Beef Bourguignon Manila Contessa Style

I have always been intrigued by this dish. It sounds delicious and well... hard to make. For our Christmas dinner, I decided that I needed a challenge. It was a toss up between a roasted turkey complete with trimmings or Beef Bourguignon. Since I do not have the required space in my already cramped fridge to thaw a huge bird, the decision to try Julia Child's famed beef dish won.

I did my research, read a lot of recipes.... gathered the ingredients... channeled my favorite "kitchen goddess" and came up with this version.... while drinking a glass of wine of course =)

Ingredients:

3 kilos (6.6 lbs) Beef Chuck cut into 2" x 2" inch cubes (I used Monterey)
1 Liter Burgundy wine (any good Burgundy wine will do)
1 kilo Fresh Button mushrooms (or 4 cans if you do not have fresh ones)
4 big pieces of carrots
4 Large onions peeled and diced
1 head of garlic peeled and minced
1/4 kilo smoked ham cut into small strips (any smoked ham from Santis or Terry's will do)
1 cup of Olive Oil
2 tablespoons of Flat Leaf Parley - chopped (to garnish)
3 tablespoons of Flour
1 cup of water
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Rinse the beef cubes, drain well and pat dry using a dozen of paper kitchen towels. Season with Rock salt and freshly ground pepper. One by one.
2. Heat the Olive Oil in a heavy bottomed pan, medium high. Fry the bacon and set aside using a slotted spoon.
3. In the same pan, increase the flame into high and sear the beef cubes on all sides. Make sure not to crowd the pan. It is a must that you sear the beef in batches. If you are using a 12 inch pan, 5-6 cubes at a time is the maximum. Transfer the seared beef cubes in a separate bowl.
4. After all the beef cubes have been seared, in the same pan, coat all the mushrooms until they turn a bit slightly dark. About 4 minutes. Set aside
5. Using the same pan, adjust the flame into low-medium and saute the onions for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another 20 seconds.
6. De-glaze the pan with a little wine, about a cup.
7. Transfer all the liquid from the de-glazed pan to a heavy bottomed casserole pot and put all the seared beef (with juices and all). Add the rest of the wine. Simmer (on LOW flame) for 2 1/2 hours.
8. Add the cooked mushrooms & carrots and simmer for another 30 minutes.
9. Combine the flour and water well. Make sure that there are no lumps. Add to the pot and simmer for another 15 minutes.
10. Serve in a bowl, sprinkle some parsley (if using) and serve with Pasta, Jasmine rice or French bread. Enjoy!

This recipe is a big batch that could serve up to 16 hungry people. You may adjust the portions accordingly to suit your needs. I just wanted to make sure that all the searing and prep was all worth it so I decided to make a big portion. I froze 1/3 of the cooked stew and served it to my guests after a 1 week and it was still fabulous.