Provençal Beef Daube: Classic Slow-Braised French Stew

For the daube de boeuf Provençal

• olive oil, for frying
• 1.2 kg/2lb 12oz beef cheeks or feather blade, trimmed (about 4 pieces)
• 100g/3½oz smoked bacon rashers or 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 with a paring knife
• ½ orange peel, removed with a paring knife
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the glazed onions and carrots

• 170g/6oz frozen pearl onions
• 200g/7oz Chantenay carrots, peeled
• 50g/1¾oz butter
• 1 tsp golden caster sugar
• 2 sprigs lemon thyme
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• ½ bay leaf

To serve

• Mashed potato

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 140°C (120°C fan)/Gas 1.

2. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan. Season the beef and brown it well on all sides. Transfer the browned meat to a large lidded casserole dish.

3. Add the bacon to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, until crisp. Transfer the bacon to the casserole with the beef.

4. In the same pan, cook the onions, carrots and celery for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden. Transfer the vegetables to the casserole.

5. Add the tinned tomatoes to the pan and cook gently for a couple of minutes to concentrate the flavour, then pour them into the casserole.

6. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, bring it to a gentle simmer and reduce the liquid by about half. Pour the reduced wine into the casserole.

7. Add the brown veal stock, white wine, rosemary, lemon thyme, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon stick and the citrus peels to the casserole. Bring everything to a simmer, then cover with a paper cartouche and the lid. Place in the oven and cook for 8–10 hours, or until the meat is tender and falls apart easily.

8. While the daube cooks, prepare the glazed onions and carrots. In a heavy-duty saucepan large enough to hold the onions in a single layer, combine the pearl onions, Chantenay carrots, butter, sugar, lemon thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Add 125ml/4fl oz water, cover with a cartouche and simmer until the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are soft and translucent.

9. When the meat is done, remove it from the casserole and set aside to rest briefly.

10. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan. Reduce the sauce over a gentle heat until it becomes glossy and slightly thickened. Return the meat to the sauce and shred it into bite-sized pieces.

11. Serve the shredded daube with the glazed onions and carrots and a generous helping of mashed potato. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.