Saturday, December 8, 2012

Daube Provençale (Beef in stew)

Here's a very typical provençal dish. 

It looks like a lot to Boeuf Bourguignon. But Bourguignon comes from Bourgogne, a region in the center of France.
While the Daube Provençale... is from Provence ! What an original name ...

The biggest difference is that the meat must marinate the day before. 

I use to make this dish often, for my family or for friends. Even for Christmas. 

This is a very simple and comfort dish. 

Please, don't be scared by the numerous ingredients or the time you'll need. It's true, it's a little bit long, but it cooks alone ! 
When all the ingredient are in the pot, you're quiet for 3 hours ! 

You just have to prepare the marinade the day before. 

Here what you'll need, for 6-8 persons : 

  • 2 kg of beef to braise (I use chuck pieces)
  • 1 bottle of red wine. No need to take a wonderful wine ! Just do not take the worst ... :)
  • 500 grammes of lardons
  • 5 carrots
  • 4 shallots
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 little thyme branches or 1 tablespoon of dried thyme. 
  • 3 bay leafs
  • The zest of 1/4 orange
  • 1 tablespoon of vinagar
  • 6-7 tablespoons of olive oil 


Step 1, the day before : 
Cut the beef in large pieces and put it in a big dish.




Step 2 :
Stuck your onion with your 2 cloves.
Sorry for my picture, I was to close ! You can see one clove on the right ! 



Step 3 :
Peel and cut one carrot. Add it in the dish with the orange's zest, the 3 cloves of garlic peeled and flattened, thyme, bay leafs, vinegar, 3 tablespoon of olive oil and of course, the wine ! 




Cover it and let the dish for the night. If you don't have place in your fridge, don't worry, this is a "cold -weather's dish".
If it's cold out, you can let it outside, in your garden or on your balcony.
I've done it each time and nobody went sick or dead !
We're warrior !

... And most of all, three hours of cooking ... Never knew a microbe who could resist to that !

Step 4 : The D-Day !
Here what will look like your meat.


Take the meat out of the marinade and try to drain off the maximum of liquid. 
Keep the marinade with all the ingredients in it ! 

Step 5 : 
In your pot, pour olive oil and make your meat brown a little bit.


Step 6 : 
When it's done, remove the meat ...


 ... and make brown lardons first, 


...and shallots,  


and the 4 carrots cut in pieces. 


Let it for 5 minutes on a medium fire.

Step 7 : 
Finally, add the meat and pour the marinade. Stir all that.



And now, let it cook on a very low fire for 3 hours minimum ! 
If you forget it, no problem.
Just try to think to mix it time to time. 

Those kind of dish is always better when you cook it for the second or third time.
So if your dish is not totally eaten by your guest, you can keep it for the day after without problem at all.  

You can serve it with tagliatelle or any kind of pasta. 
That's what I did. But the picture taken was the one of the day after ....With vegetables for me ... 
Life is unfair ! 
You can make it with potatoes too or rice.

Bon appétit ! 

I'm really, desperately hopeless in pictures ... I'm full of shame ...


 Recapitulative for 6-8 persons : 
  • 2 kg of beef to braise (I use chuck pieces)
  • 1 bottle of red wine. 
  • 500 grammes of lardons
  • 5 carrots
  • 4 shallots
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 little thyme branches or 1 tablespoon of dried thyme. 
  • 3 bay leafs
  • The zest of 1/4 orange
  • 1 tablespoon of vinegar
  • 6-7 tablespoons of olive oil 

The day before : 
Cut the beef in large pieces and put it in a big dish.

Stuck your onion with your 2 cloves.

Peel and cut one carrot. 

Add it in the dish with the orange's zest, the 3 cloves of garlic peeled and flattened, thyme, bay leafs, vinegar, 3 tablespoon of olive oil and of course, the wine ! 

Cover it and let the dish for the night. 

The D-Day.
Take the meat out of the marinade and try to drain off the maximum of liquid. 
Keep the marinade with all the ingredients in it ! 

In your pot, pour olive oil and make your meat brown a little bit.

When it's done, remove the meat and make brown lardons first, and shallots and the 4 carrots cut in pieces. 

Let it for 5 minutes on a medium fire.

Finally, add the meat and pour the marinade. Stir all that.

Let it cook on a very low fire for 3 hours minimum ! 

10 comments:

  1. Dear Axelle, this new look to your website is really fancy. It took me a while to find how to send a comment. I'm still not sure how I got here! But, here we are talking which is good because I would miss our little conversations! I'm going to make those little cakes next. This stew looks amazing! I think I'll make them for the same meal. The cakes would be dessert of course. Anyway, can't wait to see what you are preparing for the rest of December. Jamie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Jamie, look, you did it !! :)
      I wanted to wait for the new year to change my website. But patience is not one of my quality ! :D
      I still have some things who go wrong, because I'm really hopeless with computer ! But I'm going to try to find the solutions.
      I'm happy to know you'll try the stew and the monteacos. Please, tell me if you'll like all that.

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  2. Oh, I've never seen this recipe before, I love boeuf bourguignon but it's so much work! Your stew looks much easier :) We can't find "lardons" here so I'll simply use thick slices of bacon cut into small pieces.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This dish is really for lazy persons, I promise ! I cook it so often when I've got friends or family ! Boeuf Bourguignon is much more famous in the world. I don't know why.
      Yes, of course, you can use bacon, if you want :)

      Delete
  3. A little elf told me I'm getting a Le Creuset French oven for Christmas. This will be the first thing I make. It looks absolutely wonderful. Thanks for the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love this expression with this little elf ! I hope it won't be him to bring it to you, it would so heavy for him :)
      In France, we say "my little finger told me..." ! Just because this is the finger we use to scratch our ear, I suppose.
      I hope you'll like your gift, you can use it for a lot of things !
      Thank you for your words, Lea Ann.

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  4. Wow, new look! You know, I should change "my look" too, have been thinking about it for quite some time, kinda bored with the old one, but am really "chicken" when it comes to changes!
    Your dish looks and sounds very good! With all that long slow braising, the meat must be really tender and full of flavour! Yum,yum!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm exactly like you for changing my blog's look ! I'm really bad in computer and I don't really like to look for the solution for this or for that ... etc... Everything seem so complicated to me !
      But as I like change and some fancy, I just have to force myself ... ;)
      Thank you for your comment. Yes, that's exactly the way meat is : more and more tender and full of flavour.

      Delete
  5. I cannot wait to try this recipe, thank you. It's just perfect for the colder weather. I struggle with making a flavorful beef stew, this looks so good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much, monstergirlee ! Tell me if you like it !
      I just visited your blog and tried to post a comment but I couldn't because of the "protection", you know,when you have to rewrite a number and some characters. I wrote my comment 3 times and tried to write formulas without success.
      So I tell you here : I love your "yellow" picture, the one with yellow trees and seats. I would like to be sit right there :)

      Delete