Beef Daube Provençal

Last weekend I wanted to cook a nice beef stew, one that cooks in a pot for hours and fills the house with the most delicious smells. I found a recipe for beef daube provençal in one of my favorite cook books. Simply put, it's braised beef stew (with a fancy French name).

 

You need:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 12 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
- 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Heat oil in an ovenproof Dutch oven over low heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef to pan. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan.

Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen brown bits. Add garlic, beef, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and next 7 ingredients to pan; bring to a boil (this is the moment when your home fills with the most delicious fragrance, mainly because of the herbs).

 

 

Cover and bake at 300 degrees for 2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf.

Serve over noodles.

 

Bon Appétit!