Daube de Boeuf À la ProvenÇal
A delicious beef stew recipe slow-cooked in the crockpot is a great family meal or for entertaining. A one-pot dish with lots of vegetables, tender cuts of beef, wine, the juice and rind of an orange, a handful of black olives, and a bouquet garni for exquisite flavor. And never miss the opportunity to make stew from other meats like Best Venison Stew and Appetizing Lamb Stew. In France, a stew is known as Daube, a traditional family meal.
Jump to:
❤️About This Recipe
And believe me, there is nothing quite like it!
It is called daube because of the old earthenware container it was cooked in years ago.
There are variations of this beef stew recipe and they are all fantastic!
It is best started the day before as it improves in flavor.
As it is a meal that can be made ahead, it is perfect for entertaining.
It is also a favorite meal eaten on Christmas Eve in France with all the family together!
📝Ingredient List
For The Stew
- stewing beef
- streaky bacon or salt pork
- olive oil
- tomatoes
- tomato paste
- garlic
- black peppercorns
- parsley
- Salt and ground black pepper
- orange (optional)
- black olives (optional)
For The Marinate
- carrots
- onions
- cloves
- Bouquet garni
- red wine such as Burgundy
🔢Instructions
Beef has been cut into large pieces and vegetables chopped.
The traditional bouquet garni is made with a sprig of thyme, bay leaf, and parsley. I always place my bouquet items in a nylon produce bag which makes it very easy to remove when finished.
Marinate has been prepared.
- Prepare the beef and vegetables.
- Place the pieces of beef together with the chopped carrots, onions, studded onion, and bouquet garni in a large non-metallic bowl.
- Pour the red wine over the ingredients in the bowl and leave to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
- Next day remove the pieces of beef from the marinate and dry with paper towels. (They need to be dry as they will not brown if left wet, the moisture will cause the meat to steam and will not brown. You will miss a lot of flavor if that happens.)
- Heat the olive oil in a deep, large heavy-bottomed casserole dish. (Stainless steel, cast iron, or stoneware are perfect here.) Remove bacon and set aside.
- Now brown the pieces of beef, a small amount at a time, in the casserole dish.
- Add the rest of the marinate to the pan.
- Add the tomatoes and tomato paste.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat and simmer for about four hours. The marinate will reduce by about ¾ but you can add a little water if it reduces too much. It should be a good consistency and not watery.
- Add a handful of black olives, some grated rind, and the juice and rind of one orange, if you like, but it is equally good without.
Top Tips
- Find directions for a bouquet garni here.
- Always keep your marinate overnight in the refrigerator, and definitely marinate!
What To Serve With This French Beef Stew?
- Your delicious beef stew recipe is wonderful served with creamy mashed potato, polenta, or sauteed potatoes.
- French bread like a crusty baguette or a loaf of brioche bread are perfect!
- And of course, a glass of red wine such as Burgundy will complete your meal!
Enjoy this delectable crockpot beef stew with gravy recipe as it is well worth the planning ahead!
🍷Wine Pairing 🍇
The bottom line when pairing wine with any food is, you must enjoy the wine. Most people would prefer a Pinot Noir, but for me I would enjoy the fruitiness of this wine or a Merlot which is also fruity, although much stronger than a Pinot Noir, but not the dryness.
Unlike wine connasieurs, which I do not profess to be, I prefer sweeter wines. I know, I know, but there is no accounting for taste and we should eat and drink what we like.
If you don't want it fruity or sweet then go for a Cabernet Sauvignon.
But, if like me you prefer a little sweetness then Late Harvest Zinfandel, Port, and Madeira might be your choice, all red wines. Otherwise try a white wine.
I make my own wine which is fruity made with grapes, apples, pears, cranberries, and sometimes, raspberries or cherries. We love it!
❔FAQ
Preparing and cooking it the French way as in this recipe. Marinating the beef and vegetables in a good dry wine like Burgundy and then cooking it in the marinate for a long time.
📖 Recipe
Crockpot Beef Stew With Gravy Recipe That Is #1
Ingredients
- For The Marinate
- 4 lbs 1.8kg stewing beef cut in thick chunks
- 4 carrots thickly cut
- 2 large onions thickly sliced
- 1 small onion studded with 4 cloves
- Bouquet garni sprig or two of thyme, parsley, and a bay leaf.
- 1 bottle of a good red wine such as Burgundy
- For The Stew
- 8 oz 225g streaky bacon or salt pork, diced
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 ripe tomatoes peeled, de-seeded, and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- Grated rind and juice of one orange optional
- 3 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
- Salt and ground black pepper
- A handful of black olives optional
Instructions
- Place the pieces of beef together with the chopped carrots, onions, studded onion, and bouquet garni in a large non-metallic bowl.
- Pour the red wine over the ingredients in the bowl and leave to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
- Next day remove the pieces of beef from the marinate and dry with paper towels. (They need to be dry as they will not brown if left wet and you will miss a lot of flavor.)
- Heat the olive oil in a deep heavy-bottomed frying pan and brown the pieces of bacon. Place them in a large heavy-bottomed casserole dish.
- Now brown the pieces of beef, a small amount at a time, and place these also in the casserole dish.
- Add the rest of the marinate to the pan.
- Add the tomatoes and tomato paste.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat and simmer for about four hours. The marinate will reduce by about ¾ but you can add a little water if it reduces too much. It should be a good consistency and not watery.
- Add a handful of black olives and some grated rind and juice of one orange if you like but it is equally good without.
- Your delicious beef stew recipe is wonderful served with creamy mashed potato, polenta, or sauteed potatoes. Parsley covered carrots also go really well with it.
- And of course, a glass of red wine such as Burgundy will complete your meal!
If you tried this recipe please let us know.