On cold dark rainy winter evenings (which granted are most winter evenings in the Seattle area) my tummy fairly screams at me to give it something warm, hearty and comforting. And not being a person who has ever denied my stomach anything, I comply as best I can while still trying to maintain some semblance of dietary responsibility. One of the dishes I make to satisfy my inner cravings is this stew. It actually took me several years to achieve just the right flavor, thickness, and proportion of meat to vegetable that I required in a perfect stew. I wanted my stew to be reminiscent of Beef Bourguignon, but contain more healthy veggies. So when I finally hit on this combination of ingredients, I was happy. (And yes, I do have a marvelous recipe for Beef Bourguignon that I will share with you at a later time.) So if you too have a desire for a healthy (bacon, not withstanding) and hearty hot dish, I recommend you build yourself a pot of stew. Chunk up a chewy baguette to go with it, pour yourself a nice glass of red wine, and try to forget (all you Puget Sound/Salish Sea inhabitants) that it has been cloudy, grey, and rainy for 47 days in a row! Take heart – the wine will help!

• 4 slices lean bacon, diced
• 1 lb. lean beef (round steak or top sirloin is great)
• 2 tsp. seasoned salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ½ tsp. paprika
• ½ c. flour
• 1 lg. onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 c. chopped celery
• 2 carrots, sliced ¼-inch thick
• 3 c. beef stock
• 1 c. red wine (I use Hearty Burgundy)
• 1 T. tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• ½ tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 T. dried parsley
• 2 medium potatoes, diced
• 4-6 c. fresh or frozen vegetables (corn, beans, peas, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, etc.)

Fry bacon until crisp in a large, covered soup pot. Remove bacon to medium sized bowl. Don’t discard bacon fat. Meanwhile, remove any fat or grizzle from meat and cut into bite size pieces. Sprinkle meat with seasoned salt, pepper, and paprika. Place flour in a bag and add meat cubes. Shake until well coated. Brown meat in bacon fat. As pieces brown, remove to the same bowl as bacon. If more fat is needed to brown all the meat cubes, add a teaspoon or so of vegetable oil . After all the meat has been browned, add onion, garlic, celery, and carrot slices to the pot. Stir fry for about 5 minutes, lifting brown bits off the bottom. Add beef stock, red wine, tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, and parsley. Bring to boil and add cooked bacon, meat cubes and any accumulated meat juices. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 90 minutes or until the meat is almost tender. Stir periodically. Add potatoes and simmer until they are almost done, about 30 minutes. Add fresh vegetables and cook until crisp tender. Add frozen vegetables and continue cooking only until they are warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving steaming hot.