Beef Daube Provencal

This is going to be part 1 of 2 in the delicious tender beefy stew recipes.  I received this recipe as a recommendation from one of my best friends. She said that she and her boyfriend make it and it's delicious. Slow roasting beef and 12, yes TWELVE garlic cloves sounded right up our alley.  This also gave us an opportunity to use one of our favorite kitchen tools, the dutch oven. 

Have I told you lately that I love you (dutch oven)?  Dutch ovens are the best. You can brown beef in them and then add liquid to make soups and stews.  Did I mention they are also oven safe?!  The dutch oven has changed my life, and not only because I get to make the soft pretzels I was super in love with (seen here). 

I will say that the portion sizes for this particular recipe were a bit small. We served this to guests for dinner and we barely made 6 servings. Luckily we threw together a salad to make this a more substantial meal.  Several reviewers said they used a hearty bread instead of egg noodles, so I went with the bread this time. My friend made horseradish mashed potatoes which sounded super tasty but I wasn't sure if the crowd we had would have been down with horseradish. Either you love it or hate it. But mashed potatoes (or as I call them mashy p's) would definitely be a good way to go. 

I used Wegman's Rosemary and sea salt loaf.  It was a great compliment to this stew.  We used Yellow Tail Shiraz/Cabernet blend.

We originally were planning to make this in our slow cooker but didn't think it would fit. In the end, I think we could have done it. I might brown the beef first just to get some of that same flavor.

As of today's post, 39 people rated it a 4 out of 5.  Come on people, 12 garlic cloves, that's all I have to say....

Recipe by Lia Mack Huber, Cooking Light, September 2007

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup stew and 1/2 cup noodles)

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
• 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  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1  bay leaf
• 3  cups  hot cooked medium egg noodles (about 4 cups uncooked noodles)
• Chopped fresh thyme (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300°.
Heat olive oil in a small Dutch oven over low heat. Add garlic to pan; cook for 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 browned bits. Add garlic, beef, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and next 8 ingredients (through bay leaf) to pan; 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. Garnish with chopped fresh thyme, if desired.
Note: To make in a slow cooker, prepare through Step 2. Place beef mixture in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours.
Wine note: This satisfying beef stew deserves a rich, earthy, and soulful wine--one with a soft, thick texture. I love the complexity and juiciness of the Kuleto Estate Syrah 2004 from Napa Valley, California ($45), which elevates this stew into a princely dinner. --Karen MacNeil

Nutritional Information

Calories: 367 (31% from fat)

Fat: 12.8g (sat 4.3g,mono 5.8g,poly 0.9g)

Protein: 29.1g

Carbohydrate: 33.4g

Fiber: 3.9g

Cholesterol: 105mg

Iron: 4.3mg

Sodium: 776mg

Calcium: 76mg