Slow Cooker Boeuf Bourguignon

Slow Cooker Boeuf Bourguignon
From Canadian Living: The Slow Cooker Collection

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 45 minutes
Slow Cooker time: 7-8 hours

Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 pkg(0.5oz/14g) dried porcini, morel or shitake mushrooms (I ran out so I used dried Portobello)
3lb/1.5kg boneless beef cross rib pot roast cut into 1½” cubes
4 oz/125g thickly sliced bacon, chopped
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp each, salt & pepper
1 ½ cups robust red wine (I used a Cabernet Shiraz blend)
½ cup beef broth
3 sprigs fresh parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cups pearl onions
1 tbsp butter
3 cups button mushrooms (I used fairly large cremini, so I quartered them)
2 tbsp brandy
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

Directions:
1. Soak the dried mushrooms in ½ cup hot water for 30 minutes and set aside.

2. In a large skillet sauté the bacon over medium high heat until crisp. Transfer to the slow cooker.

3. Drain fat from the skillet, add 1 tbsp oil and brown the beef in batches, adding oil as needed. Remember to sear on all sides. Transfer to the slow cooker.

4. Using the same skillet, sauté the chopped onion, carrots and garlic with the salt and pepper over medium heat until the vegetables soften – about 4-5 minutes. In the meantime, drain the soaked mushrooms, reserving their liquid and chop the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms, soaking liquid, wine and broth to the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Scrape into the slow cooker

5. Tie parsley and thyme sprigs with the bay leaves together with string. Add to the slow cooker.

6. Prepare the pearl onions: In a pot of boiling water, boil the pearl onions for 1 minute. Drain and chill in cold water. Peel and trim, leaving the root in tact (admittedly, this still took me about 10-15 minutes to do). In the skillet, melt 1 tbsp butter over medium heat and brown the onions (about 4-5 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the slow cooker.

7. Cover and cook on the low setting until the beef is fork tender (6-8 hours). Skim off any fat.

8. In the same skillet, melt the remaining butter and sauté the mushrooms over medium high heat until browned (about 5 minutes). Scrape into the slow cooker along with the brandy. Move the meat and vegetables to one side of the slow cooker and discard the bundle of herbs.

9. Whisk flour with ½ cup water until there are no lumps. Whisk into the liquid in the slow cooker. Stir to redistribute the ingredients.

10. Cover and cook on high until the sauce thickens (about 15 minutes).
Note: you can make ahead up to this point. Let cool for 20 minutes uncovered before placing in airtight containers. Let stand on the counter until completely cold. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Serving suggestions: Over mashed potatoes (always a winner) or as I did here, with parsley buttered pasta….something short and twirly to catch all the wonderful gravy…farfalle is always pretty!

It’s great served with mashed potatoes or root vegetables to sop up the delicious gravy.