wanted to be able to make a variety of meals instead of the same old thing week after week.  The first time I made this it took me all day.  I used every dish in the kitchen and it took twice as long to clean everything up!  The first time I made this I served it with noodles and the family gave it a thumbs up.  This time I served it with mashed potatoes.  This time it was a lot easier to make since I knew what lay ahead of me.  I may have taken a short cut or two but got the same results, no disrespect to Julia!  I just used bacon, sauteing it in the olive oil and I omitted the bacon rind.  I used it the first time and didn't even notice a difference so just know that you can just use the bacon and be done with that part.  I put more than one carrot in the dish.  I used about three small ones.  I mixed my thyme, basil and tomato paste in with the meat BEFORE I added the wine and beef stock.  I sauteed the mushrooms in butter and braised the onions in the broth but then after I removed the mushrooms from the pan I sauteed the onions in the butter that was leftover from the mushrooms which gave the onions a more browned, caramelized