Cubanelle Peppers stuffed with Bison and Bacon

Inspiration: Stuffed peppers are one of my new favorite Mexican-inspired dishes to make. I love them because they’re so versatile! In the past, I’ve made these, these, and these, and we’ve loved them all. We weren’t sure what to have for dinner one night this week, so we decided to make up another stuffed peppers recipe. We’ve been meaning to buy bison meat and give it a shot, too, so B came up with the idea of using diced bison pieces with chihuahua cheese as the main part of the filling. It was a great idea, and I have him to thank for this awesome new meal!

What we Loved: B and I both really loved these peppers. The stuffing mixture tasted incredible! You really can’t go wrong combining bison (or beef) with bacon, onions, garlic, and cheese. The result was a hearty, smoky, cheesy filling that really complimented the mild peppers. We really enjoyed the rich, clean taste of the bison, and I’d definitely recommend giving this healthy meat a try if you have access to it. And even though it provided for a very green plate in this case, I love serving fresh avocado slices topped with salt and cilantro when I have stuffed peppers. I feel like the cool flavors are such a great contrast.

Helpful Hints: We originally wanted to make stuffed poblano peppers, but the poblano selection at the grocery store left a lot to be desired. So we used cubanelle peppers instead. This was our first time eating these kind of peppers, and we found them to be very mild and not too spicy at all. For this dish, you could use any kind of peppers that you’d like. Cubanelle, poblano, Hungarian or Anaheim hot peppers, or any color of bell pepper. We also used chihuahua cheese because it’s a great melting cheese, but this can be hard to find. Monteray jack or pepper jack would be great substitutions.

Cubanelle Peppers stuffed with Bison and Bacon
Source: Original recipe to serve 2

4 medium-sized Cubanelle peppers (or other pepper of your choosing)
1/2 lb bison steak (or beef, any cut that you’d like) diced into 1/2 inch pieces
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled or cut into small pieces
1/2 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 – 1 cup shredded chihuahua cheese, to your preference

1. Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add the bison or beef cubes, and cook until the fat renders out and the pieces are starting to brown. Add the onion, and cook until softened. When everything is cooked, add the garlic, stir, and remove the pan from the heat. Add the crumbled bacon to the pan, and stir to incorporate.

2. Cut a lengthwise slit in each pepper, making sure to only cut through one side of the pepper. Cut a small horizontal slit into the top of the pepper, making the shape of a T. Open the pepper, and use a knife to remove the seeds. Rinse the inside of the pepper with water to make sure that all of the seeds are removed.

3. Place the peppers in a baking dish. Fill each pepper to the top with the bison/beef mixture and cheese. I alternated my filling, adding some of the bison mixture, then some of the cheese, etc. in order for the cheese to be incorporated throughout the filling.

4. Bake the peppers at 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes, until the peppers are softened.

Beef and Bean Enchiladas

Cuisine: Mexican

Inspiration: I’ve mentioned before that B and I are leaving for Europe on Friday. At this point, I’ve pretty much cleaned out all of our food to prepare for being gone for a few weeks. I decided to go to the store yesterday to buy just enough ingredients for a big meal that could last us the rest of the week. We’ve got all kinds of things to do before we leave, so it will be great to have leftovers until then.

What we Loved: These enchiladas are just awesome. This recipe is from B’s mom, and I’ve got to say that it’s my favorite recipe of hers. For the past 8ish years that I’ve been with B, I’ve eaten this meal with his family on many occasions, complete with B’s mom’s Mexican rice and guacamole with tortilla chips. There just aren’t many meals that are better than that. The enchiladas are filled with a mixture of ground beef and refried beans, then they’re coated in red sauce and cheese. All of the flavors combine for a cheesy, tomatoey, meaty combination that is just delicious. I’ve made a lot of different enchilada recipes over the past few years, but these are the ones that I always come back to because they’ll always be our favorite. None of the others can really compare, at least in our book.

Helpful Hints: Depending on how you like your enchiladas, you can bake these in the oven uncovered for a longer time so that the sauce bakes into the tortilla, or you can throw them into the oven covered and for a shorter time, which will keep the enchiladas much saucier. You can also use as much or as little cheese as you’d like. I didn’t buy enough this time and didn’t use as much as I normally do, but these are just as good with just a little cheese as they are with a lot.

Other Enchilada Recipes: shrimp and goat cheese enchiladas, avocado enchiladas

Beef and Bean Enchiladas
Source: B’s Mom

You can use either store-bought or homemade enchilada sauce, refried beans, and taco seasoning in this recipe. I do both, depending on my mood. Here’s the recipe as I made it this time.

14 corn tortillas
Extra virgin olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of oregano
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 can pinto beans
1/2 onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
5 oz cheddar cheese, freshly shredded (use more for cheesier enchiladas)
16 oz red enchilada sauce (I used Frontera Class Red Chile Enchilada Sauce)
Chopped lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, etc. for toppings

1. Brown the ground beef in a saute ban. Season with the chili powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper (or use a taco seasoning packet).

2. Place the pinto beans in a food processor, and puree until smooth. Add a drizzle of olive oil to a small sauce pan, and saute the onions for 2-3 minutes until transparent. Add the garlic, and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add the  pureed beans to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and mix to combine. Alternatively, use a can of refried beans.

3. Add the bean mixture to the ground beef, mix well, and set aside.

4. In another saute pan, heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Dip each tortilla into the oil, sauteeing for just a few seconds per side. Place the fried tortillas on a plate as they are finished, and refill the oil in the pan as necessary.

5. Pour some of the enchilada sauce onto a second plate. Dip a tortilla into the sauce, flipping to coat each side. Fill the tortilla with a spoonful of the beef mixture and a pinch of cheese. Roll the tortilla, and place it seam-side down into a baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

6. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas, cover with foil, and bake at 350 for approximately 15 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over the enchiladas, and bake for approximately 5 minutes more, until the cheese is just melted.

7. Serve garnished with lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, onions, or any other desired toppings.

Irish Beef Stew

Cuisine: Irish

Inspiration: When I made corned beef and cabbage back around St. Patrick’s Day, B and I really loved the stock that we ended up with from making the recipe, so I tossed it into the freezer with the intention of making some sort of soup or stew with it later. I’ve been working on cleaning out my freezer, and it’s getting to be that time of year when it’s much too warm for stews, so I decided to make this Irish stew that I found on Simply Recipes as one last stew for the season. I served it with some leftover carrot-flecked dinner rolls for a warm, comforting dinner. 

What we Loved: The sauce in this stew is incredibly flavorful. B commented that it was the best sauce that he had tasted in a dish like this in a really long time. There are so many ingredients in the sauce that I really can’t pinpoint what it is that makes it so good.  I used my leftover stock from making corned beef and cabbage (which contained onions and all sorts of spices, including a lot of coriander seeds, whose flavor and crunch I particularly love), and the sauce also included tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, red wine, Guinness, and a myriad of other spices. This stew was rich and hearty like any stew should be.

Helpful Hints: I was really running short on time when I made this, so I cut out a few steps. The original recipe calls for the potatoes, carrots, and onions to be sauteed for 20 minutes before being added to the stew, but I just threw them into the pot and let them simmer. I’m sure that this cut out a bit of flavor, but the stew was still great, and it saved me some time. I also used baby red potatoes and left them unpeeled, both as a timesaver and because B and I both really prefer the flavor of unpeeled potatoes. I think that this stew would work great being cooked in a crockpot all day, giving the meat more time to work its way into the fall-apart tender meat that I really love in stews. As it was, the meat didn’t have that extra-tender quality, so next time I would definitely use a crockpot.

Other Stew Recipes: red wine beef stew with portabellas, pork stew with smoky tomato sauce, potatoes, and avocado

Irish Beef Stew
Source: Simply Recipes

As noted, I made some changes in the preparation of this recipe. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

Extra virgin olive oil
1 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch pieces
6 large garlic cloves, minced
6 cups beef stock (I used leftover corned beef stock from this corned beef and cabbage recipe)
1 cup Guinness beer
1 cup red wine (I used a sangiovese)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
6-8 baby red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
6 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Salt and pepper
Fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish

1.  Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a dutch oven or pot over medium high heat. Salt the beef pieces. Working in batches, add the beef and cook, without stirring, until nicely browned on one side. Do not overcrowd the pan, or the meat will steam and will not brown. Use tongs to turn the pieces to brown on all sides.

2. Add the garlic to the pot, and saute for one minute. Add the stock, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Add the potatoes, onions, and carrots to the pot. Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour, until the vegetables are tender. Discard the bay leaves. Serve the stew, garnishing with fresh parsley.

Corned Beef Hash

Well, this is finally the last of my posts from all of the Irish American food that we had last week to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. I used the last of my corned beef to make a simple corned beef hash with some diced potatoes and some seasoning.  Topped with a sunny-side up egg, this made for a great weekend breakfast with the last of our leftover soda bread and a glass of cold milk. This is nothing fancy, but it sure is delicious!

Corned Beef Hash
Source: No source, but not an original recipe, either, as everyone makes corned beef hash this way!

3-4 slices corned beef, diced into small cubes
1 potato, peeled and diced into small cubes
1/2 Vidalia onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
2 eggs

1. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add the onions, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and mix.

2. Add the potato and the corned beef to the pan, and mix well.  Season with salt and pepper. Cover and let cook, stirring every few minutes, until the potatoes are softened and all of the ingredients are browned, approximately 15 minutes total.

3. When the corned beef hash is just about finished, crack two eggs in another pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook just until the egg whites are set. Serve the eggs over the corned beef hash.

Shepherd’s Pie

Our Irish food week continued last night with our St. Patrick’s Day dinner of shepherd’s pie, Irish soda bread, and Guinness/Bailey’s. I’ve always wanted to try shepherd’s pie, especially making one of my own, so I was excited to give this a shot. And it turned out wonderfully! The filling was really hearty, the sauce had a delicious beef/tomato/Worcestershire flavor, and I loved the nice brown crust that formed on top of the mashed potatoes. This was comfort food at its best, and it paired so well with the Irish soda bread to soak up the extra sauce. This is one of those meals that would taste wonderful on a cold snowy night at the start of winter. But we definitely enjoyed it on our sunny St. Paddy’s day, too :) I’ll be updating later this week with the Irish soda bread that we enjoyed with this meal and, if I feel like making it tonight, one last Irish American dish of corned beef hash.

Shepherd’s Pie
Source: Alton Brown

I made just a few adjustments to the ingredients. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

Potatoes
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into equal-sized chunks
1/4 cup skim milk
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg yolk

Meat Filling
Extra virgin olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced very small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground sirloin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1. Place the potatoes in a pot of water, and bring to a boil. Boil until the potatoes are tender, approximately 10-15 minutes. Drain the potatoes. Add the milk, butter, salt, and pepper, and mash until smooth, adding more milk if necessary. Add the parsley and the egg yolk, and stir to combine.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the onion and carrots to the pan, and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, and stir to combine. Add the ground sirloin, the salt, and the pepper, and cook until the meat is cooked through and browned.

3. Sprinkle the meat with the flour, and toss to coat. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, and thyme, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10-12 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

4. Spread the meat filling into a casserole dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, being sure to seal the potatoes against the edges of the dish to prevent the meat mixture from bubbling up and out. Smooth the potatoes with the back of a spoon.

5. Bake for 25 minutes, and then turn on the broiler for 2-3 minutes to form a brown crust on top of the potatoes. Remove the dish from the oven, and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

This is the first time that I’ve ever made corned beef and cabbage. Truthfully, I wasn’t even sure that I liked it. I’ve always had an aversion to cabbage, and I’ve eaten corned beef maybe two times before. But B really likes this meal, so I wanted to make it for him. I know that it’s not traditional Irish food, but what’s a St. Patrick’s Day in America without corned beef and cabbage? I really wanted to know how to make this meal for that reason alone, and I was pretty sure that I’d like it if I just gave it a shot. And in the end, I have to say that I was really pleased with how this came out. There wasn’t anything extraordinary about the recipe – it’s just a basic corned beef and cabbage – but it tastes great. After cooking for 3+ hours (which is why I made this on a Sunday rather than on St. Patrick’s Day after work), the corned beef is super tender and falls apart when you cut into it, and I just love the super salty flavor. After I plated our meals, I spooned some of the cooking stock over the whole plate, which added a ton of flavor to the veggies. All in all, this was a great meat and potatoes meal, and I’m sure that it will be on our menu every March. Now for St. Patrick’s Day itself, we’re thinking of having shepherd’s pie…something else that I’ve never made. And Bailey’s, of course :)

Corned Beef and Cabbage
Source: Adapted from Allrecipes

1 pre-seasoned corned beef roast, 2 1/2 to 3 lbs
3 garlic cloves, minced
Black pepper
1 onion, peeled and left whole
1 bay leaf
1 small head cabbage, cored and cut into wedges
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1. Place the corned beef, garlic, a sprinkle of black pepper, onion, and bay leaf into a Dutch oven. Fill the pot with water to cover everything. Bring to a boil, and cook for 20 minutes, skimming off any residue that floats to the top.

2. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 3 hours.

3. Remove the meat from the pot, and place it on a covered plate. Let the meat rest for 15 minutes.

4. Add the cabbage, potatoes, and carrots to the pot. Simmer them for 15 minutes while the corned beef is resting, or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.

5. Stir the parsley into the pot, and turn off the heat. Remove the vegetables to a covered platter or bowl to keep warm.

6. Slice the corned beef against the grain.

7. Serve the corned beef with the vegetables. Spoon some of the stock from the pot over each plate.

Seared Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon

I love cooking a fancy meal on Valentine’s Day. I feel like I’m in the minority, but I just really love Valentine’s Day! Everyone else seems to see it as a Hallmark holiday, and everyone seems to be in protest of having to show their love on a specified day. And I agree to a point. I do show my hubby that I love him every day, and I don’t need him to buy me cards and jewelry just because the TV is telling him to. But…I see no reason not to use Valentine’s Day as a special day to spend time with my husband and show him that I love him. After all, that’s the same thing we do on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, etc. If there’s one thing that needs celebrating, it’s LOVE, so I really do enjoy celebrating Valentine’s Day our way. For us, that means spending the night in together, making some good food, and drinking some good wine. This year, I decided to make a surf-n-turf type meal with seared bacon-wrapped filet mignon, shrimp scampi pasta, and Parmesan green beans.  We rarely, rarely, rarely eat beef tenderloin, so this was a treat for us! Seared on the stove for a nice crust and then cooked in the oven, this is a very simple way to cook filet mignon that really lets the flavor of the steak shine, rather than mixing it with a lot of other sauces and ingredients. Delicious.

Seared Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon
Source: No source…but not an original recipe, either, because lots of people cook filet mignon this way. I just sort of picked this up here and there.

2 four oz filet mignon steaks (beef tenderloin steaks)
2 slices bacon
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper

1. Wrap each filet mignon with a piece of bacon, and secure it with a toothpick. Sprinkle both sides of each filet with salt and pepper.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a stainless steel saute pan over medium high heat until it is very hot. When the pan is hot, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Continue heating until the olive is hot enough that it begins to smoke.

3. Add the filets to the pan. The oil will splatter, so be careful. Cook the filets for 2-3 minutes. Do not move the filets once you place them into the pan, or the filets won’t sear properly. I use a pair of kitchen tongs to test when the filets are ready to be flipped. Gently try to pick the filets up with the tongs after 2 minutes or so. If they’re not ready to be flipped, they’ll stick to the pan. When the crust has formed and they are ready to be flipped, they’ll release easily from the pan when you try to move them.

4. Flip the filets when they are ready, and sear the other side for 2-3 minutes.

5. When the filets release from the pan again, move the pan to the oven, and cook the filets for 7-10 minutes, depending on how you want your steak cooked. It is best to buy a meat thermometer and to cook until the proper internal temperature of the meat is reached (at least 130 degrees, for rare). We cooked ours for about 9 minutes, resulting in steak that was probably medium, just a little more cooked than I would have liked.

Beef Wellington

Before we leave to celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with our families, B and I like to do our own Christmas at home on the 23rd. This year, we made beef wellington, and we were both really pleased with how it came out. So. Good. Making this meal was the first time that I’ve cooked with beef tenderloin, so I was a little nervous, but I took my time and everything came out great. We cooked the tenderloin until it was just rare at 130 degrees, but you could certainly cook this as well-done as you’d like. This meal had a ton of flavors from the tenderloin and all of the fillings inside the puff pastry (though I would caution that less is more when it comes to the fillings!), and it went great with some au gratin potatoes made with gruyere and some broccolini sauteed with prosciutto and shallots. A great meal for a special occasion.

Beef Wellington
Source:  Gordon Ramsay

*We adapted this recipe to make two smaller, individual-sized portions rather than one large beef wellington. Reason being…I wanted mine mustard free. :) I highly recommend watching Gordon Ramsay’s video provided at the link above for a visual aide.

2 beef tenderloin filets, 4 oz each
4 slices prosciutto
2 containers baby portabella mushrooms
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Mustard (we used stone-ground dijon)
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten
Sea salt

1. Wash the mushrooms and place them in a food processor with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Process them until they form a thick puree, almost a sauce.

2. Place the mushrooms in a dry saute pan and cook over medium heat until they release all of their water and are dry. This will take 15-20 minutes.

3. On a sheet of plastic wrap, place two slices of prosciutto, overlapping. Repeat a second time on another piece of plastic wrap.

4. When the mushroom mixture is cooled, spread it over the prosciutto.

5. Heat a dry stainless steel pan over medium heat until hot. Add enough extra virgin olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, and heat until it begins to smoke. Season the filets with salt and pepper, and place them in the pan to sear. Sear each side of the filets, approximately 30 seconds to a minute per side. The filet will release from the pan when it is ready to be flipped, without resistance. It’s easiest to use a pair of kitchen tongs to flip the filets.

6. Spread the seared filets with mustard (or not), and place them on top of the prosciutto and mushrooms. Roll the prosciutto, mushrooms, and filets into a tight bundle, with the plastic wrap around the outside. Twist the plastic wrap tightly on the ends to create a package, and place in the refrigerator to cool for at least 30 minutes.

7. Roll the puff pastry thin until it is approximately doubled in size, and then cut in half. Unwrap the filets and place one on each piece of puff pastry.  Brush the sides of the puff pastry with the beaten egg, and then wrap the puff pastry arond the filets, rolling them into bundles. Cut off any extra puff pastry.

8. Brush the top of the puff pastry bundles with more egg wash. Score the top of the pastry with a sharp knife, and then sprinkle with sea salt.

9. Cook in a preheated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes for a rare filet at 130 degrees, or longer for a more well-done filet. Use a meat thermometer to check the center of the steak for the desired temperature.

Pot Roast and Gravy

There aren’t many better things in the food world than a pot roast simmering away in the crock pot all day. My Mom always made the best pot roast while I was growing up, definitely one of my very favorite meals that she made, and I still love it to this day. A pot roast cooking in a crock pot makes your house smell so incredible (seriously, I’ve always thought that it was one of the best smells that exists), and the taste and tenderness of a slow-cooked roast is fabulous. When I make pot roast, I cook it the way that my Mom taught me and then serve the roast with mashed potatoes, green beans, and plenty of gravy. My Mom always served mashed potatoes and green beans when we had this meal growing up, so it’s my favorite way to eat it now, too. Anyway, this roast is ridiculously tender, and the gravy is really unparalleled. I don’t think that a better gravy exists. When it’s time for leftovers, I always make hot pot roast sandwiches with plenty of gravy inside the sandwich and on top. Serious and delicious comfort food.

Pot Roast and Gravy
Source: Mom

2-3 lb English or Chuck roast, one with a lot of fat around the outside (which will help make a good gravy)
Garlic powder
Salt and Pepper
1 cup water
Flour and additional water (for the gravy)

1. Sprinkle all sides of the pot roast with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Use a liberal amount, and then pat the seasonings into the roast.

2. Place the roast into the crock pot, and pour one cup of water into the bottom of the pot.

3. Cook the roast on high for one hour, then simmer on low for an additional 4-5 hours.

4. When the roast is cooked, remove it from the crock pot and pour the drippings through a strainer into a small sauce pan. Place the sauce pan over medium heat.

5. In a measuring cup, mix a few tablespoons of flour with some water until the consistency is slightly thick but still pourable.

6. Add a small portion of the flour mixture slowly to the pan drippings, whisking while you pour so that lumps don’t form. Keep the pan over medium heat, and add the flour mixture slowly and in small batches. You only want to add enough so that the gravy thickens to the desired consistency.

Red Wine Beef Stew with Portabellas

I made this stew a few weeks ago (with this english muffin bread), but I never got around to blogging it. I wanted to make sure I did, though, because it was really good. Simmering in the crock pot all day, it made my house smell amazing, and the flavors were really intense and delicious. It was very different from your standard beef stew that has a hearty beef and vegetable flavor. This stew was cooked with red wine, beef broth, onions, garlic, thyme, bacon, and portabellas, and the flavor was really deep and rich. I want to say earthy but I feel like I’m being ridiculous. Anyway, it went great with my loaf of fresh crusty bread and a glass of cabernet. Next time I might even add more red wine to the stew to make it even more intense. This was the perfect meal for a chilly fall day.

Red Wine Beef Stew with Portabellas
Source: Adapted from About.com Southern Food

1 1/2 cups dry red wine (we used cabernet)
1 can beef broth
Extra virgin olive oil
1-2 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
1-2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
1-2 pounds of lean stew beef, fat removed and cut into cubes
2 T all purpose flour, approximately
6 slices turkey bacon, chopped
2 small onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 package fresh portabella mushrooms, sliced
8-10 baby red potatoes, cut in half

1. Toss the stew meat in the flour to coat, and add it to the crock pot. Add the red wine, beef broth, a drizzle of olive oil, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves to the crock pot and stir with the meat to combine. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Saute the turkey bacon until cooked. Add the chopped onions and continue cooking until they are translucent and begin to brown. Add the garlic and cook for one minute longer. Add the bacon, onions, and garlic to the crock pot.

3. Saute the portabella mushrooms in a drizzle of olive oil until the liquid is released and they begin to brown. Add to the crock pot.

4. Cover the crock pot and cook on high for approximately 4 hours. Add the potatoes to the stew and continue cooking 1-2 hours until the potatoes are tender. Serve with crusty bread.