Beef Daube with Herbs & Wine

Photo by Mike Drake

We have a lot of different cuts of meat this winter because of our subscription with Marin Sun Farms CSA-- here is a good one for beef stew cuts (shoulder, chuck, blade, rump, brisket) and foggy nights.

This one is straight from Joy of Cooking and never fails.

Ingredients

2lbs of boneless beef stew meat
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp olive oil
1 750 ml bottle of dry white wine (e.g., Chardonnay)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 16 oz can of plum tomatoes, w/ juice
3 medium onions, halved, sliced
3 garlic cloves, halved
1 bouquet garni (4 sprigs each of Italian parsley, thyme, tarragon, and 1 bay leaf, tied in a bundle)

4-6 servings

Directions

Pat and dry meat before cutting into cubes. Season meat with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over med high heat. Add meat in batches and brown-- do not crowd, and do not scorch. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Pour off all but light film of fat from pan.

Add wine and bring to a boil, scraping up all the good bits. Reduce heat and gently simmer, uncovered, until wine is reduced by half (approx. 7 - 10 minutes). Whisk in Dijon mustard.

Return the beef and any accumulated juices into the casserole. Add tomatoes, onions, garlic and bouquet garni. Cover and simmer over low heat until meat is fork-tender (about 2-3 hours).

Remove bouquet garni. With slotted spoon, remove all the solids (meat, onions, etc.) Increase heat to high and boil sauce until slightly thickened and reduced by 1/3 (about 10 min).

Reduce heat to medium, return solids to reheat gently in sauce. Serve daube in shallow bowls with rice or crusty bread.