Provençal beef stew

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 ½ kg beef
• 2 bottles of red wine (Côtes du Rhône)
• 6 shallots
• 1 carrot(s)
• 1 stalk(s) leek
• 1 piece(s) celery
• 100 g green olives, pitted
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tsp peppercorns, black
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tomatoes
• Tomato paste
• Salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest period approx. 2 days; Total time approx. 2 days 1 hour

Provençal stave

Preparing this casserole dish is relatively time-consuming and, including marinating the meat, takes several days. But the taste makes up for any inconvenience – honestly! I first cut the meat into pieces twice the size I ultimately want on the plate. From my experience, I recommend cutting pieces that are about 8-10 cm long and about 5 cm wide/high. This keeps the meat nice and juicy while braising. I place the pieces in a large pot and marinate them for two days in the following marinade: two bottles of wine (Côtes du Rhône), shallots, leeks, celery, carrots, garlic cloves, olives, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Dice the vegetables. The meat should be completely covered in the wine, and it should be stirred occasionally. Ideally, the whole thing should be stored in the refrigerator or another cool place – which smells wonderful, by the way! Then the pieces of meat are seared on all sides in olive oil. It’s an unimaginable mess – unfortunately, it splatters disastrously. I either fry in two pans or fry the pieces one after the other so they don’t overlap in the pan, and salt the meat generously. Then I put the meat in a pot. Chop the tomatoes and add them to the pan with the drippings. If necessary, add some more vegetables from the marinade to help the drippings dissolve. I then add the whole thing, along with the olives and enough marinade to almost cover the meat, to the pot. I braise the whole thing on the stovetop over low heat for about 2.5 to 3 hours. After braising, I remove the meat and olives from the pot and let it rest for a while under aluminum foil. I strain the sauce through a sieve, refine it with tomato paste, season again, and then add the pieces of meat and olives back in. Pasta goes best with this. The French enjoy the Daube with fresh white bread or potatoes. Don’t forget to serve it with plenty of red wine!