Servings: 8 / Prep time: 40 mins / Cook time: 4 hrs 20 mins

beef borgona

Ingredients

  • 1/4 lb thick-sliced bacon
  • 3 lbs boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 4 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup cognac or brandy
  • 1 (4-inch) piece of celery
  • 4 fresh parsley stems (no leaves)
  • 4 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves (not California)
  • 2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 1 jar Mölli Veracruz Cooking sauce
  • 1 (750-ml) bottle dry red wine
  • 10 small (1 1/2-inch) boiling onions or pearl onions
  • 1 lb mushrooms, quartered if large

Directions

  1. Cook bacon in boiling salted water 3 minutes, then drain.
  2. Pat beef dry and season with salt and pepper. Divide flour and beef between 2 (1-quart) sealable plastic bags, seal, then shake to coat meat.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over medium high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown beef well on all sides in batches, without crowding, adding remaining tablespoon oil as needed. Transfer to a bowl.
  4. Pour off any excess oil from pot, then add cognac or brandy to pot. Deglaze by boiling over high heat for 1 minute, stirring and scraping up brown bits, then pour over beef.
  5. Tie celery, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves with kitchen string to make a bouquet garni.
  6. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in the same heavy pot over medium high heat until foam subsides, then sauté bacon, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add carrots, then sauté, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add Veracruz cooking sauce and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add wine, meat with juices, and bouquet garni and simmer gently, partially covered, until meat is tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
  7. While meat simmers, blanch boiling onions in boiling salted water 1 minute and drain in a colander. Rinse under cold running water, then peel. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over medium high heat until foam subsides, then sauté
 boiling onions, stirring occasionally, until browned in patches. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2 cups water (1 1/2 cups if using pearl onions), then simmer, partially covered, until onions are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to a glaze, 5 to 10 minutes.
  8. Heat remaining tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then saut
é mushrooms, stirring, until golden brown and any liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  9. Stir onions and mushrooms into stew and cook 10 minutes. Remove bouquet garni and skim any fat from surface of stew. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a side of french baguette or corn tortillas for tacos. Provecho!

TIP: Do it in the crock pot. Follow steps 1-6 and transfer ingredients to crock pot. Set it for 4 hrs on high.

TIP 2: It can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, uncovered, then chill, covered (it tastes even better made ahead because it gives the flavors time to develop). If making ahead, it’s easier to remove fat from surface after chilling.