Boozy treat

I love nothing more than walking through the door after an afternoon of playing soccer mum (or drum mum, or dance mum, or basketball mum...) to the smell of something delicious that has been bubbling away for hours in the slow cooker. If that something happens to contain a large quantity of alcoholic beverage, then the smell is all the more delicious! Why, I feel more relaxed immediately! This recipe is for one such delicious something.

I've always loved Boeuf Bourguignon, and I think it is one reason I could never go vegetarian. There is just something about that combination of beef and red wine. And if you add those little pearl onions and cook them in the same boozy combination... well, that just tips me over the edge.

I've been trying to go cold turkey on my amazon cookbook habit, so the original recipe for this dish is from a book I've had for a few years called Slow Cooking Around the World by Carolyn Humphries. I confess I haven't tried many things from it, as it is almost completely devoid of pictures. When it comes to cookbooks, I need dribble-worthy photographs. However, I did make an exception this week, and I'm glad I did, because if this isn't dribble-worthy, then I don't know what is:

Beef in Burgundy with Pearl Onions
Serves 4

4 TBSP all purpose flour (plain flour)
salt and black pepper
1 1/2 lbs lean diced stew (braising) beef
3 TBSP canola/sunflower oil
2 oz diced pancetta
4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
20 peeled pearl onions (thawed if frozen)
5 oz sliced mushrooms
1 1/4 cups red wine
1 cup beef stock
1 TBSP brandy
1 TBSP tomato paste/puree
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
2 TBSP chopped fresh thyme

1. In a large Ziploc bag, shake together the flour with salt and pepper. Add the diced beef and shake to coat with the flour mixture.
2. Heat 1 TBSP oil in a large frying pan/skillet and add the pancetta and carrots. Saute for 2 minutes or so, stirring, by which time the pancetta should be starting to brown. Transfer to the slow cooker stoneware. Add the raw mushrooms to the slow cooker also.
3. Add the onions to the same skillet and sauté until they are lightly browned. Transfer to the slow cooker.
4. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and tip in the meat. Cook, stirring, until the meat is browned on all sides, then transfer to the slow cooker.
5. In a bowl, mix together the wine, stock, brandy, tomato paste/puree, mustard and sugar. Add any remaining flour from the Ziploc bag to the skillet, then pour in the wine mixture. Bring this to a boil, stirring, then mix into the ingredients already in the slow cooker. Stir in the dried thyme.
6. Cook on low for 8-10 hours (or on high for 5 hours), by which time the meat will be meltingly tender, and the sauce rich and fragrant. Serve over mashed potatoes or polenta.