Jeff’s Daube (Provençal Beef Stew)

Fit for Company, Rewarms Well, Great Leftovers

SERVES: 6 to 8

Seattle is one of my favorite cities, and although there are many excellent restaurants, the highlight for me is a meal at my friend Jeff Bergman’s house. For several years, he cooked professionally, and he has continued to perfect his craft, becoming one of the greatest cooks I know, professional or amateur. His recipes take some time, but they are well worth the effort. An example is this daube, a red wine-based beef stew from Provence. Jeff’s is one of the best I’ve had, here or in France. Because of the time and effort involved, this is a dish to make when important company is coming over, but don’t fear, it’s not a difficult recipe. Jeff says that daube greatly benefits from being made the day before so that the braising juices can saturate the tender meat. He serves the daube with rice, gnocchi, cooked egg pasta such as pappardelle, or his favorite choice, a creamy mixed-root puree of potatoes, celery root, parsnips, and Jerusalem artichokes.

INGREDIENTS:

BOUQUET GARNI

• 10 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
• 10 fresh thyme sprigs
• 4 fresh summer savory sprigs
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 1-inch-wide strip orange peel
• 2 750-ml bottles dry red wine, such as Côtes du Rhône, Shiraz, California Syrah, or Petite Syrah
• ¼ cup cognac
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 pounds trimmed beef shank meat, cut into 2-inch chunks and dried with paper towels
• 3 pounds trimmed boneless beef short ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces and dried with paper towels
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 quarts homemade beef stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 medium leeks, white and pale green parts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 celery stalk, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
• 6 large shallots, cut into quarters
• 12 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

GARNISH

• ¼ pound slab bacon, cut into 1-×-½-inch-thick strips (lardons)
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2.  Bouquet garni: Tie all the herbs and the orange peel into a bundle with butcher’s twine. Set aside.
3.  Place the wine in a large saucepan, bring to a boil, and boil until reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
4.  Meanwhile, place the cognac in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as it comes to a boil, remove from the heat, carefully ignite the cognac with a long match or butane fire starter, and return to the heat to burn off the alcohol. Set aside.
5.  In a small bowl, combine the flour with 2 teaspoons each salt and pepper. Sprinkle the beef pieces with the seasoned flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef to the pot, being careful not to overcrowd (you may have to brown it in batches). Cook the beef for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until a dark brown crust forms. Adjust the heat if the pot becomes too hot: The meat should sizzle gently. Remove the browned pieces to a platter and continue until all the meat is nicely browned, adding 2 tablespoons
   more of the oil as needed. Pour off any fat in the pot and discard. Add 1 cup of the stock and bring to a boil, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the deglazing juices to the reserved wine. Wipe the pot dry with paper towels.
6.  Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pot and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add the carrots, leeks, celery, onion, shallots, and garlic and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes, or until slightly softened and lightly browned. Add the tomato paste, stir to coat the vegetables, and cook for 1 minute. Add the bouquet garni, then add the reduced wine, reduced cognac, the remaining 7 cups stock, and the vinegar and stir to combine.
7.  Add the browned beef and any juices and stir again. Bring the daube to a boil, cover, place in the oven, and cook for 2 hours. Check the beef for tenderness with the point of a knife. If the blade is easily inserted into the meat with no resistance, the daube is done. If not, continue to cook, checking every 20 minutes,until tender. Remove from the oven. (At this point, you can let the daube cool and refrigerate overnight.)
8.  Degrease the surface of the daube. (If it’s been refrigerated, reheat over medium heat.) Carefully remove the meat to a platter (it’s tender and will break apart easily). Pour the braising liquid through a fine-mesh strainer and discard the vegetables and bouquet garni. Return the braising liquid to the pot,bring to a boil, and reduce until slightly thickened and syrupy.
9.  Meanwhile, place the bacon strips in a small skillet and cook over medium heat until lightly brown and beginning to crisp. Drain on paper towels.
10.  Add the beef and bacon strips to the liquid, carefully tossing to coat them. Warm through for 5 minutes, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. To serve, place the meat on a large platter, spoon the sauce over it, and sprinkle with the parsley.

ALTERNATIVE CUTS:

• Boneless chuck of any cut or rump roast (reduce the cooking time by about 30 minutes), brisket, beef cheeks (increase the cooking time by 30 minutes).

COOK’S NOTE

• Instead of using meat cut into pieces, make this as a pot roast. Buy chuck, brisket, or rump roast for pot-roasting and begin checking for doneness after 2 hours.

LEFTOVERS

• Serve any leftovers over your favorite pasta, or use leftover daube instead of bison to make Cottage Pie; you will need about 4 cups daube.
• Substitute 4 to 6 cups daube for the filling in Irish Beef-Cheek Pie with Stout.