Beef Bourguignonne with Egg Noodles+

1/3 c flour
2 tsp salt, divided
¾ tsp ground black pepper, divided
2 ¼ lbs beef stew meat
3 bacon slices, chopped and divided
1 c chopped onion
1 c sliced carrot
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ c dry red wine
1 (14 oz) can beef broth
8 c halved mushrooms (1 ½ lbs)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 (16 oz) pkg frozen pearl onions
7 c hot cooked medium egg noodles
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Combine flour, 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper in a large zip-top plastic bag.  Add beef, seal and shake to coat.

Cook half of bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon; set aside.  Add half of beef mixture to drippings in pan; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides.  Remove beef from pan; cover and keep warm.  Repeat procedure with remaining bacon and beef mixture.  Remove beef from pan; cover and keep warm.

Add chopped onion, sliced carrot, and minced garlic to pan; saute 5 minutes.  Stir in red wine and broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Add bacon, beef, remaining 1 tsp salt, remaining ½ tsp pepper, mushrooms, tomato paste, chopped thyme, bay leaves, and pearl onions; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes.  Uncover and cook 1 hour or until beef is tender.  Discard bay leaves.  Serve beef mixture over noodles, sprinkle with parsley.

Yield: 9 servings.

Note: After browning beef, I assembled ingredients and used a crock pot to prepare the stew.