People who know me would tell you that it's hard to tell which I like more: gardening or cooking. I'd say it depends on which I'm doing at the moment. Anyway, French cooking and French gardening go hand in hand. For me, cooking is an on-going adventure. Join me here on my culinary explorations, where I share with you both my old favorites as well as new inspirations. It's my fondest wish that these recipes serve as a springboard for your own new creations.
02/14/2003
French beef stew (Daube de boeuf)
Ingredients:
For 6-8 people:
About 5 lbs. of mixed cuts of beef: chuck roast, bottom round, short ribs, trimmed of fat and cut in pieces about 3" square.
1 veal knuckle (optional)
1 bottle good red wine
2 large onions, peeled and cut in quarters
2-3 carrots, peeled and cut in thick rounds
2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
1/2 lb. fresh or salted (not smoked) pork fatback, cut in dice
4 T. olive oil or duck fat
2 Bouquets garnis of 4 parsley sprigs, several leafy thyme branches, and 2 bay leaves
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
4 crushed juniper berries
1/4 c. Armagnac
Pinch cinnamon
Salt and pepper
Marinate the meat with the carrots, onions, bouquet garni, and the wine for 6 hours to 2 days. Strain out the meat and vegetables, pressing down to get all the marinade, and reserving it. Dry the meat on paper towels.
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. In a large heavy skillet, brown the pork cubes lightly. Place them in the bottom of a daubière or large cast iron Dutch oven. Pour the pork fat out of the skillet, and melt the fat or heat the oil in the same skillet. Brown the meat on all sides. Sprinkle the spices over the meat. Remove and layer it in the daubière. Toss the marinade vegetables (except the bouquet garni) into the skillet and brown for several minutes. Add them to the meat. Sprinkle the Armagnac over all, and add the garlic cloves. Pour excess fat out of the skillet, and deglaze with 1 1/2 c. of the marinade. Stir well to scrape up all the browned bits. Pour over the meat and vegetables. Add a modest amount of salt (especially of your pork is salted) and some pepper. Add a new bouquet garni and about 2 cups of hot water. Cover the pot. If you have a daubière, fill the cavity in the lid with water, to condense vapors that rise from the stew. Cook in the oven for 4-6 hours, without opening. Open the pot at table so the diners can whiff the wonderful perfume. Daube is traditionally served with macaroni, or sometimes fresh pasta or steamed potatoes.
Note: The daube, in infinite variations (some made with lamb, some with additions of olives and/or tomatoes), is one of the primary traditional dishes of the whole of southern France, including the Southwest as well as Provence. It is traditionally made in a daubière, an earthenware, potbellied pot with a hollow lid. The basin in the lid is filled with water, which cools the lid and causes vapors rising off the stew to condense and stay in the pot. The daube needs no embellishment beyond crusty bread, a sharp green salad, a rustic red wine, and cheeses and fruit for dessert.
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Products of Interest:
Provençal earthenware daubière
Provençal silverware holder
Provençal jaspé salad bowl
Provençal stoneware vinegar jug (vinaigrier)