I have scoured so many cookbooks to find a recipe that was somewhat easy to make and delicious. This recipe is adapted from Ina Garden, as a fan of her cookbooks, cooking show and all things Jeffrey it just made sense that this was the recipe that I use over and over again, with a few tweaks of course.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon good olive oil

10 ounces smoked bacon, cut into pieces.

2 and 1/2 pounds chuck beef, cut in to 1 inch cubes, go to your local butcher, you will thank me later.

Kosher Salt, Diamond is the brand I use.

Fresh ground black pepper

1 pound carrot, sliced and cut into 1 inch chunks

2 sweet onions, sliced

2 teaspoons chopped garlic, about 3 cloves

1/2 cup Cognac, use the best you can find, never cook with bad alchohol.

1 bootle good dry red wine, Pinot Noir is my wine of choice.

2 cups beef broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste, I buy the paste in the tube.

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, fresh is best.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided.

1 pound frozen whole onions, the small ones in a bag.

1 pound cleaned mushroom caps, sliced.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Chopped parsley for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 250°

2. Heat the olive oil is a large Dutch oven (Staub is my pot of choice). Add in the chopped bacon and cook over medium heat until slightly brown. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate.

3. Dry the beef cubes with a paper towel. and salt and pepper thoroughly. Working in batches, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Move all seared beef to plate and set aside.

4. Add the carrots, onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of ground pepper to the Dutch oven, cook in the beef fat for 15 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for another minutes. Add in the Cognac, light the liquid with a match to burn off the alchohol. Be careful with this step, stand back from the flame. After the flame is gone, add the beef back in to the Dutch oven. Pour in the bottle of wine and beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add in the tomato paste and fresh thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven for 1 hour and fifteen minuets-ish. The meat and vegetables will be done when pierced with a fork and tender to the touch.

5. Mix together the 2 tablespoons of butter and flour in small bowl, stir into stew. Add in frozen onions. Sauté the mushrooms in the remaining butter and add to stew after the slices have browned. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

6. Serve over my grandmothers buttermilk biscuits or toasted sour dough bread, garnish with chopped parsley. You may want to serve the stew in a bowl with the bread on the side, that would be a great idea too.