New Beef Burgundy

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 lbs. round steak, top or bottom, cubed
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lb. pearl onions
• 1 lb. mushrooms, quartered
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14 1/2 oz.) can tomatoes, pureed
• 1 cup carrots finely chopped
• 3 cups burgundy wine
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. each of chopped rosemary. thyme, oregano
• 1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped

Makes 8 Servings

1. In a zip-top plastic bag, combine the flour, salt and pepper. add the beef, seal the bag and toss to coat well.
2. Heat 1 tbsp. of the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Working in batches to prevent overcrowding in the pan, add the beef and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until browned. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining beef.
3. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil to the pan. Add the onions, mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes, and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
4. Add the wine, broth, tomato paste, cocoa powder, bay leaves, herbs, and beef. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Sprinkle with the parsley.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Cookbook. It was a cold winter's day and I wanted something warm, tasty and special and this dish looked so good. This is a version of the classic French dish 'boeuf bourguignonne.' Beef, burgundy, onions and mushrooms are the hall marks of this classic dish. You can use any kid of beef for this dish and it will taste delicious. I also never though I would love mushrooms but I did. This dish takes time to cook but it's well worth the wait and the aromas of olive oil, garlic, onions, beef  and burgundy will have your kitchen smelling like Paris.