Beef Daube Provencal is a classic dish from the South of France, it is beef stewed in red wine flavoured with vegetables, herbs and orange peels. It can be served with rice, fresh tagliatelle, warm or cold.
What Daube means
Daube is a cooking method to braise either meat, fish or vegetables with wine. The word has Spanish origins, dobar, to braise. Daube usually refers to beef cooked in wine with herbs and vegetables, very common in the South of France.
Daube is very different than beef Bourguignon which is also beef cooked in wine. The Bourguignon is cooked for only 2 hours, while the Daube is cooked for 3. The vegetables in the Bourguignon are onions and mushrooms, while in the Daube there are carrots, tomatoes and orange peels which are ingredients more typical from the South of France. Another big difference is that in the Bourguignon the meat is first coated with flour and butter is used, while the Daube is cooked with vegetable oil.
What vegetables and herbs are used in the daube Provencal
In the daube Provencal the following vegetables are used:
2 onions
2 carrots
2 tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1/2 orange peels
bouquet grani
What is a bouquet grani
Bouquet grani is a selection of herbs wrapped in a leek leaf. The herbs are usually bay leaf, thyme, rosemary and sage.
Wrapping the herbs in leek leaf instead of a cotton bag adds an extra depth of flavour to the dish.
What meat to use for the Daube
The best cuts of beef to use in the stew are the cheaper cuts, usually well-worked muscles. Because they worked a lot, they are lean and tough but with a lot of connective tissues. Those tissues melt when cooked for a long time forming thick creamy gelatine.
In the chart below you can see where those cuts are located. They are called:
8 & 9 Shank in Italian Campanello or Muscolo, in French Jarret, Gîte
10 & 11 Round in Italian Girello or Controgirello, in French Semelle, Jumeau
12 Chuck in Italian Giovarro or Collo, in French Collier
Are you interested in knowing more about cuts of beef and their names also in French and Italian? You can find more information in the article: Cuts of Beef for Barbecuing
How to make the Daube Provencal
In a casserole pour 2 tbsp of oil
Add the bacon,
then all the vegetables
Lay the beef
Hide the chopped garlic between the meat
Season with salt and pepper
Add the bouquet grani
and the orange peels
Cover and cook at high heat for 10 minutes
Pour 1 cup of red wine
Cover and cook in the oven at 430 F – 220C for 3 hours
What to serve with the beef daube
The beef daube can be served with rice or fresh tagliatelle. I recommend baked rice pilaf , it is easy to make as it is just baked in the oven.
Julia Child wrote about the Daube Provencal as the last dish she had when she sold her house in the cote d’Azur and she served it with simple boiled rice.
If you like the daube juicier, you can add 1 cup of beef stock
The original recipe calls for covering the meat with a parchment paper and seal the cover of the casserole with flour mixed with water. I didn’t do that but feel free to try if you like
For wine I used a pinot noir, you can also use a white dry wine
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Daube Provencal
Beef Daube Provencal is a classic dish from the South of France, it is beef stewed in red wine flavored with vegetables, herbs and orange peels. It can be served with rice, fresh tagliatelle, warm or cold.
If you like the daube juicier, you can add 1 cup of beef stock
The original recipe calls for covering the meat with a parchment paper and seal the cover of the casserole with flour mixed with water. I didn't do that but feel free to try if you like
For wine I used a pinot noir, you can also use a white dry wine
For more potatoes recipes, check out the category: Main Course
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I love anything cooked in red wine, but I’d never heard of this, I can’t wait to add this to my meal plan, I’m so intrigued about the orange peel and beef!
What a wonderful recipe that is sure to impress! I might make this for father’s day. What dessert would you recommend pairing with it?
That would be nice. To remain on French theme I would recommend a Peach Tart Tatin or Ile Flottant. I will add the recipe links on the post
This looks like the perfect meal on a weekend, along with a nice glass of wine! Thanks for all the tips, I will be making this soon!
You are welcome, I am sure you will like it
I love anything cooked in red wine, but I’d never heard of this, I can’t wait to add this to my meal plan, I’m so intrigued about the orange peel and beef!
It is a classic here in the South of France, really good
Love French dishes! Can’t wait to try this one … Looks so tender and flavorful!
thank you, you will like it
Never heard of Daube before. Cooking beef in red wine sounds delicious. Definitely trying this. Thanks
it will be, I am sure you will like it