This is slightly modified from the "Westfall Stew" recipe by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel in the World of Warcraft Official Cookbook. Keenan made up a mix of the "Northern Spices" to have on hand, including whole juniper berries, but I have estimated the individual quantities below. Today there is an ice storm in North Carolina and Noelle and Keenan's house smelled divine all afternoon. The stew is a delicious take on beef bourguignon. (By the way, the color is off in the photo - it is dark brown, not orangey in color).
Ingredients:
2 pounds high quality stew beef, cut into bite-sized pieces
4-5 slices bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
2 T butter, melted, divided
1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 C peeled pearl onions (par boil for a minute or so, and the skins slide right off)
1 T brown sugar
1/4 C flour
4 C beef broth
2 C red wine
1/4 tsp cardamon
a good pinch of dried juniper berries
good dash salt and pepper
pinch powdered ginger
dash nutmeg
6 carrots, peeled and cut into large bite sized pieces
1 garlic head, cloves separated and peeled
1/2 C pearl barley
2 bay leaves
1 T minced fresh parsley
1. Preheat oven to 475. Toss the beef with a little salt and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while you do the following:
2. In Le Creuset pot, add the bacon and 1 T butter. Cook until fat is rendered out of the bacon.
3. Toss the mushrooms and pearl onions with the remaining 1 T melted butter and the brown sugar. Spread out the onions and mushrooms onto a cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Set this mixture aside in a bowl.
3. Reduce oven to 325 degrees. Over medium heat, whisk flour into the bacon and bacon fat. Gradually whisk in the broth, 1/2 the wine, and the spices. Add the carrots, garlic, barley, and bay leaves; and then the stew beef on top of everything else. Add water to almost cover the meat, but not quite.
4. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, then stir. Add the remaining wine, and the mushrooms and onions. Cook, covered, for another 30 minutes.
5. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with the fresh parsley.
YUM
