Hearty Beef Stew

This hearty beef stew is a winter favourite of mine. It is a cross between a traditional beef stew and beef bourguignon, combining my favourite components of both recipes.

Ingredients

1 lb stewing beef

1 onion (chopped)

2 slices of bacon

2 cloves garlic

1 container mushrooms, sliced

4 medium carrots, chopped

1 c dry red wine

1 c beef broth (or water and beef bouillon)

A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, oregano, rosemary, salt and pepper (to taste) and 2 bay leaves

1/3 c tomato paste

3/4 c frozen peas

1:2 ratio of cornstarch and water for thickening (I use about 2 rounded tbsp of cornstarch and double the amount of water, mixing well until combined)

Directions

Cook bacon in a frying pan until crisp. Remove from the pan, chop and set aside. Leave about 1 tsp of bacon fat in the pan and use it to sauté chopped onions. Remove the onion from the pan and set aside. Add beef to the pan and brown the outsides. Add all ingredients, except the peas and the cornstarch/water mixture to the crockpot and cook on low for 8.5 hours. Add peas and the cornstarch slurry and cook for another 30 minutes. Serve over mashed potato, polenta, rice or with some crusty bread on the side for dipping.