My kitchen smelled heavenly while this was in the oven. I don’t think I have ever had such a wonderful aroma wafting through my kitchen, into the living room, down the hall.
I don’t know what it was about this that was different from my other stews. Maybe it was because it was in the oven rather than on the stove. Maybe it ws the addition of the bacon. Maybe…..I should cook all of my future stews this way.
The original recipe called for elbow macaroni but because I didn’t have enough of it I used orecchiette instead. The little pasta bowls held the sauce just right. I also could not locate Beef Cheeks so I used the chuck roast instead. Everything else was just as the recipe called for.
SOOO good!!!!
Please visit 
and see what the other cooks thought of this. And if any of them could find beef cheeks!!
November 30, 2012 at 11:33 AM
This really was so much better than any other beef stew/pot roast type thing I’ve ever had. It seems like a winner, across the board!
November 30, 2012 at 6:46 PM
orecchiette are my favorite pasta shape!!! i think this one really made us all smile
November 30, 2012 at 9:20 PM
I love orecchiette too. Your stew looks delicious. I loved the aroma too, so fragrant. I left the house for a while to walk the dog while it was in the oven and when I returned, it was heavenly!
November 30, 2012 at 11:29 PM
I couldn’t find the cheeks but after drinking the rest of the bottle that wasn’t used in the braising liquid I hardly cared. Loved it.
December 1, 2012 at 6:11 PM
I used a nice piece of chuck roast and it turned out delicious! Great post!!!
December 2, 2012 at 1:56 PM
Don’t you think the difference may have been the last-minute addition of bittersweet chocolate. While the aromas came from the stew itself, I think that chocolate at the end really punched up the flavor. I loved this also and will make it again when I find beef cheeks.
December 3, 2012 at 4:43 PM
Wow. This sounds terrific! My stews always taste kinda “blah”. Not bad, but never great. Would love to try this one.
December 28, 2012 at 12:59 PM
Now I’m eager to find beef cheeks and use them for sure…something just really wild about thinking about using beef cheeks in a recipe. Your recommendation is very nice, though, and looks great, those little pasta “bowls” worked nicely.