Daube de boeuf Provençal
Beef cheeks cooked long and slow for totally tender meat. Serve with creamy mashed potato.
Ingredients
For the daube de boeuf Provençal
- olive oil, for frying
- 1.2 kg/2lb 12oz or 4 beef cheeks or feather blade, trimmed
- 100g/3½oz smoked bacon rashers/lardons
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 300g/10½oz carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 celery stick, thinly sliced
- 250g/9oz tinned tomatoes
- 750ml/26fl oz red wine
- 500ml/18fl oz brown veal stock
- 375ml/ /13fl oz dry white wine
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 4 sprigs lemon thyme
- 10 black peppercorns
- 4 cloves
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 1 lemon, peel removed using a paring knife
- ½ orange, peel removed using a paring knife
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the glazed onions and carrots
To serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 140C/120C Fan/Gas 1.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Season the beef and brown in the pan. Transfer to a large, lidded casserole dish.
Add the bacon to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, until crisp. Transfer to the casserole dish.
In the same pan, cook the vegetables for 10-15 minutes, until soft and golden-brown. Transfer to the casserole dish.
Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook gently for a couple of minutes, then transfer to the casserole dish.
Deglaze the pan with the red wine, bring to a gentle simmer and reduce the volume of the liquid by half. Pour into the casserole dish.
Add the stock, white wine, herbs, spices and citrus peel to the casserole and bring to a simmer. Cover with a paper cartouche and the lid and put in the oven. Cook for 8–10 hours, or until the meat is soft to the touch and falls apart easily.
Meanwhile, to make the glazed onions, put all the ingredients in heavy-duty saucepan, large enough for the onions to cover the base. Add 125ml/4fl oz water and cover with a cartouche. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid has evaporated, and the onions are translucent and soft.
Remove the beef from the casserole and set aside.
Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan and reduce the volume of the liquid until you have a shiny sauce. Return the meat to the pan and shred.
Serve with the glazed onions and mashed potato.
