Before the warm weather sets in, please make this delightful dish.  I think this is comfort food at its best!  What’s not to love about tender beef surrounded by baby carrots, a delicious beef and red wine sauce, onions and earthy mushrooms.  All placed on top of egg noodles.  One dish dining at its best!

If I am to suggest one cookbook for you to purchase this year, it would be this one.  There are 250 delicious recipes in here, so I am certain you could find a good weeks worth of new ideas for your menu rotations.  It goes beyond just having casserole dishes you can make, it starts off with basics, how to lighten up a dish and has a myriad of chicken, fish and vegetable dishes to delight your senses!  There really is something for everyone in this Big Book of Casseroles cookbook!  Thanks for listening!

Now on with the show!  Look at all these wonderfully fresh ingredients.  More times than not I forget to purchase parsley.  If you don’t put it in, don’t fret, it still comes out d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!

In your large dutch oven pan cook your bacon until brown and crisp, about 7 or 8 minutes.  Remove bacon from pot and drain on paper towel.  Add the beef and brown on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes.  (Note:  It never says what to do with the cooked bacon after you have rendered the fat….I just eat it!  However, you could crumble it atop your finished product right before you are ready to eat it or crumble it in the pot and let it bake with everything…I don’t really think it matters…. but I would eat it if I were you!)

Once the beef has browned add the wine, beef stock/broth, vinegar, tomato paste, garlic, salt, herbes de provonce, pepper, bay leaf, orange peel, parsley, carrots and onions. 

Stir well and bring to a boil.

Put the lid on your pan.  Place on baking sheet and put it in your preheated oven for 2 hours.

After it has been cooking for about 2 hours chop your mushrooms.

Melt a tablespoon or so of butter in your saute pan and place the mushrooms in the pan.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Let saute for about 8-10 minutes.    Put them in your stew.

Then mix together your slurry of water and flour.  Mix it into the stew.  Put the lid back on the stew and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

While the stew finishes boil some egg noodles.  They only take 7 minutes.

The mouth watering stew is ready.  Be sure that you remove the orange peel and bay leaves before serving.  I like to double this recipe and freeze the second half.  It freezes beautifully and makes for a great weeknight meal when you are panicked for something for dinner!