Daube de Boeuf a la Nicoise
Piperade Basquaise
Jarret de Divant a la Provencal
Farine de Mais


Daube de Boeuf a la Nicoise
5.5 Qt. Round Oven

A Beef Stew: This is a French Classic. So is the Le Creuset Round Oven, used by countless French cooks for this dish. While the recipe looks formidable, it’s a breeze if made over two or three days. And the flavor is sensational. Day One: marinate the beef (a minimum of 3 hours or up to 24 hours); Day Two: Oven braise for 2 1/2 hours then serve or cool and refrigerate. Day three: Remove solidified fat, reheat and serve.

Although this is a one-dish meal, it is delicious served over wide egg noodles that have been tossed with a little butter and Parmesan cheese. For a Provencal touch, pass a dish of chopped anchovies at serving time or mash and add to the stew, reducing the amount of salt you use to compensate.

Marinate it in the same Le Creuset oven you’ll be using for cooking. The meat is removed from the marinade and floured before cooking. This helps thicken the pan’s liquid during cooking. The bacon is blanched for a more subtle flavor.

Marinade

1 1/2 cups dry red or white wine
1/2 cup cognac or brandy
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive
3 stalks celery, washed and cut in 1/2-inch pieces
3 carrots cut in 1/2-inch pieces
4 shallots, peeled and cut in rounds
2 fat cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt, preferably kosher or sea salt
Several grinds of the pepper mill
1 teaspoon dried thyme or two sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary or a large sprig fresh rosemary
1 large bay leaf, preferably Turkish, crumbled
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Combine all ingredients in the Le Creuset oven and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Prepare the meat while the marinade cools to room temperature.

4 pound boneless chuck roast cut in 2 1/2” x 2 1/2” x 1” pieces

Add the meat to the marinade combining well with the vegetables and liquid. Refrigerate, covered.

8 slices lean bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces

Blanch the bacon: bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the bacon, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and reserve.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound mushrooms, coarsely sliced
3/4 pound stoned olives, a mixture of black and green
4-5 ripe tomatoes peeled and chopped or 2 1/2 cups canned Italian
plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
Canned beef broth as needed

When ready to cook the stew, preheat the oven to 325F.

Remove the beef from the marinade to a platter using tongs. Strain the marinade over a large bowl. Place the vegetables in another bowl

Lay about half of the bacon pieces in the bottom of the Le Creuset oven.

Mix the salt and pepper with the flour. Dredge each piece of beef in the flour mixture and shake off the excess. Place the meat close together in a layer over the bacon. Mix the reserved marinated vegetables with the mushrooms, olives and tomatoes. Ladle some of this vegetable mixture over the meat layer. Make additional layers of meat and vegetables. Add a few bacon pieces to each layer as you go. You should have four layers of meat and vegetables. Top with the remaining bacon slices.

Add the marinade liquid and add beef broth, if necessary to barely cover the pan’s contents. Cover the pan and place it in the oven. Cook the stew for about 2 1/2 hours or until the beef is tender. If serving right away, remove the pan from the oven, tip it, and spoon off any fat. Alternately, if serving later, let the stew cool with the lid ajar. When at room temperature, re-cover and refrigerate. The fat will eventually congeal and can easily be removed.

To reheat, bring the stew to room temperature; place in a preheated 325F oven for 30 – 45 minutes, or until stew is just bubbling. The Daube serves 6.