Ingredients
1 lb stew meat
½ lb bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bottle red wine
1 cup beef stock
½ cup water
4 Tbsp corn starch
Directions
In a large pot, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon, leaving fat in pan. Add beef in batches, careful not to overcrowd the pot. Season beef with salt and pepper. Sear on all sides and remove from pot. Add remaining beef and sear until all the beef is seared well. Remove from pot.
Add olive oil to pot and heat to shimmering. Put onions, carrots, and celery in pot and cook 3-4 minutes. Add meat and bacon to the pot. Sprinkle with salt and thyme. Add bottle of wine and beef stock over meat and vegetables. Cover pot, reduce heat, and simmer lightly for 3 or 4 hours, meat should be tender.
After 2 hours of cooking, mix ½ cup water with 2 tablespoons of corn starch to make a slurry then add to beef mixture. Stir and cover pot for remaining cook time.