Beef Bourguignon with Pasta and Green Peas

Adapted from Julia Child. This is the King of Beef Stews. Classically is it served with potatoes rather than pasta. Serves 4 nicely.
In a heavy oven proof casserole brown 4 slices of bacon, which has been cut into pieces, in 3T olive oil. Remove the browned bacon from the pan and brown 1 1/2 pounds of beef stew meat in batches. Take the time to do this; it makes a much nicer looking dish if the beef is nicely browned. When all the beef is brown, return it to the pot along with the bacon, 1 rib of celery, 1 carrot, and one onion. Add 1/4 C flour and stir until the beef is coated. Place the casserole in a 400 F oven for 5 min, remove and stir and replace for another 5 min to brown the flour. Over medium heat, add 2C of a good red wine. (Remember, never cook with wine that you wouldn't drink). Deglaze the pan by stirring the wine to remove backed on particles. Add 2C beef stock, 2T tomato paste, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 bay leaf, 2T thyme, 1t ground black pepper. We never add salt until the end because the flavors tend to concentrate. Place the covered casserole in a 250 F for about 3 hrs. Adjust the liquid level periodically so that it barely covers the meat by adding more wine and stock. Remove from the oven and add 8oz. sliced mushrooms and about the same amount of pearl onions. Return to the oven for another hour. When the meat is done, remove to a warming plate, discard the carrots, celery and onion and simmer the sauce until it is thick enough to coat a spoon. Adjust the seasonings. Serve over potatoes or pasta. Peas make a nice addition.
Wine: You can serve the same wine you used in the recipe; in this case a Haywood Cabernet Sauvignon.
Without doubt, one of our favorite meals.