Daube de boeuf Provençal

The daube is a dish whose origins are not limited to Provence and spread across the whole south of France. However, the Provençal version of the dish is perhaps the most distinctive and flavourful. The daube is not just a dish, it is a way of cooking that utilizes a particular kind of casserole type vessel called a daubiere. See below for an image of the vessel which is usually layered with meat at the base and vegetables and aromatics at the top. I don't feel like this is a barrier to you making this dish at home. A heavy based casserole dish or dutch oven will more than suffice.



Ingredients that are found commonly in the Provençal daube might include beef or lamb, usually a tougher cut that lends itself to slow cooking. I have read that you should always use two different cuts of meat in the dish and I would recommend cuts such as chuck, blade, round and shank to get the best results. Vegetables and aromatics that could find their way in are carrots, onions, tomatoes, olives, fennel, bay leaves, garlic, cloves, thyme, peppercorns, oregano, parsley, rosemary, chervil, basil, orange and cinnamon. The abundance of fresh herbs in the region often leads chefs to use anything at hand. The inclusion of ingredients such as orange and cinnamon is another interesting aspect of this dish illustrating the influence the Arabs had during their occupation of the region. Daube is also commonly served on macaroni which may be unusual in other regions, but the proximity to Italy once again shows its influence. The other key ingredient is of course wine and you should ideally use a Côtes du Rhône, however any full bodied red can be used such as a shiraz. Do not use ultra cheap wine - it will ruin the dish as the flavour of the wine will carry throughout.

Although this dish is essentially a peasant dish it is not an everyday dish. Generally it is reserved for special occaisions and this may be because of the length of preparation time. Marinating can take 1-3 days, then the dish is slow cooked for 3-4 hours and then left to sit for the flavours to develop further. While not a technically complex dish it does take time so I suggest preparing during the week for a feast on the weekend. The recipe below is adapted from one published in the LA Times.


Ingredients (serves 4-6)

Bouquet Garni
1 orange peel, pith removed
3 to 4 bay leaves
4 sprigs parsley
6 to 8 sprigs thyme
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
4 whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon

Wrap the above ingredients in cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string.

Daube
2 pounds chuck or round steak
1/2 pound piece smoked bacon
1 (2-inch) slice beef shank (about 600g)
3 medium onions, cut into eighths
3 large carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut diagonally in 1/2 -inch slices
2 medium bulbs fennel, tops trimmed, cut in eighths
1 bottle (750 ml) red wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 to 6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1kg tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (2 1/4 cups chopped) or 1 3/4 cups diced canned tomatoes, drained
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup brine-cured black olives
1/4 cup chopped parsley

1. Cut the beef into 1 1/2 -inch cubes. Remove the rind off the bacon and cut in lardons.

2. Line a large ovenproof casserole with the bacon rind and place the beef shank on top. Add the cubes of beef, lardons, onions, carrots and fennel, and pour in the bottle of wine.

3. Add the bouquet garni and submerge into the ingredients until covered. Drizzle over the olive oil so the vegetables on top do not dry out. Cover and refrigerate for 1- 3 days.

4. Heat oven to 400F/205C degrees. Remove the daube from the refrigerator while the oven is heating. Sprinkle the daube with the garlic and chopped tomatoes, add 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and pour in enough water to almost cover the vegetables. Place on a lower shelf in the oven and cover and cook until the broth is almost simmering, about 45 minutes.

5. Stir the meat and vegetables. Add the olives. Reduce the heat to 300F/150C degrees. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a cube of beef can be easily crushed between your finger and thumb, 2 1/2 to 3 hours more. The vegetables will be very tender.

6. Take the pot from the oven and lift out the slice of shank. It needs to be tender and falling off the bone, so will probably need more cooking: Put it in a medium saucepan and ladle in enough broth from the daube to cover the meat. Cover and simmer until the meat is almost falling apart, 30 to 45 minutes longer.

7. Remove the shank with the bone, and let cool until tepid. Return the broth to the casserole and discard the bouquet garni. Taste the broth. If the flavor is thin and needs reducing, ladle as much as possible into a saucepan and boil until the flavor is concentrated and the liquid is reduced by about half, to about 4 cups. Meanwhile, pull the meat from the bones of the shank and cut it into 1-inch pieces. Stir the meat gently into the casserole, with the marrow from the central bone. When the broth is reduced, stir it back into the daube, taste and adjust the seasoning.

8. If possible, prepare daube a day or two ahead and keep it, in its pot, in the refrigerator. Reheat it in a 350-degree oven, allowing at least an hour and probably more for heat to penetrate to the center. Just before serving, stir in the chopped parsley and check the seasoning again. Ladle the daube directly from the pot into shallow pasta bowls.