Recipe for Beef Daube with Garlic

Provençal Beef Daube is one of those family recipes that have been passed down through generations for hundreds of years. Like all good things, a Daube takes time to prepare, but it’s worth the wait and with this recipe there’s no need to brown the meat.

Recipe for beef daube – serves 8

Ingredients for beef daube

2kg (4.4 pounds) beef shin, or oyster blade, trimmed
750ml pinot noir (bottle or 25 fl oz)
A large bouquet garni of 12 sprigs thyme, 2 bay leaves, 12 parsley stalks, 4 strips orange zest with pith removed, tied together with twine
2 bulbs garlic, peeled
A piece of pork skin with all the fat removed, large enough to line the base of the casserole
300g (10 oz) pickled pork belly (use pork belly if not able to source it)
1 pigs trotter, split lengthwise
100ml (3.3 fl oz) brandy
Enough strongly flavoured veal or chicken stock, just to cover
Sea salt flakes, and freshly ground black pepper
3tbsp chopped parsley
Sage leaves (1 bunch), fried in butter until crisp

How to make beef daube

Cut the beef shin or oyster blade into approximately 5cm square pieces. Marinate in the wine, bouquet garni and garlic in the fridge overnight.

Lightly grease the bottom of a flame-proof casserole dish, and cover with pork skin. Transfer the beef, including the bouquet garni and the garlic to the casserole, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Reserve the marinade.

Cut the pickled pork into 3cm pieces and add these to the casserole with the pig’s trotter.

Warm the brandy in a small saucepan and ignite with a match.

Shake until the flames expire and pour over the meat. Add the reserved marinade and the stock just to cover.

Preheat oven to 130C (Gas Mark2/260F), and on top of the stove, bring the casserole to a simmer and skim the surface of any grey scum that rises to the surface.

Place two layers of baking parchment on the surface, covering the meat, and then close with the lid.

Place in in the oven for 30 minutes, check to see that the liquid is barely moving.

Check again after 1½ hours using a skewer (if using oyster blade, it should be ready, beef shin will need another hour of cooking time), it should pass through without resistance, but the meat should still hold its shape.

Discard the pig’s trotter and the bouquet garni, and set aside to cool overnight, keeping covered.

When cool, remove fat. When you’re ready to serve, gently warm the daube over a low heat. When hot through, remove the meat from the casserole, set aside in a bowl, and cover with foil.

Bring the sauce to a boil, and skim as required, reducing to a coating consistency.

Return the meat to the sauce mix, check the seasoning, stir in fresh chopped parsley and serve with a scattering of crisp sage leaves.

Tip: for extra wow factor, decorate with heart shaped croutons fried in a little butter and olive oil.

Tracy Valentina Wood is a food stylist based in Sydney whose work encompasses social media, editorial, print, video, and television. Her clients include global giants as well as small local producers – and pretty much everything in between, including several seasons as chef de cuisine at the Chateau de Gudanes in southwest France. You can find more of her delicious recipes at: tracyvalentinawood.com

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