Favourite Provencal Beef Stew
Submitted by bagehring
Provencal beef stew (daube) marinates chuck overnight in red wine vinegar, garlic, thyme, and orange zest, then braises low and slow in dry red wine for fork-tender meat with sun-soaked southern French character.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
3 hrsREADY
12 hrsThis Provencal beef stew is a true daube, the rustic braise of southern France that turns tough beef chuck into something fork-cut tender. The hallmark is the long marinade: 12 to 18 hours in red wine vinegar with garlic, thyme, bay, and strips of orange zest.
That orange peel is the flavor that separates a daube from any other beef stew. Just two narrow strips infuse the whole pot with a faint, almost imperceptible citrus warmth that brightens the deep, wine-dark broth. Skip it and you have a Burgundy stew; include it and you have Provence.
A full bottle of dry red wine plus the reserved marinade braises the seared meat for three hours of bare simmer until the muscle fibers slip apart. The overnight rest in the fridge before reheating is what every cook in southern France will tell you: daube is always better the next day.
Chef Tips
- Pat the marinated meat bone-dry before searing. Wet meat steams instead of browning, and the Maillard crust is half the flavor.
- Use a knife or peeler for the orange zest, not a microplane. You want strips you can fish out, not pulp that disappears into the sauce.
- The bare simmer matters. A rolling boil makes chuck stringy; a quiet bubble makes it silken.
Variations
- Add a half cup of pitted black olives and a strip of orange peel in the last 30 minutes for the classic daube niçoise touch.
- Stir in a few rashers of diced bacon or pancetta with the seared beef for smokier depth.
- Serve over creamy polenta or mashed potatoes instead of buttered noodles for a gluten-free pairing.
Ingredients
Directions
Trim meat of excess fat and cut into 2-inch cubes.
In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, 2 tablespoons of the oil, salt, pepper, bay leaf, garlic, thyme, and orange peel.
Add meat, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 12 to 18 hours.
Drain meat, reserving marinade.
Pat meat dry with paper towels.
In a Dutch oven or large skillet with lid, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over moderately high heat.
Brown meat well on all sides.
Add wine and reserved marinade.
Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes.
Reduce heat to maintain a bare simmer.
Cover and cook until meat is meltingly tender (about 3 hours).
For best flavor, allow stew to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate, covered, overnight.
Reheat gently to serve.
Ladle stew into warm soup bowls, over buttered noodles, if desired, and garnish each serving with parsley.
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