Classic French Beef Daube Recipes

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.

CLASSIC FRENCH BEEF DAUBE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Toss the beef and pancetta in flour, then shake off any excess. Heat half the oil and 40g butter in the casserole over a medium-high heat, then fry the beef and pancetta in batches, turning often, for 3-4 minutes per batch until browned. Remove and set aside.
• Add the remaining oil and another 40g of the butter and cook the leeks, onions, carrots and celery for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften. Add the garlic, bay leaves and tomato purée, cook for 1 minute, then add the parsley, soy sauce, brandy, wine and stock. Return the meat to the casserole, bring to a simmer, season and cover. Transfer to the oven and cook for 2-2½ hours until the meat is tender.
• Meanwhile, put the baby onions in a pan of cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 8-10 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside. Heat the remaining butter in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and fry until cooked through, then remove and set aside.
• Mix the cornflour with 2 tbsp cold water. Stir the mushrooms, baby onions and cornflour paste into the casserole and cook on the hob, stirring, for 10 minutes. Serve with cheesy garlic bread and more chopped parsley sprinkled on top.

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.

BEEF DAUBE PROVENçAL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°.
• Heat oil in a small Dutch oven over low heat. Add garlic; cook 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef to pan; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Add wine to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add garlic, beef, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and next 8 ingredients (through bay leaf), and bring to a boil.
• Cover and bake at 300° for 2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve over noodles.
• Note: To make in a slow cooker, prepare through Step 2. Place beef mixture in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours.

BEEF DAUBE PROVENCAL

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle meat with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; brown meat in batches. Transfer beef to 4-qt. slow cooker. , Add carrot, onions, garlic and remaining salt and pepper to skillet; cook and stir until golden brown, 4-6 minutes. Add tomato paste; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan; bring to a boil. , Transfer meat mixture, tomatoes, broth and seasonings to slow cooker. Cook, covered, on low 5-7 hours or until tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve with hot cooked pasta or mashed potatoes. If desired, sprinkle with fresh thyme.

BEEF DAUBE

Steps:

• Combine first 9 ingredients in large bowl. Cover and let stand at room temperature 2 hours.
• Remove beef from marinade; pat dry. Reserve marinade. Cook pancetta in large pot over medium-low heat until fat is rendered, 5 minutes. Add chopped onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is translucent, 6 minutes. Transfer to large bowl.
• Heat oil in same pot over high heat. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add beef to pot; cook until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to bowl with pancetta mixture. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add flour to pot. Whisk until flour browns, about 4 minutes. Gradually whisk in reserved marinade. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Add beef mixture and any accumulated juices to pot. Cover tightly; simmer until meat is tender, about 2 hours. Uncover; simmer until meat is very tender and liquid is reduced to sauce consistency, about 45 minutes longer. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate.)
• Spoon fat off top of daube. Remove carrots, quartered onion, herb sprigs, bay leaves and peel and discard. Bring daube to simmer, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley.

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.