Daube Provençale

This is not your everyday beef stew. It’s marinated in red wine with aromatics overnight, then slowly cooked with orange zest, thyme, bay leaf, and plump black olives. The result is deep, dark and dreamily tender.

 

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 800g (1¾ lbs) stewing beef, cut into chunks

• 2 carrots, sliced

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, smashed

• Zest of 1 orange (in wide strips)

• 1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay, parsley)

• 100g (⅔ cup) black olives

• 500ml (2 cups) red wine (Côtes du Rhône works beautifully)

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• Olive oil, salt, pepper

 

Instructions:

Marinate the beef, carrots, onion, garlic, zest and bouquet garni in the wine overnight. Next day, remove meat and vegetables, pat dry, and brown in olive oil. Add tomato paste, strain in the marinade, and cook very gently (low heat or oven at 150°C / 300°F) for 3 hours. Add olives near the end.

 

Serve with buttered noodles, crusty bread, or even a simple potato purée.

 

Wine suggestions:

• Côtes du Rhône Villages — fruity, herbal and structured — a classic match

• Gigondas — more full-bodied than a typical Rhône; spicy and robust

• Bandol Rouge — made with Mourvèdre; complex, earthy, and just right with slow-cooked meats

 

Bonus tip: Pour a splash of the same wine into the stew — it’s a secret handshake between the pot and the glass.