tagliatelle

daube: meat that is braised then stewed in wine (culinary)

Not to be mistaken for

‘C’est de la daube’: is slang for ‘it’s sh*t’, as in ‘it isn’t worth anything’

I was going through my French cookery books looking for inspiration for a classic French stew recipe and found this one called ‘Daube Provençale’, which sounds promising not least because who doesn’t love Provence, right? It’s The destination of choice for British retirees and I don’t blame them one bit; it is bliss in every way, between the weather, the wine, the pines, the lavender, L’Occitane en Provence and the gorgeous river creeks you can spend days diving into.

The Daube Provençale is a beef stew that is marinated in cognac, olive oil, herbs and white wine for hours before being braised and then stewed in more wine and vegetables, and served with tagliatelle. I made it last May when the weather wasn’t cooperating and it was lovely, warming yet light enough to suit mid-seasons very nicely.

I don’t often think to eat stew with fresh pasta but it totally works, especially as the white wine marinade makes it into a lighter dish than red wine would have done. It is also, as with most stews, a very nice dish to do in the slow cooker.

Daube Provençale {Free Recipe Printable}

Serves 4; preparation: 15 mins; Marinade: 3 hrs; Cooking time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

800g braising beef
2 tomatoes
1 carrot
4 onions
2 garlic cloves
150g unsmoked bacon lardons
3 tbsp olive oil
100g black olives

Marinade

500 ml dry white wine
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small glass of cognac/brandy (liqueur or shot glass)
a handful of parsley, chopped
1 bouquet garni
salt and pepper

Method

1. Prepare the marinade: pour the white wine in a large bowl, add salt and pepper, the cognac, bouquet garni, olive oil and the chopped parsley.

2. Cut the meat into large chunks, place them in the marinade and leave in the fridge for 3 hours

3. Peel the onions and garlic and finely chop; peel the tomatoes and remove the seeds before cutting them into quarters; peel also the carrot and cut it into round slices.

4. In a deep pan, heat the oil and fry the vegetables and lardons for a few minutes before adding the meat and pouring the marinade over it. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook on low heat for 3 hours.