Beef Daube Provencal

The flavorful colors and scent of this dish are amazing!



'Red meat is not bad for you. Now blue-green meat, that's bad for you! ~Tommy Smothers'

Beef Daube Provençal

Cooking Light's best ever beef dish

September 2007.

This classic French braised beef, and vegetable stew is simple and delicious. The flavor and texture allow you to keep it warm for your guests. Buy a whole-grain baguette, bagged salad greens, and bottled vinaigrette to round out the meal.

Ingredients

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 (optional - it tastes fabulous without adding the wine)

2 cups chopped carrot

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1/2 cup less-sodium beef broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme Dash of ground cloves

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 bay leaf

3 cups cooked medium egg noodles (about 4 cups uncooked noodles)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300°. Heat oil in a small Dutch oven over low heat. Add garlic; cook 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef to pan; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Add wine to pan; bring to a boil, (which 'boils' away all the alcohal) scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add garlic, beef, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and next 8 ingredients (through bay leaf), and bring to a boil.

Cover and bake at 300° for 2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve over noodles. Note: To make in a slow cooker, prepare through boiling the wine. Place beef mixture in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours.

This is a dish for a grown up pallet. My kids sprinkled parmesan cheese over their noodles with a few pieces of carrots and steak from the stew on the side. The house smelled fabulous - the fragrance from the blend of herbs is amazing!