243 WITCH CHALLENGE - Hot Brews & Magickal Stews
Challenge entry by Garnet
Food, glorious food, I’m going to get some…me singing-badly . 
What a delicious subject. I thirst for a hot brew. I hunger for the taste of a well made stew…. Munch, Munch, sip, yum, yum, yum! 
That was beneath me, wasn’t it? The dragon made me do it.
Baby Girl Sam, Likes Baby Girl
Oh ya, I know, she’s cute, He’s elegant, beautiful and
but she’s also naughty Dumb as a box of rocks.
and mean to Sammy
(Images from Facebook - KirasPictureWorld - AI-Generated)
Food and my cook book are my best friends. My food is good and my cookbook tried and true.
What I’d like to submit is a recipe I’ve improved on.
Beef Bourguignon Recipe!
Ingredients
• 2 to 3 tablespoons Clarified Butter or Extra Virgin Butter Olive Oil
• 8 ounces thick sliced Bacon cut into ¼ inch pieces
• 4 pounds Beef Chuck Roast, well trimmed, cut into approx. 1 ½ inch cubes
• 1 cup Flour sifter
• 2 cups Onions diced or Pearl Onions
• 1 cup Pearl Onion, optional
• 2 cups Mushrooms quartered
• 2 cups Carrots sliced into ¼ inch slices
• 2 tablespoons fresh Garlic minced
• 1 bottle 750ML of a good Red Wine (Bordeaux, Shiraz or Burgundy)
• You can use grape juice if you have no wine. Or want no alcohol.
• 2 tablespoons fresh Thyme minced
• 2 cups Beef Stock
• 2 to 3 dozen of very small Raw Potatoes, if they are big slice them in half
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• ¼ cup Parsley finely chopped Instructions
I do in two separate pots to save some time but you can do it all in one pot.
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In a Dutch oven, heat clarified butter or the olive oil when hot or (combination.) add the bacon. Cook at low heat for a few minutes to release some of the fat from the bacon. Add as many beef cubes as you can without crowding (if the skillet is too crowded, the meat won’t brown properly) Brown the meat well on all sides, remove each batch as it browns and set them aside.
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Add the onions and cook them until golden brown. It may be necessary to add a little Clarified butter or Butter olive oil. When all the onions are golden brown add the mushrooms, add salt on top of the mushrooms and cook until they have release most of their water. Add the carrots, reserved beef cubes, garlic and when fragrant, add the wine, bring to boil and let reduce by half. This could take about 3 to 5 minutes depending on your pot and your heat source. Add the potatoes, fresh thyme and salt and pepper to taste.
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To thicken, use the chef’s technique with the flour or if you have use a roux and thicken to your liking. Add half of the chopped parsley, bring to boil, reduce to VERY LOW heat, cook for about 2 ½ to 3 hours or until the beef is fork tender.
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When finished, add the wine, the rest of the chopped parsley and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
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Serve mashed potatoes (optional) or a nice port in one of those sweet sipping glasses
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Or a crusty French bread with homemade butter.
Blessed be
Garnet - plagued with naughty dragons
I bet it’s delicious! 
