Boeuf Bourguignon

This is Julia Child's Boeuf, and one of Matt's favorites. It has a lot of steps, but it's well worth it. She recommends serving it with boiled potatoes, but we like it over mashed potatoes.

The best choice of meat for this stew would be a Rump Roast cut into chunks, next would be Chuck pot roast, sirloin tip, top or bottom round.

6 oz bacon cut into thick chunks
1 T olive oil
3 lbs beef, cut into 2 inch cubes
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 T flour
3 c. red wine (I used a Cote du Rhone)
2-3 c. beef stock
1 T tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 t. Thyme
Crumbled bay leaf
18-24 small white onions (You find these in the freezer section)
1 lb mushrooms cooked according to directions in  stroganoff and sauteed mushrooms

Preheat oven to 400. Saute bacon in oil in a casserole pan over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with slotted spoon. Reheat the pan until fat is almost smoking before you saute the beef. Dry the beef in paper towels or it will not brown. Saute it a few pieces at a time in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides, remove from pan and add to bacon. In the same fat, brown the slices vegetables, pour out the sauteing fat. Return the beef and bacon to the casserole dish and toss with salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in the middle position of a preheated oven for four minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for four minutes more. This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust. Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325. Sir in the wine, and enough stock so the meat is barely covered. Add the toamto paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the sotve. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers solwly for 2 1/2-3 hours. The meat is done when fork pierces it easily. While the beef is cooking prepare onions and mushrooms. When meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucpan. Wash out the cassole dish and return the beef and bacon to it. Distrubute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat. Skim fat off the suace. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 c. of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, add some stock. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour sauce over meat and vegetables.
This much can be prepared in advance.
For immediate serving:
Cover the casserole and simmer for 2-3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded by boiled potatoes, noodles, or rice.
For later serving:
When cooled, cover and refrigerate. About 10-20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.