Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

It has been awhile since I last posted a recipe. I just had to share this one. The beef is so tender and delicious and it fits well with our busier lifestyle in making a large batch of something on the weekend to eat during the week.

Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
2 lb stew meat
2 onions, large dice
6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lb mini potatoes

5 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

2-3 slices of ham or bacon, chopped

1 spring of fresh rosemary

2-3 springs of thyme

2 bay leaves

1 pkg fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1/2 c flour

1 Tb of Chicago seasoning (other other seasoning)

2-3 t black pepper

1 t salt

2 t smoked pepper or paprika

1/4 c olive oil

1 c red wine

2 c chicken stock

1/4 c soy sauce

1 sm can of tomato paste

1 can tomato paste can of water

1/4 c seasoned flour (reserved from ingredients above)

1. Add onions, garlic, mini potatoes, carrots, ham, shiitake mushrooms, bay leaves, rosemary and thyme to the slow cooker.

2.  In a small bowl combine flour, seasoning salt, pepper, salt, and smoked pepper. Heat oil in a large frying pan to medium/high. Dredge beef chunks in seasoned flour and fry in oil on each side for 2-3 minutes or until and brown crust forms. Fry the beef in batches so the pieces don't touch each other. Add beef to the slow cooker.

3. Add red wine to the fry pan and scrape up all of the browned bits. Let red wine reduce for a few minutes. Add chicken broth, soy sauce and tomato paste. Whisk in remaining seasoned flour, it should be about 1/4 c, cooking/whisking until smooth. Add to slow cooker and cook on low heat for 8 hours or until the beef is tender.

You can always add more vegetables if you have them: parsnips, cabbage or rutabaga would be nice.

Serve with some crusty bread to mop up the delicious sauce.

Massaman Curry

It is the perfect recipe for ingredients from the CSA produce this week: new potatoes, onions, Thai basil. I recommend getting the curry paste in the tubs (photo below). You can buy it in small cans, but these are extremely spicy. Massaman curry is less spicy than red curry. It has all the traditional ingredients in the paste such as red chilis, lemongrass, galangal, garlic and shrimp paste, but adds the flavors of coriander seed, cumin, cardamom, mace, and cinnamon.

Massaman Curry
2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 lb potatoes, 1/2" cubes
1 lg onion, 1/2" pieces
4 lg carrots, 1/2" pieces
1 can thick coconut milk
1 can light coconut milk
1/4 -1/3 c massaman curry paste
3 T sugar (palm, if you have it; brown is also nice)
1 T tamarind paste (optional)
2 T fish sauce
1 c peanuts (reserve a few for garnish)
thai basil (optional)


Add 4 T of coconut cream to a large wok over medium high heat. Add the curry paste and cook until fragrant. Add more of the thick part of the coconut milk and the chicken. Stir fry a few minutes. Add the remainder of the can, the can of light coconut milk, and the veggies. Stir to coat and bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer until potatoes are done, about 5 minutes. Stir in peanuts, sugar, fish sauce, and tamarind paste and cook a few minutes more. Sprinkle basil over the top and a few reserved peanuts.

Serve with rice.

Serves 10 (extra curry freezes well)