Beef Daube
Beef shins, or lower legs, are obviously hard working, sinewy parts of the animal but become meltingly tender with a wonderful mellow flavour when slow cooked. The chuck is the muscle between the neck and the top ribs, also much in use in a grazing animal and in need of slow cooking to become tender.
(serves 6-8)
2 kg/4 ½ lb boneless beef chuck or a combination of boneless chuck and beef shins
2 yellow onions
3-5 carrots depending on size
A bunch of fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 rosemary sprig
1 handful of parsley
2 teaspoons Maldon sea salt
1-2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves
A few strips of orange peel (preferably from organic oranges)
1 bottle of red wine – Cabernet Sauvignon works well
6-9 smoked bacon rashers
Vegetable oil such as sunflower oil
2 tablespoons plain flour
200-300ml/7-10 fl oz water
60g dried mushrooms, such as Morels or shiitake
- Cut the chuck into 5cm/2 in cubes. Trim off most of the fat. If using shins, cut the meat from the bone in pieces as large as possible. Place the meat in a large bowl.
- Chop one of the onions finely and cut the other into quarters. Peel the garlic cloves, leave 2 whole and chop the other 2. Cover the chopped onion and garlic with clingfilm and hold back for later.
- Peel and cut the carrots into chunks.
- Add the quartered onion and carrot to the meat together with the rosemary, bay leaves, thyme, half of the salt and pepper, 2 whole garlic cloves and the orange peel. Pour the wine over, mix and cover. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator over night or for at least 4 hours.
- To cook, cut the bacon into shreds and cook until brown in a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large, cast iron casserole dish.
- Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with warm, not boiling water. Leave to re-hydrate.
- Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook until translucent – don’t let it brown. Remove using a slotted spoon. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil if the casserole dish looks dry.
- Drain the beef and pat dry (reserving the marinade). Start to brown the beef a few pieces at the time – if the dish is over-crowded the beef will not brown at all. Turn a few times and brown for a total of 5 minutes. Remove and continue to cook until all the beef has been browned.
- Add the flour to the casserole and cook until it browns, stirring as it cooks. Increase the heat and slowly pour in the marinade, deglazing the pan as you do so, i.e. scrape off any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan – this will add depth of flavour. Return the onions, garlic, meat and juices to the casserole. Rinse and drain the mushrooms and add them to the casserole. Season with remaining salt and pepper and add enough water to cover.
- Bring to boiling point, then immediately reduce the heat to very low. Cover with a lid and simmer for 2-3 hours either on top of the hob or in a low oven (150-160°C). The meat should be meltingly tender and the liquid thickened.
- Discard the onion quarters and herb sprigs. Skim off any visible fat.
- Finely chop some parsley and sprinkle over the casserole.
- Serve the Daube with creamy mash or pasta shells such as Orecchiette to capture the rich sauce.
Posted: 03 November 2008