Recipe - Beef Stew With Bacon

One fourth pound Bacon cubed
2 tablespoon Canola or other neutral oil;
or olive oil
1 Clove garlic; lightly
crushed
1 tablespoon Minced garlic
2 One half pounds beef chuck or
round; trimmed of surface
; fat and cut into 1
; to 1 1/2inch cubes,
; up to 2
Salt and freshly ground
black pepper to
; taste
2 lg Or 3 medium onions; cut into
eighths
3 tablespoon Flour
3 cup Chicken; beef, or vegetable
; stock, or water, or
; wine, or a
; combination
1 Bay leaf
1 teaspoon Fresh thyme leaves or 1/2
teaspoon dried
; thyme
4 md To large potatoes; peeled
and cut into
; 1inch chunks
4 lg Carrots; peeled and cut into
; 1inch chunks
1 cup Fresh or frozen; (thawed)
peas
Minced fresh parsley leaves
for garnish

Heat a large casserole or deep skillet that can later be covered over
mediumhigh heat for 2 or 3 minutes add bacon stirring until crisp,
remove with a slotted spoon and reserve, leave bacon drippings in pan
(if desired); add the oil and the crushed garlic clove; cook,
stirring, for I minute, then remove and discard the garlic. Add the
meat chunks to the skillet a few at a time, turning to brown well on
all sides. Do not crowd or they will not brown properly; cook them in
batches if necessary. (You may find it easier to do the initial
browning in the oven: Preheat to 500 degrees and roast the meat with
1 tablespoon of the oil and the garlic clove, shaking the pan to turn
them once or twice, until brown all over. Remove the garlic clove
before continuing.) Season the meat with salt and pepper as it cooks.
When the meat is brown, remove it with a slotted spoon. Pour or spoon
off most of the fat and turn the heat to medium. Add the onions.
Cook, stirring, until they soften, about 10 minutes. Add the flour
and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add the stock or water or
wine, bay leaf, thyme, and meat, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat
to low and cover. Cook, undisturbed, for 30 minutes.

* Uncover the pan; the mixture should be quite soupy (if it is not,
add a little more liquid). Add the potatoes and carrots, turn the
heat up for a minute or so to resume boiling, then lower the heat and
cover again. Cook 30 to 60 minutes until the meat and vegetables are
tender. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper, and/or thyme
if necessary. (If you are not planning to serve the stew immediately,
remove the meat and vegetables with a slotted spoon and refrigerate
them and the stock separately. Skim the fat from the stock before
combining it with the meat and vegetables, reheating, and proceeding
with the recipe from this point.) Add the minced garlic and the peas
and bacon; if you are pleased with the stew's consistency, continue
to cook, covered, over low heat. If it is too soupy, remove the cover
and raise the heat to high. In either case, cook an additional 5
minutes or so, until the peas have heated through and the garlic
flavor has pervaded the stew. Garnish and serve.

Yield: Seves 4 to 6

Converted by MC_Buster.

NOTES : Recipe Courtesy of Mark Bittman

Recipe by: IN FOOD TODAY SHOW #INL098

Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.