← Nouns Cooking · French

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg beef chuck or cheek, cut into 5 cm chunks
• 750 ml full-bodied red wine
• 2 Onion, 1 quartered, 1 chopped
• 4 Carrot, cut into thick chunks
• 4 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 orange, zest pared off in 3 wide strips
• 3 Cloves
• 2 Bay leaves
• 4 sprigs Thyme
• 1 sprig Rosemary
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 150 g pancetta or smoked bacon lardons
• 2 tbsp Plain (all-purpose) flour
• 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 100 g pitted black olives
• salt and black pepper

Method

1. The day before, put the beef in a large bowl with the wine, quartered onion, half the carrots, the garlic, orange zest, cloves, bay, thyme and rosemary. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 12 hours.
2. Heat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan, 300°F). Lift the beef out of the marinade, keeping the liquid and aromatics, and pat it very dry.
3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large casserole over high heat and brown the beef in batches, 3–4 min per batch, until well coloured. Set aside.
4. Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining oil, the pancetta and the chopped onion and fry for 5 min. Return the beef, sprinkle over the flour and stir for 1 minute.
5. Pour in the marinade with all its aromatics, add the tomatoes and remaining carrots and bring to a simmer. Season, cover tightly and move to the oven for 3 hours, until the beef is spoon-tender.
6. Stir in the olives and simmer uncovered on the hob for 10–15 min, until the sauce is rich and glossy. Remove the orange peel and herb stalks before serving.

Tips

• In Provence the leftovers are tossed with pasta or used to fill ravioli: daube improves over two or three days.
• For gluten-free, skip the flour and simply reduce the sauce a little longer.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Great British Chefs 196 flavors