Daube Of Beef French Beef Stew Food

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.

BOEUF EN DAUBE - CLASSIC FRENCH BEEF BURGUNDY STEW (BOURGUIGNON)

Steps:

• In a large non-reactive bowl, combine beef, Cognac, cloves, garlic, onions, carrots, celery, bay leaf, sage, thyme, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, orange peel, wine, and mushrooms. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 days, stirring from time to time.
• Bring the meat and vegetables to room temperature. Drain, reserving the marinade.
• Blot the beef and veggies dry with paper towels.
• Preheat oven to 325F/175°C.
• In a large heavy oven proof dish (such as a cast iron dutch oven or Le Creuset), fry the bacon over medium heat until it renders its fat, about 3-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to paper towels and reserve.
• Working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, add the meat and vegetables to the fat in the pan, and brown them on all sides over medium heat, seasoning with salt and pepper as they brown, about 7 minutes per batch.
• Transfer to a platter. Add the marinade to the pot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by one-third, about 8 minutes. Skim off the foam from the surface. Add the stock or consomme, and simmer another 8 minutes, until reduced again by one-third. Stir in the pinch of sugar and the tomato paste, (and add the diced tomatoes and green olives now, if using).
• Return the meat, vegetables and reserved bacon to the pot. Cover and bake in the oven until the meat is tender, 2 1/2-3 hours. -OR- alternately, at this stage you can cook in the crock-pot on LOW heat 8 to 10 hours, or on HIGH heat 4 to 6 hours.
• Serve with a rustic bread for mopping the juices, along with a green salad and a platter of cheeses.
• Freezes and reheats beautifully. Leftovers will make a lovely Cottage-Shepherd's Pie a la Provencale, see my recipe #355446.

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.

BEEF DAUBE

Steps:

• Combine springs of thyme, parsley, half of the orange peel (reserve the remaining peel), orange juice, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorn, 2 tsp salt, and wine in a large nonreactive bowl.
• Add beef, submerging pieces in the liquid. Cover the bowl; marinate beef in the refrigerator for 8-24 hours.
• Remove beef from marinate.
• Using paper towels, blot excess liquid from meat. Season meat with salt and pepper. Strain marinated, reserving liquid and discarding aromatics.
• Preheat over to 325.
• Saute' bacon in 7-to-8-qt heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium until crisp 8-10 minutes.
• Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate; reserve dripping.
• Dredge beef pieces in flour, shaking off any excess.
• Brown beef on all sides in bacon dripping in pot over high heat.
• Work in batches if necessary, adding olive oil if needed. Seat beef aside.
• Saute' carrots, onions, fennel, reserved orange peel, and thyme in pot, adding olive oil if necessary, until vegetables are browned, 5 minutes.
• Deglaze pot with 2 cups of the reserved marinated, scraping up browned bits from bottom pot.
• Return beef and bacon to pot; add beef stock and tomatoes.
• Cover the pot with tight-fitting lid; transfer to oven until beef is fork tender 2 1/2-3 hours; skim to degrease.
• Serve daube with egg noodles or broiled potatoes.