Daube de boeuf a la Provencale

Welcome to our food journal. My husband son and I moved to Nice, France in October of 2008. It was my goal to start this journal upon our arrival, but alas, things got hectic and I never had time. Now that it is the beginning of the new year, I thought I would get it up and running.

I will start this off with a fantastic meal that I prepared to celebrate the new year. I purchased a book here titled Provence Cookery School by Gui Gedda and Marie-Pierre Moine. There are some fantastic looking recipes in this book that I look forward to trying. For tonight's dinner I made the Daube de Boeuf a la Provencal and Macronade (Buttered macaroni with parsley). It is the French version of beef stew with noodles to soak up the juices. This was actually a fairly easy meal, however it takes lots of time and thought. In fact, I started preparations for the meal 4 days in advanced.

On day one I went out and bought some nonsprayed organic oranges so that I could peel them and hang the peel out to dry. Then the next day I made the marinade and marinaded the beef for 30 hours. One the third day I cooked the stew on the stove for 6 hours. Then I let it sit over night to cool. On the fourth day, I heated it up, made the pasta. Viola! An easy meal preparation for the evening.

If you have the time and desire, I highly recommend this recipe. It is by far the best stew I have ever eaten. Then again, how can anything turn out bad after being soaked in wine for 30 hours!

The marinade:

5 garlic cloves, sliced

3 carrots, sliced
2 celery sticks, chopped

2 large onions, chopped

3in strip of dried orange peel

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

3 sprigs of fresh parsley

2 bay leaves

1 tsp tiny savory leaves (I could not find savory so I put in rosemary)

1/2 tsp nutmeg

12 black peppercorns, crushed

4 juniper berries, crushed

4 cloves

2 tbsn red wine

1 bottle robust red wine

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Put the meat to be marinated in a shallow dish or bowl. Add the garlic, carrots celery and onions. Add the orange peel, herbs and spices.

Pour in the vinegar and wine. Season and gently stir. Cover and leave to marinate.

Daube de boeuf a la Provencale:

(serves 6)

4 1/2 lbs good stewing beef

La Marinade

2 tbsp olive oil

10 oz thick cut lardons (or bacon)

1 large onion

2 tbsp plain flour

fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cut beef into 2in chunks. Put them in a large an pour over the marinade. Cover and leave to marinate in a cool place overnight.

Remove the beef from the bowl and wipe with a paper towel to dry.

Strain the marinade through a sieve set over a bowl. Reserve the liquid in the bowl and the solid ingredients separately in the sieve.

Put a large saute pan or flameproof casserole over a moderate heat. Add the oil and then the lardons (bacon) and onion. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the beef, sprinkle over the flour, and brown for 10 minutes, stirring and turning frequently to color on all sides.

Tip in the well drained marinade ingredients. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, then pour in the marinade. Top off with boiling water - the ingredients should be just covered. Reduce the heat, cover tightly, and cook very gently for at least 3 hours. I cooked mine for 6 hours. Remove from the heat and leave to get cold, preferable until the next day.

Remove and discard the surface fat. Before serving, reheat gently in a covered pot.