CROCK POT BEEF BURGUNDY

I tried this tonight and it was pretty darn tasty. Who am I kidding, it had wine and beef, it was delicious! It has a "high-end" taste to it (whatever that means, I'm not 100% sure) my husband said it could be served in a restaurant. 

But I will let you know that I tweaked the original recipe (and by tweaked I mean, I was lazy, didn't have time, and omitted the first few steps) so I think that affected the outcome of the meal slightly.   Also, I would have preferred to use egg noodles but didn't have any around the house so used rotini; I know you don't think this would make that big of difference, but I find the rotini so heavy that I think the egg noodles would have been a much better choice. Anyways, here is the original recipe that I will most certainly stick to next time I make this.

Crock Pot Beef Burgundy

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch, divided
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 tsp steak seasoning 
• 2 lbs cubed beef for stew (I found this to be a little too fatty, might try better quality beef next)
• 4-5 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped 
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (original recipe called for 1/2 cup sliced baby portabello mushrooms... I used soup in its place)
• 1 can beef broth 
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1-2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

• Combine flour, 1 tbsp cornstarch and steak seasoning in a ziplock bag and shake to mix
• Add stew meat to the bag, seal, and shake to coat 
• Add olive oil to large skillet over medium-high heat
• Once oil is hot, add beef mixture and cook 5-6 minutes, turning often to brown meat on all sides
• Add onion and the wine to pan and cook for 2 minutes
• Stir in garlic, mushrooms, and beef broth. Bring to boil
• While that comes to a boil, add 1 tbsp cornstarch and the warm water to a small bowl and stir until cornstarch is dissolved
• Pour the cornstarch mixture into meat and stir for 1-2 minutes
• Remove from heat and pour into the crock pot 

**At this point, it could be refrigerated overnight to slow cook the next day. If refrigerating, add an extra 1/4 cup of both beef broth and red wine to the mixture. 

**NOTE THE ABOVE STEPS are what I skipped. I basically put all ingredients into the crock pot, without browning meat. 

• Add mixture to crock pot, top with thyme, and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4 hours
• Garnish with chopped parsley, serve over egg noodles and sprinkle with cracked pepper/peppercorns (optional).