With the cold weather starting to make its appearance on the French Riviera, here is a local Mediterranean recipe from Nice that is sure to warm you up. Daube à la Niçoise is a hearty and tasty beef stew that can be served with pasta, gnocchi or mashed potatoes. It will delight the whole family (vegans excepted!) and is perfect for the weekend as it does require at least 3 hours of slow cooking.
Ingredients (for 6 to 8 people)
- 2 kg of beef, cut into 2cm cubes (beef cheek, joue de boeuf and chuck steak, paleron)
- 150 g of bacon bits (lardons, sans nitrites if you can find them)
- 5 large carrots, sliced
- 3 brown or white onions, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves,
- 1 bouquet garni (some parsley, a sprig of thyme, 2 laurel leaves)
- 6 ripe tomatoes, blanched in boiling water then peeled and pips taken out
- 1 celery stalk, roughly sliced
- 75 cl of red wine (preferably a Côtes de Provence)
- 10 cl extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 soup spoon of tomato paste
- 200g of cèpes mushrooms (fresh or dry)
- Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
- Parsley
Preparation
1. Marinate the meat
Place the chunks of beef in a large bowl. Add the red wine, one sliced onion, one sliced carrot, a minced garlic clove, and the bouquet garni. Place it at the bottom of your fridge and let it marinate for 1 day.
2. Prepare the Daube
Remove the meat before adding the roughly chopped onions. Cook until translucent then add the celery, sliced carrots, the peeled tomatoes and the tomato paste.
Let the vegetables soften a few minutes before pouring the marinade and the meat back into the casserole. Add salt and pepper to taste, and bring to the boil.
3. Slow cooking
Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours until the meat is tender and succulent. Check regularly and add some more water if it has evaporated.
4. Finishing touch
An hour before serving, add the mushrooms. (If using dried mushrooms, drain them before adding) When the stew is ready, serve it hot, with pasta, gnocchi or mashed potatoes, and garnish with chopped parsley.
Insider tip: The daube will be even better the following day, as all the rich flavours get a chance to mingle. So you might want to cook it Saturday for Sunday lunch.
View more traditional food from Provence.
