Provencale Beef Daube

Delicious magazine recipe

Serves 4

• 1 large celery stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 7 sprigs fresh thyme and parsley plus handful fresh parsley leaves for persillade
• 1kg lean braising steak (or venison)
• 4 tablespoon olive oil
• 225g thick cut rindless streaky bacon cut into strips
• 3 onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 6 fat garlic cloves, thinly sliced, plus 1 fat clove, sliced for persillade
• 600ml red wine
• 200ml beef stock
• 350g carrots cut into chunks
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 2 salted anchovies rinsed (optional!!)
• 3 large strips pared orange zest
• 20g softened butter
• 20g plain flour
• 100g small black olives (optional!!)

Make a bouquet garni by cutting celery in half and sandwiching the bay and herb springs in between. Tie everything into a tight bundle with some string.

Cut the steak into large chunky pieces. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large casserole over a high heat. Brown the beef in batches until well coloured all over. Season. Add the bacon to the pan and fry until golden brown. Set aside with the beef. Add the reminaing oil and the onions to the casserole and fry for the 10-12 minutes until richly browned. Add the garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes more. Add the wine and simmer vigorously, scraping the base of the casserole to release the caramelised juices, until the liquid has been reduced by half.

Preheat oven to 150 degrees (130 if fan and gas 2).

Stir in stock, then return beef and bacon to casserole with carrots, tomatoes, anchoives, orange zest, bouquet garni, season. Cover with foil and tight fitting lid and cook in ove for 2 hours or until meltingly tender (I found cooking for 2 hrs, drinking some passionfruit martini's and forgetting it for another 2 hours worked wonders!).

Shortly before it is ready make the persillade garnish by chopping together the parsley and garlic. Mash the butter and flour together to make a thickening paste (beurre manie).

Remove daube from oven, uncover and skim off any excess oil. Discard the bouquet garni and orange and bring to gentle simmer on the stove. Whisk in beurre maine paste (if needed) a little at time until thickened. Stir in olives. Simmer for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with the persillade garnish. Serve with honey roasted carrots and parsnips and new potatoes.

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