"Red red wine you really know how find love, Your kind of love like a blessing from above." Neil Diamond, Bob Marley, UB40

There are several emails in my box asking me to post the Biden Beef Stew recipe from my President-Elect's Cabinet Collection. Yes, that's right. I have not forgotten this little project. As our President-Elect fills his cabinet, I raid my pantry and create a dish named in honor of a member of our incoming staff.

Now that I am working, I don't get to watch CNN during the day (or to cook) but I still plan to pull out Pinky Tuscadero, my trusty pink crock pot, and whip up a stew now and then. I'm a little behind on the President-Elect's cabinetry, but I don't think I'll be naming anything after Chicago politicians any time soon.

So here's one for the crockpot, named for Joe Biden but inspired by Office of Strategic Services agent and Culinary Queen, Julia Child. This recipe is no state secret, in fact it is quite similar to Julia's well known recipe for Boef Bourguignon. The Grand Dame of the Kitchen herself suggests it be served with buttered peas. I like frozen peas, warmed in a colander in the sink under running hot water, lightly tossed in butter and a tiny amount of grated lemon peel.

Although traditionally served with boiled potatoes, my family prefers this dish served with egg noodles. It could also be wildly good over brown rice.

For this recipe, use an inexpensive piece of beef as it will cook long and slow and become tender.

If you do not have a crock pot, you can cook this in a heavy casserole dish or dutch oven at 325 for about three hours.
So here's how you make it:

Season about 2 tablespoons of flour with salt, pepper and garlic.

Cut 2 to 3 pounds of beef into stew sized chunks, about two inches square, and dredge them in the flour.

Heat a skillet (I prefer cast iron) and when it is hot, add some olive oil, or a couple of slices of bacon if the use of bacon does not offend you. If using bacon, render it crisp and remove from the pan and set aside. You may need to add some olive oil to the bacon fat to get enough to brown the beef.

Add the seasoned floured beef to the skillet and brown well on all sides.

Remove from skillet and add this to the crock pot.

Mix two tablespoons of tomato paste in 3 cups of beef stock until incorporated.
Add this to the crock pot.
Add to that some Red Red Wine.
"How much red wine?" you ask.
It's up to you-ou ou ou.
I couldn't help myself. Sing along with me. Red red wine you make me feel so fine, feel so fine all of de time.

Add 3 Cups of red wine, I generally use Beaujolais although any red wine will work.
Add to this 3 cloves of fresh garlic, a bay leaf, and some thyme.
Cook this on low all day long.

Now for the really yummy part - as if a vat of well seasoned beef in wine is not yummy enough -
In the skillet where you browned your beef, melt about a Tablespoon or two of butter in a table spoon or two of olive oil. Add to that a bag of frozen little white onions. Allow them to caramelize, adding a little beef broth as they cook, and shaking the pan to roll them around until you have a beautiful brown batch of onions.

Then, do the same thing with some nice quartered mushrooms, cooking them in butter and oil until they are gorgeous and brown. Shake the frying pan to keep them rolling around in their lovely brownness. This is my favorite part.

Reserve the onions and mushrooms on the side. Reheat before serving. You might want to plate the entire stew and add them around the edges, or you can stir them right into the stew.

To thicken sauces, I keep in my refrigerator a mixture of equal amounts of butter and flour.
When the stew is done cooking, if it seems to need thickening, I pull off a little knob of this flour/butter mixture and stir it in. I let that cook until the butter melts and distributes the flour, and then I give it a little time for the flour to cook. This is especially useful when making gravy as there will be no lumps.

I have been known to brown the beef the night before and mix the liquid ingredients in a separate container and put them in the refrigerator over night, then marry them in the crock pot the following morning. I've also been known to plug it in at night before I go to bed so it can cook while I sleep, but Dennis finds it confusing to smell supper while he is sleeping and wakes up disoriented at about 3 a.m., and a little freaked out. Now if the bread machine is going while he is asleep and he wakes up to that delightful smell, it makes him warm and happy and loving all day.

So, I think I'll put on a loaf of whole wheat bread and go to bed now.
Give the Biden Beef Stew a try. You will love it. It's my favorite dish to serve at parties.
Now what recipe should I post next? Barackaroni and Cheese or Hilary Clinton's I Could Have Chosen To Stay Home and Bake Cookies Cookies. I'm still offended by that quote from her. I found her so disturbing when she said that, I threw away all my hairbands as a political statement.