Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon is a delicious French Stew.  Succulent and tender bites of beef that have been cooked in a red wine sauce for 8 hours.  The aroma as it cooks is intoxicating.

I first got introduced to Beef Bourguignon by Julia Child.  I fell in love with the first bite.  This recipe is cooked in a slow cooker and the results are just as delicious as if it were cooked in a Dutch Oven.

Slow Cooker Beef  Bourguignon
From epicurious
INGREDIENTS

6 strips bacon cut in 1/2" pieces
3 lbs beef rump or chuck cut in 1 1/2" cubes
1 large carrot peeled and cubed
1 medium onion cubed
3 T flour
10 oz can condensed beef broth
1 T tomato paste
2 cloves garlic minced
1 t whole thyme
1 whole bay leaf
1/2 lb white pearl onions peeled
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
2 T butter
1 1/2 t salt
1/8 t black pepper
1/2 cup red wine, preferably Burgundy or Cote du Rhone

PREPARATION

Cook bacon in large skillet until crips. Remove and drain. Add beef cubes and brown well. Placed browned beef cubes in Crock-Pot. Brown carrot and onion. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir in flour. Add broth, mix well, and add to Crock-Pot. Add cooked bacon, thyme, tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, and pearl onions. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. Saute mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter and add to crock pot with wine about an hour before serving. To thicken gravy: Turn Crock-Pot to high. Cream 1/4 cup flour and 2 tablespoons butter. Roll into pea size balls and drop into Crock-Pot. Bring to boil and let thicken.

Serves 8

Slow Cooker Barbacoa

Flavorful strips of beef that have been slow cooked in a mixture of lime juice, chipotle peppers, garlic, and spices. Tender, spicy, and slightly tangy bites of beef that are perfect for making those Cinco de Mayo tacos or serve it with rice.  A  delicious meal for family and friends.

Slow Cooker Barbacoa
From Taste of Home

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons dried oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 to 4 pounds)
3 bay leaves

DIRECTIONS
Place the first nine ingredients in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Add broth; pulse to combine.
Place roast and bay leaves in a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker; pour sauce over top. Cook, covered, on low 7-9 hours or until meat is tender.
Prepare rice about 30 minutes before serving. In a large saucepan, combine water, rice, butter and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat; gently stir in cilantro and lime juice.
Remove roast from slow cooker; cool slightly. Discard bay leaves and skim fat from cooking juices. Shred beef with two forks; return to slow cooker.

 Yield: 8 servings.

Beef Stir-Fry With Bell Peppers And Black Pepper Sauce

Stir Fry is one meal that pleases the family.   Meat and veggies cooked in a rich and flavorful sauce - deliciousness in one pan.  I like it because it is an easy one pan meal to  prepare. In this recipe there is not a bunch of different veggies- just peppers.  I enjoy cooking with peppers because they add a very nice mild sweet flavor to dishes.  The mellow sweet flavor is complimented by the peppery punch in the sauce.  Add some fresh ginger, garlic, and scallions -  just delicious.

Make this dish some night and enjoy its wonderful flavors.


Beef Stir-Fry With Bell Peppers And Black Pepper Sauce

From Cook's Illustrated Magazine

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 pound flank steak, trimmed, cut into 2- to 2 1/2-inch strips with grain, each strip cut crosswise  against grain into 1/4-inch thick slices
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons dry sherry or Chinese rice wine
3 teaspoons cornstarch
2 1/2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 red  bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1.4-inch-wide strips
6 scallions, white parts sliced thin on bias, green parts cut into 2-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
Cooked rice

Directions:
1. Combine 1 tablespoon water and baking soda in medium bowl.  Add beef and toss to coat.  Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.
2. Whisk 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sherry, 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar together in a small bowl.  Add soy sauce mixture to beef, stir to coat, and let sit at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes.
3. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup water, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 2 tablespoon sherry, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, remaining 2 teaspoons sugar, oyster sauce,  vinegar, sesame oil, and pepper together in second bowl.
4. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in 12-inch non stick skillet over high heat until just smoking.  Add half of beef in single layer.   Cook without stirring for 1 minute.  Continue to cook stirring occasionally, until spotty brown on both sides, about 1 minute longer.  Transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining beef and 2 teaspoons vegetable oil.
5.  Return skillet to high heat, add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, and heat until beginning to smoke.  Add bell peppers and scallion greens and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are spotty brown and crisp tender, about 4 minutes.  Transfer vegetables to bowl with beef.
6.  Return now-empty skillet to medium-high heat and add remaining 4 teaspoons vegetable oil, scallion whites, garlic, and ginger.  Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.  Return beef and vegetables to skillet and stir to combine.
7.  Whisk sauce to recombine.   Add to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened, about 30 seconds.  Serve immediately over cooked rice.