And we’re back

Early spring in Ohio is a fickle thing. One day you’re wearing flip-flops and the sun is warm and welcome on your face—the next you’re scraping your damn windshield and breaking a nail.

You can throw a tantrum about it, like I did a few weeks ago. You can let it steal your inspiration and bury it under all that wet snow. Or you can remind yourself what you actually like about cold-weather cooking and celebrate winter one last time.

Do it while wearing flip-flops and you’re the very picture of an Ohio spring.

Beef stew with bacon and mushrooms

½ pound bacon, sliced into strips

1 pound regal rump beef roast, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 pound crimini mushrooms, cut into quarters

1 large red onion, diced

3 ribs celery, diced

3 carrots, cut into large dice

½ cup dry red wine

2 bay leaves

1 bunch thyme, tied together with kitchen string

32 ounce box beef stock

Parsley

Cooked, buttered egg noodles

Brown the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Remove from the pan and drain off most of the bacon fat.

At this point you’ll want to turn on the vent over your stove. Things are about to get smoky.

Increase the heat to high. In two or three batches so that it’s not too crowded, brown the beef on all sides. Remove it from the pot.

Again in two or three batches, brown the mushrooms. Remove them from the pot.

Turn the heat down to medium. Add the onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves and thyme to the pan along with a little salt, and cook for about 10 minutes or so. The vegetables should release a little liquid, which will help you scrape some of the meaty yum-yum off the bottom of the pan as they cook.

Add the wine to the pan and keep scraping. Cook until the wine has boiled away almost completely.

Add the stock and the beef (including any liquid it has released) and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Cover and cook over low heat for about an hour and a half.

Add the mushrooms and bacon to the pan and cook for a half hour more.

Top with the parsley and serve over the egg noodles.