Daube de Boeuf Provençal

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Ducks Mahal

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“Daube is a classic Provençal stew made with inexpensive beef braised in wine, vegetables, garlic, and herbes de Provence, and traditionally cooked in a daubière, a braising pan” – [Wikipedia]. Daube is pronounced “dobe”, like robe.

I love these French names for dishes. It makes me sound so cultured when talking about a pot roast. When I think daubière, I think crock-pot! Make your choice. Would you prefer to say you’re making a “Daube de Boeuf Provençal slow cooked in a daubière,” or would you prefer to say you’re making a “Beef Stew slowly cooked in a crock-pot?” It’s the same thing.

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Researching this dish as I do all dishes, I find the same thing I do of all dishes. There are so many variations! I ask, what makes this dish any different than Beef Bourguignon? There are differences.

Boeuf Bourguignon is a dish from the Burgundy region in eastern France and the dish calls for Burgundy wine.

Boeuf Provençal is from the Provence region in southern France and Côtes-du-Rhône wine from the Rhône Valley is used.

Boeuf Bourguignon is beef, beef broth, wine, garlic, onions, bouquet garni, pearl onions and mushrooms.

Boeuf Provençal is beef, wine, vegetables, garlic and herbes de Provence. I can tell you the herbes de Provence makes an immediate difference.

Both are larded with lardons (non-smoked bacon).

This is where the technique of braising comes in and adds even more difference.

In Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy) the meat is browned in a Dutch oven, rolled in flour, placed in a 425⁰ oven for 10 minutes to bind the flour, then the fond (the brown stuff on the sides of the Dutch oven) is deglazed from the walls of the Dutch oven, then all the ingredients are added back to the Dutch oven and cooked several hours at a low temperature. (I have made this many times – the Julia Child version. It is a lot of work. Your elbows are moving at all times.)

In Daube de Boeuf Provençal (Beef Stew of Provence) the beef is browned and then the ingredients are placed in a daubière (a ceramic braising pot) and cooked in stages. The first day the meat and vegetables are marinated in wine overnight, the second day the pot is slow cooked for a very long time, then cooled and on the third day it is reheated and served. This is done to meld the flavors. This dish has a far lighter flavor than Boeuf Bourguignon, better for the summer.

As it turns out, for me Daube de Boeuf Provençal is the easier of the two dishes to make b/c I have a crock-pot and a propane BBQ pit.

There are two more versions of Daube. New Orleans, my home town and a one hour drive from where I live, is home to the Creole Daube and a Daube glacé. The Creole Daube adds green peppers, creole hot seasoning and tomato sauce. The glacé I have no idea how to make and it looks a little weird to me. I’m not “into” jello and meat.

The Daube I make does call for tomatoes. I use Roma (plum) tomatoes skinned and diced. I will also use orange peel. I will add mushrooms. Some people add olives but I don’t think this dish needs it. I use a subtle Chianti wine. I have Côtes-du-Rhône here but the label I have is a little too fruity for my taste. I’m a “dyed in the wool” hearty Cabernet Sauvignon, oak-tannin, Napa Valley man. I’m not a fan of fruitier dry red wines. The idea for me is I want the wine not so fruity b/c everything else in the pot is natural. I want the meat and the vegetables to stand on their own with compliment. The Chianti is more fruity than Cabernet, but more dry than Côtes-du-Rhône. Chianti is actually a Sangiovese grape from the Chianti region of Italy and has a red cherry and spice flavor. But, whatever red wine you like, use it.

The other thing I use is herbes de Provence with lavender. Lavender is typically left out of the French version of herbes de Provence. Herbes de Provence is a mixture of savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, oregano and lavender in the American version.

How easy is this dish to make? Very!!!

Brown the meat on the BBQ (or in a pan). Chop the meat into big squares and place at the bottom of the crock-pot. Layer all the vegetables but mushrooms, add the herbs, then the wine, cover and leave in the frig overnight. Next day, place the crock-pot on low heat for 6 to 8 hours. Half way cooking adjust the seasoning and add the mushrooms. Let cool, place the pot back in frig. Next day spoon the dish into a Dutch oven and cook covered for an hour on a very low simmer and serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

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Top Round and bacon:

Day 1: Preparing the stoneware:

2 lbs. top round (or chuck, or bottom round)
2 strips bacon (If smoked, soak bacon in a pot of hot water for 20 minutes to neutralize the smoke flavor)
2 stalks celery peeled and chopped
4 medium carrots peeled and chopped
1 medium onion chopped
3 cloves garlic sliced
4 oz. whole white mushrooms (stemmed and cut into quarters)
4 strips of orange peel, (use a potato peeler)
4 Roma (plum) tomatoes peeled and chopped
1 tsp. herbes de Provence
2 cups red wine
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. corn starch (to thicken the gravy)

Brown the meat on the BBQ pit.

Chop into big squares and then season with salt and pepper. Place at the bottom of the pot.

Boil water in a pot for 10 minutes then turn off heat. Place the bacon in the hot water for 20 minutes to remove most of the smoke flavor. Cut into strips. Place over the meat.

Add the garlic. Layer in the other vegetables.

Cut an X into the top and bottom of the tomatoes. Drop the tomatoes into two cups of boiling water no more than 1 minute. Immediately you will see the tomato skin start to separate. Remove quickly from the water with tongs rinse in cold water. Peel off the skin then chop the tomatoes and add to the pot.

Add 1 tsp. herbes de Provence then pour in the wine. Cover the stoneware pot in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight. Do not stir the ingredients, leave as you layered them.

Day 2: The next morning place the stoneware pot onto its burner, cover and cook 6 to 8 hours on the low setting. Do not stir, leave as you layered the pot. Half way through add mushrooms and check the pot – remember do not stir. When done turn off pot and let cool. Cover in plastic wrap and put back in the refrigerator overnight.

Day 3: When ready to serve pour off all the liquids into a two cup bowl. Add one cup of the cold liquids to a sauce pan and then add one Tbsp. corn starch to the fluids and whisk. Heat the sauce pan and whisk until the corn starch begins to thicken. This will thicken the gravy. Add it to the Dutch oven. Add the rest of the liquids to the Dutch oven, spoon the solids into the Dutch oven, adjust the salt and pepper, stir, cover and cook 45 minutes on a very low simmer to heat the food nice and hot for serving.

Make mashed potatoes and spoon the dish over the potatoes. The meat is completely tender but the vegetables are still al dente. This dish is completely incredibly amazingly perfect.

Oh man don’t this good?

Can it be that easy?

Someone say yes.

Udon Pot

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Ducks Mahal

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Udon is a Japanese wheat noodle. The most important part of this dish is a dashi stock. A dashi stock is made with a piece of kelp (which I don’t have), hon dashi (which is salty dried bonito tuna granules), sweet mirin (which is a sweet rice wine) and soy sauce. The taste is fine without the kelp. You won’t miss it if you don’t have it. Who has kelp hanging around anyway?

Except for the udon noodles, each ingredient is cooked in the broth by itself for a little while depending on the ingredient, assembled in a big bowl and then the stock is ladled in. As each ingredient is added, the stock takes on a little different flavor.

There are many versions of this soup. I use fresh shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy, daikon (Asian radish), carrots and topped with scallions.

Dashi Stock

6 cups of water
For every cup of water add 1/2 tsp. Hon Dashi
2 TBSP Sweet Mirin
2 TBSP Sake (if you have it)
Splash in soy sauce to the right color
1 – 5” piece of daikon (Asian radish) peeled

Place all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 40 minutes.

Prepare the other ingredients.

2 carrots sliced
1 baby bok choy
1 lb. peeled shrimp
4 or 5 shiitake mushrooms (if dry mushrooms soak in warm water before cooking)
3 scallions chopped

The udon noodles are prepared in an individual pack with a neat little wrapper in the center.

Boil the udon noodles in a separate pot b/c the noodles will absorb too much liquid if boiled in the dashi stock. Typically, noodles take exactly 12 minutes to cook but cook these exactly 10 minutes. They will continue to cook when added to the bowl later.

Remove the daikon and cut into pieces.

In the dashi stock cook carrots for five minutes and remove to a bowl. Cook shiitake mushrooms five minutes and remove to a bowl. Cook the shrimp three minutes and remove to a bowl. Cook the baby bok choy two minutes and remove to a bowl.

To serve, drain and strain the udon noodles from the clear water and add to the stock for a few minutes, remove from the stock and place the noodles at the bottom of the serving bowl. Arrange the vegetables the way you like and add the shrimp and the scallions and ladle in the hot stock. Any remaining stock can be cooled and saved in the frig for another day.

Overall this looks like a big process but it goes fast and the dish is completely wonderful and healthy I might add.

You can find Hon Dashi online if your local Asian store does not have it.

Turkey and Sausage Gumbo

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Ducks Mahal

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I hope you see I don’t spend a lot of money on ingredients. This dish is around for the “after” turkey day and you have a carcass to boil. But, since I never cook a whole turkey and it’s me and the Little Woman, I buy a turkey thigh. I then boil the thigh making a turkey stock and then shred the meat for this dish. Instead of wine I use a cup of ale beer. This dish is a nice thick tasty gumbo served on rice.

Turkey Stock

1 turkey thigh
1 celery stalk chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 garlic clove chopped
1 TBSP peppercorns
1 tsp thyme
1 small bay leaf
Salt
2 cup water

In a large pot add all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Let cool. Remove turkey thigh, remove bone and shred meat. Strain the stock and discard the other ingredients.

Roux

4 TBSP flour
4 TBSP olive oil
1 cup chopped onion

Add oil to the 4 quart pot. Get oil hot, add flour 1 TBSP at a time and whisk.

Keep whisking until the flour begins to turn brown to the color of a dark oak.

Then toss in the onions to sauté to cool the roux a little and create the wonderful gumbo base flavor. Whisk until the onions cook down (6 – 8 minutes). Notice how the roux gets darker when the onions are added.

1 cup of dark ale (I use Sierra Nevada Pale Ale). Pour in ale and mix until the beer begins to foam.

Mirepoix

½ red bell pepper, chopped
½ green bell pepper, chopped
3 scallions, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 stick of Andouille sausage (or smoked pork sausage), sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 cups of turkey stock

Add the mirepoix, sausage and garlic and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook on simmer with lid off 1 hour. The oil and the food need to break down and the stock needs to evaporate a little.

Remaining Ingredients

shredded turkey
1 TBSP fresh oregano
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1 dash Tabasco sauce

Add the remaining ingredients and cook covered 30 minutes on low heat.

Serve over rice.

Cannelloni (Crespelle)

Posted on December 14, 2014 by Ducks Mahal

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My second favorite Italian chef is Mary Ann Espositto. Like my first favorite Biba Caggiano, Mary Ann is very serious about her work. This recipe is influenced by Mary Ann. Most of this recipe came from a book she wrote in 1991. I tweaked it but not by much. There is something about the “Old School” Italian cooks. My great Grandma was from a town near Naples, Italy and cooked big like this pretty much every night. These people are serious about food and so am I. Cooking is relaxing to me.

Typically, these dishes are made with pasta shells but I made this one using a crespelle (crêpe). It is pronounced [krehs-PEHL-leh]. This dish doesn’t look like much b/c it is covered in a besciamella sauce (Béchamel sauce), but I assure you, it is one of the most tasty dishes you will ever eat. And, it has a great cheese aroma.

The Crespelle

1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ cup milk
1 TBSP melted butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 extra egg yolk, beaten
Salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
4 TBSP grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Asiago cheese

Mix all in a bowl. Pour ¼ cup in a 6 or 8 inch non-stick pan and cook for a minute or two on medium high heat. Flip, cook for 30 seconds and slide on a plate.

Besciamella Sauce

4 TBSP butter
4 TBSP flour
1 ½ cup heated milk
½ cup onions chopped
1 cup shredded white Italian cheeses, your choice (I use the 5 Italian cheeses from the store.)

In a 2 quart pot melt butter and add the flour. Cook like a white roux for several minutes before it starts to turn brown. Add milk, ½ cup at a time until the sauce gets thick. Add onions, stir, add cheeses, melt, then remove from heat. It should be a thick silky sauce.

Meat Stuffing

1 Lb. ground meat (or veal)
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 garlic, chopped
1 egg, beaten
Salt and pepper
4 TBSP dry red wine (Chianti preferred)
1 TBSP olive oil
1 cup fresh spinach, steamed (or frozen)
½ cup Besciamella Sauce
3 TBSP grated Fontina cheese

I browned the meat in olive oil in a hot wok b/c I wanted to get the meat cooked and browned and the moisture burned off quickly. I added rosemary and garlic. I moved the meat into a large bowl. I added 1 egg beaten and a cup of besciamella. I wanted the spinach like a pesto so I steamed it a long time, but you might want it more whole so you might want to just add frozen spinach. Ladle in the besciamella to bind the meat and combine.

Spoon the filling onto the Crespelle. Roll and place in a cooking pan.

When done filling the Cannelloni, ladle the Besciamella Sauce over the top and then grate Fontina on top of the sauce. When done, you will have almost 7 different cheeses in this dish.

Preheat oven 350⁰, cover the pan with aluminum foil and cook 35 to 40 minutes. Serve.

Can it be that good?

Someone say yes.

Black Bean Soup

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Ducks Mahal

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There are many variations of this soup from a Spanish cumin flavor to a sweeter version I prefer with Sherry or Marsala added when served. I have perfected this dish over many years and I say perfected b/c when served hot on and cold day there are few things better. I have merged several variations. I use ground coriander, which is ground cilantro seed.

1 or 2 slices of bacon (chopped into thin lardons)
1 LB. thick slice of Black Forest ham, cut into squares (the deli can slice a 1/4″ thick slice) or 1 LB. Pork shoulder (cut into small pieces)
16 oz. dried black beans
1 small onion (chopped)
1 red bell pepper (diced)
1 green bell pepper (diced)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 TBSP olive oil
4 cups chicken stock or broth
½ cup dry white wine (I use a cheap Chardonnay)
Sherry or Marsala
Salt and pepper
1 tsp ground coriander

Add the bacon with a little olive oil on low, don’t fry it, just sweat it and then add the onions and bell pepper and sauté the vegies.

Add the white wine and the beans and then the chicken stock. Bring to a boil then reduce to a low temp and cook for roughly two hours. Then add the meat and cook another 30 minutes.

You don’t have to do this, but at this point I turn off the heat, let the pot cool and place it covered in a frig overnight. The next day I cook until the beans are just right adding in the salt and pepper and the seasoning like coriander and adjust the amount of liquid.

When serving, pour one shot of Sherry or Marsala in the bowl and then ladle the soup into the bowl. The warm soup will generate the flavor into a very appetizing aroma.

As of 11/24/19

Ducks Mahal

By Audubon Ron

Author Archives: Ducks Mahal

Daube de Boeuf Provençal

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Udon Pot

(click on pics to enlarge)

Turkey and Sausage Gumbo

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Cannelloni (Crespelle)

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Black Bean Soup

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