Daube Provencal French Beef Stew Recipes

DAUBE DE BOEUF (PROVENCAL BEEF STEW)

Steps:

• Prepare the marinade by whisking together the wine, 2 tablespoons of the oil, the ground cloves, and the orange zest. Pour the mixture into a large resealable bag, and add the bay leaf and the beef. Marinate the beef in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.
• When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 300°F.
• Take the chill off the meat by allowing it to come to room temperature before you're ready to begin cooking, and then drain it in a colander with a bowl underneath to catch any marinade that drips off. Reserve the remaining marinade.
• Dry the beef using paper towels, and then season the meat with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• In a large heavy-bottomed oven-safe pot like a Dutch oven or cast iron pan placed over medium-high heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and swirl to coat the pan. Working in batches so you don't steam the meat, sear the beef until it is dark golden brown on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, remove the beef pieces from the pan and set them aside on a plate.
• Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and remaining salt and 1/4 pepper. Saute until the onions have softened, about 3 minutes.
• Return the beef pieces and their juices to the pan, and then stir in the leftover marinade and tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, and cook for 3 more minutes.
• Cover the pot, place in the oven, and bake until the meat is fall-apart tender, about 6 hours. Just before serving, stir in the olives, and then season the sauce to taste with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Remove the bay leaf and any whole cloves.
• Garnish with the parsley, and orange zest to taste. Serve over mashed potatoes or another starch like egg noodles.

DAUBE DE BOEUF PROVENCAL

Steps:

• Make a bouquet garni: Put thyme, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, and zest on a piece of cheesecloth; tie into a bundle. Combine onion, garlic, celery, carrots, bouquet garni, and wine in a large non-reactive bowl. Add beef, and toss to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator 12 to 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove beef from wine mixture; pat dry with paper towels. Set aside. Transfer wine mixture to a heavy pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook half of the beef, turning, until deeply browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining oil and beef.
• Stir tomato paste into stock; add to the skillet, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon. Add to wine mixture. Stir in olives and beef. Season with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
• Cover daube; transfer to oven. Cook 2 hours. Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees if daube starts to boil. After 2 hours, stir in orange juice. Cook until beef is very tender, about 30 minutes more.

DAUBE

Steps:

• The evening before, cut the beef into large chunks and place in a large bowl.
• Add the onion, cut into 4, and with the cloves inserted. Add the carrot, 2 garlic cloves lightly crushed with the flat side of a knife and 2 pressed garlic cloves. Add bouquet garni and orange peels. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with red wine. Mix well.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for at least 8 hours in the refrigerator. Mix the marinade two or three times during this time.
• Drain the pieces of meat with a skimmer and place on paper towels. Reserve the marinade.
• In a cast iron pot, Dutch oven or an electric slow cooker, heat the olive oil and sweat the shallots and onion over medium heat.
• Add the smoked pork belly, and sauté for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the meat, and brown the pieces of beef on each side.
• Pour the flour gradually and stir with a wooden spoon.
• Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and mix again.
• Remove the celery and leek from the marinade and add the marinade to the pot. Cook 1 minute over high heat and simmer over very low heat for 5 to 7 hours or more.
• Two hours before the end of cooking, add the carrots and black olives. Ensure that the sauce does not completely evaporate during cooking.

DAUBE PROVENCAL (FRENCH BEEF STEW)

Steps:

• Cover mushrooms with 1 cup hot tap water in small microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap, cut several steam vents in plastic with paring knife, and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Let stand until mushrooms soften, about 5 minutes. Lift mushrooms from liquid with fork and chop into 1/2 inch pieces (you should have about 4 tablespoons). Strain liquid through fine-mesh strainer lined with 1 paper towel into medium bowl. Set mushrooms and liquid aside.
• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 325 degrees. Dry beef thoroughly with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking; add half of beef. Cook without moving pieces until well browned, about 2 minutes on each side, for total of 8 to 10 minutes, reducing heat if fat begins to smoke. Transfer meat to medium bowl. Repeat with remaining oil and remaining meat.
• Reduce heat to medium and add salt pork, carrots, onions, garlic, and tomato paste to now empty pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until light brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Slowly add wine, gently scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits. Add broth, water, beef, and any juices in bowl. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to full simmer. Add mushrooms and their liquid, orange zest, 1/2 cup olives, anchovies, thyme, and bay, distributing evenly and arranging beef so it is completely covered by liquid; cover partially and place in oven. Cook until fork inserted in beef meets little resistance (meat should not be falling apart), 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Discard salt pork, thyme, and bay leaves. Add tomatoes and remaining 1/2 cup olives; warm over medium-high heat until heated through, about 1 minute. Cover pot and allow stew to settle, about 5 minutes. Using spoon, skim excess fat from surface of stew. Stir in parsley and serve.

PROVENçAL WHITE WINE BEEF DAUBE

Steps:

• In a large bowl or sealable plastic bag, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, the Cognac, the beef and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cover and set aside to marinate at room temperature for 2 hours.
• Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 325 degrees.
• In a wide, heavy casserole with a tight-fitting lid, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add onions, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, orange zest and 2 big pinches salt; stir well to coat and heat through. Reduce heat to low, cover, and sweat (cook without browning) for 8 to 10 minutes, until onions and garlic are softened.
• Add beef and its marinade, tomatoes, wine, bouquet garni and peppercorns. Stir to combine.
• Cover and bake in the center of the oven until meat is ultratender, 3 to 4 hours. There is no need to stir or baste, but check from time to time to make sure the liquid is at a very gentle simmer; boiling will make the meat tough.
• When the stew is ready, adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Or, refrigerate overnight or longer, skim any hardened fat from the top, and reheat before serving.
• Serve over hot pasta, garnished with parsley and orange zest, if desired.