Provençale Daube of Beef or Estouffade Provençale

My Carolina Kitchen

Serves 6 to 8 and should be made two days before serving

2 ½ pounds beef, cut into 1 ½” chunks (a butcher can do this for you), we used boneless bottom round

2 medium mild onions, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into ½” rounds

1 celery rib, minced

Kosher salt or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 bottle (3 cups) red wine, preferably Provençale, I used a Cote de Rhone

¼ cup marc de Provence or Cognac

1 bunch of fresh thyme

3 imported bay leaves

4 cloves, wrapped in a bag of cheesecloth

About a ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 strip of orange zest, about 2 inches, dried if desired (link to how to dry orange zest here)

As needed:

1 ounce baking chocolate, chopped

1 to 2 tablespoons local honey

A dash of red wine vinegar

Garnishes, optional:

More orange zest, chopped, for garnish

Fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley for garnish

Assorted fancy mushrooms, briefly sautéed in good butter & seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 or 4 fresh carrots, peeled, par-boiled and sautéed in good butter until they begin to brown, then seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Two days before serving the daube, combine all of the ingredients minus the garnishes in a large enameled casserole. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, bring the mixture to a simmer over low heat. Simmer gently until the meat is very tender, about 3 to 4 hours. Allow to cool down and refrigerate until the fat rises to the top and can be easily scraped off with a small spoon, about 12 hours or overnight.

At serving time, scraping off any additional fat. Reheat until the meat is heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the thyme leaves, bay leaves, orange jest, and bag of cloves. Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly. You may want to add the crumbled chocolate, honey and/or the vinegar if taste dictates. I added the chocolate and I thought it took away the slight bitterness of the sauce. If your sauce is too thin, see cook’s notes below on how to thicken with a beurre manié.

For garnishes, be sure to use freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley and chopped orange zest. Both bring an air of light freshness to the dish. If desired you can add additional garnishes, such as freshly sautéed fancy mushrooms and additional carrots.

If accompanied by a macaroni gratin, be sure to reserve 1 cup of the sauce from the daube for the macaroni. Equally delicious is simple buttered noodles with grated Parmesan.

Cook’s notes: If your sauce is not thick enough (ours wasn’t), make a beurre manie by blending 3 T flour with 2 T softened butter to make a paste. Off heat, whisk in the beurre manié, then simmer the sauce for 2 minutes as it thickens. If you find your sauce is too tart (ours was), you can add some finely chopped good chocolate or a bit of honey and let it heat through the dish. I keep only dark chocolate on hand and honey, especially local, is a staple in any kitchen in Provence. If it needs a bit of spark, add a dash or two of red wine vinegar.

Inspired by Cooking School Provence –by Guide Gedda & Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells