Baby, it's cold outside ....this calls for a Daube

Tis the weather to think of warming dishes. It's been awfully cold here. For Florida, that's what I mean, it's been cold for us. Yes, it's cold in the north and I would probably curl up and die if I had to deal with snow again but...this winter has not treated my exiled northern bones well. I am truly acclimated to warmer temperatures having lived in the south for so long now.

27F = -2 C
53F = 11 C



We decided to prepare something that would heat the kitchen a bit. Something with a long roasting process. It had been a while since we’d had a good Daube so I trolled the internet for a version we hadn’t tried before. I heard it said you could enter a local butcher shop in France, ask a patron for their recipe and an argument may ensue among the customers about the various correct ways to prepare one.



There are many variations on the basic Daube recipe, mostly based on the region of France where they originate. In addition to wine, carrots, onions, garlic and herbs, daube recipes can be made with orange zest or orange peel, olives, bacon, fennel or mushrooms. Finding one from Jaques Pepin’s mother’s restaurant, I figured I would try this one. No orange in this one.



“This is the quintessential beef stew. Jacques Pépin’s mother served it at her restaurant, Le Pélican, where she made it with tougher cuts of meat. Jacques likes the flatiron—a long, narrow cut that’s extremely lean but becomes tender and stays moist. He doesn’t use stock, demiglace or even water in his stew, relying on robust red wine for the deep-flavored sauce.” From Food and Wine magazine


1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds stew beef, cut into pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
One 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine
2 bay leaves
1 thyme sprig
One 5-ounce piece of pancetta or smoked bacon
15 pearl or small cipollini onions, peeled
15 cremini mushrooms
15 baby carrots, peeled
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, melt the butter in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the meat in the casserole in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 8 minutes. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat the meat with it. Add the wine, bay leaves and thyme, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.

Cover the casserole and transfer it to the oven. Cook the stew for 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is very tender and the sauce is flavorful.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cover the pancetta with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain the pancetta and slice it 1/2 inch thick, then cut the slices into 1-inch-wide lardons.

In a large skillet, combine the pancetta, pearl onions, mushrooms and carrots. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 cup of water and a large pinch each of sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until almost all of the water has evaporated, 15 minutes. Uncover and cook over high heat, tossing, until the vegetables are tender and nicely browned, about 4 minutes.
To serve, stir some of the vegetables and lardons into the stew and scatter the rest on top as a garnish. Top with a little chopped parsley and serve.

Baby it's cold outside!