A slow-cooked stew with French roots. Large beef chunks that pull apart under the fork, a rich, slightly tangy gravy and glossy, spiced vegetables. This is perfect winter food.
There are as many versions of this dish, as there are regions in France. But I've managed to reclaim the original meat flavours that seem common to all of the recipes I've read. The vegetables get a bit of a spiced treatment that sets them apart from the roast. Cooking them seperately, combining them at the end, means that the dish doesn't have an overall sameness to the flavour.
Don't forget to pick a nice wine to accompany this. And don't use a cheap wine in the recipe either.
Ingredients
Method
For the Roast...
Preheat oven to 180degC.
Season the beef well with salt and pepper. Melt the butter and a tablespoon of oil in a large, lidded casserole dish or dutch oven over medium-high heat on the stovetop.
Add half of the beef and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over (8-10 minutes). Remove from the dish and set aside while you cook the other half of the beef--adding more oil if necessary. Once all the beef is cooked, remove and set aside. Add a splash or more of water and loosen any basked-on bits off the bottom of the dish with a wooden spoon.
Add the onion to the dish, reduce heat to medium and, cook, stirring, until onion is tender (4 minutes). Add the garlic and cook, stirring for another minute.
Dust the beef in the flour and return the beef to the dish in a flat layer. Add the bottle of wine, and enough stock to just cover the beef completely.
Wrap the bay leaves, thyme, rosemary and orange peel into a bouquet garni using cheesecloth or even a chux, tied with butcher's string. Add the bouquet garni to the dish and completely submerge. Season to taste and bring to the boil, stirring. Cover dish with a lid and bake in the oven for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, add the potatoes to the dish so that they're snuggling the beef and continue to bake until the beef is tender and easily pulls apart with a fork (30-45 minutes).
For the Vegetables...
Meanwhile, add the butter and olive oil to a large deep-dish pan on medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring gently, until crispy. Remove from heat and set aside.
Turn the heat up to medium high and add honey, cinnamon and star anise until sizzling. Add shallots, carrots, turnips and mushrooms and cook until slightly browned (2-3 minutes). Add the stock and bring to the boil.
Return the pancetta lardens to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, partially cover with a lid, and simmer over medium heat until shallots are mostly tender (8-10 minutes). Uncover and cook over high heat, gently tossing, until vegetables are tender and the liquid has reduced (4-5 minutes).
Remove the beef from the oven, throw away the bouquet garni (maybe give it a gently squeeze first to save all those lovely juices) and plate the meat, gravy and potatoes. Serve the vegetables alongside or on top.
Daube of Beef
Serves: 6 People
Prepare Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 1hr 45mins
Calories: -
Difficulty:
Moderate
A slow-cooked stew with French roots. Large beef chunks that pull apart under the fork, a rich, slightly tangy gravy and glossy, spiced vegetables. This is perfect winter food.
There are as many versions of this dish, as there are regions in France. But I've managed to reclaim the original meat flavours that seem common to all of the recipes I've read. The vegetables get a bit of a spiced treatment that sets them apart from the roast. Cooking them seperately, combining them at the end, means that the dish doesn't have an overall sameness to the flavour.
Don't forget to pick a nice wine to accompany this. And don't use a cheap wine in the recipe either.
Ingredients
Method
For the Roast...
Preheat oven to 180degC.
Season the beef well with salt and pepper. Melt the butter and a tablespoon of oil in a large, lidded casserole dish or dutch oven over medium-high heat on the stovetop.
Add half of the beef and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over (8-10 minutes). Remove from the dish and set aside while you cook the other half of the beef--adding more oil if necessary. Once all the beef is cooked, remove and set aside. Add a splash or more of water and loosen any basked-on bits off the bottom of the dish with a wooden spoon.
Add the onion to the dish, reduce heat to medium and, cook, stirring, until onion is tender (4 minutes). Add the garlic and cook, stirring for another minute.
Dust the beef in the flour and return the beef to the dish in a flat layer. Add the bottle of wine, and enough stock to just cover the beef completely.
Wrap the bay leaves, thyme, rosemary and orange peel into a bouquet garni using cheesecloth or even a chux, tied with butcher's string. Add the bouquet garni to the dish and completely submerge. Season to taste and bring to the boil, stirring. Cover dish with a lid and bake in the oven for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, add the potatoes to the dish so that they're snuggling the beef and continue to bake until the beef is tender and easily pulls apart with a fork (30-45 minutes).
For the Vegetables...
Meanwhile, add the butter and olive oil to a large deep-dish pan on medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring gently, until crispy. Remove from heat and set aside.
Turn the heat up to medium high and add honey, cinnamon and star anise until sizzling. Add shallots, carrots, turnips and mushrooms and cook until slightly browned (2-3 minutes). Add the stock and bring to the boil.
Return the pancetta lardens to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, partially cover with a lid, and simmer over medium heat until shallots are mostly tender (8-10 minutes). Uncover and cook over high heat, gently tossing, until vegetables are tender and the liquid has reduced (4-5 minutes).
Remove the beef from the oven, throw away the bouquet garni (maybe give it a gently squeeze first to save all those lovely juices) and plate the meat, gravy and potatoes. Serve the vegetables alongside or on top.
