Like any great world cuisine, much of classic French cooking is based in the tastes and practices of the poor. When enterprising people have a pot of water, some fire, meat and some vegetables, something magical like Pot au Feu can be born. If you have loads of wine and bad water, then you have the great dishes of regional France like this Daube, Bœuf Bourguignon, Coq au Vin and the incredible assortment of Lamb dishes that can be found in every small town in greater Provence.
In the south of France, the cuisine is in general boldly flavored, unpretentious, and seasonal. This dish hails from Nice, although many variations can be found throughout the region. Every family has their own ways of making stews like this one, and while taking some inspiration from both online sources, daubes I have eaten in France and some regional cookbooks I bought in France, I made this my own dish. I am sure some traditionalists out there might not agree with my use of Polenta as a starch or orange zest as an ingredent, but I think that Polenta marries nicely with this dish, especially on a cold night like tonight. The orange zest and clove add just that little bit of intrigue to an otherwise simple beef stew.
Polenta is yet another of those seemingly simple creations that when done correctly really have to ability to transform a meal.This Polenta was also not exactly traditional with the addition of the cream and the truffle salt, but my GOD the truffle salt made such a big flavor difference! Sprinkling it on after cooking ensures that the flavor is not lost. The wine was something I bought again from my favorite online retailer, Garagiste. The 2007 Domaine La Blaque Coteaux de Pierrevert is a rustic, complex wine that marries perfectly with the blod flavors that are found in the cooking of southern France. This wine sees no oak, only Stainless Steel, and is composed of 90% Syrah and 10% Grenache. It is a spicy, tannic wine, that has a strong blackberry juice flavor along with just that little bit of rusticity that I like from that region, and is really, really dark, as can be seen from the stained label. A wine very difficult to find in the US, at 13 bucks, I highly recommend it if you can find a bottle or two. My only complaint is that it is closed with an artifical cork, which limits it's aging capacity, as even the 1 year I have kept it made quite a difference in the tannin levels.
Recipe: Daube Niçoise
2 Lbs Beef Stew (preferably grass fed) , cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 Onion
3 carrots, peeled
1/2 oz dried cepe/porcini mushrooms
1 stalk celery
2 cloves garlic
3 very ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped or 1/2 can of whole tomatoes
2 cups of dry red wine, a youthful tannic Cotes du Rhone would work nicely
4 1 inch strips of orange zest, free of white pith
2 cloves
bouquet garni (a few branches of thyme, parsley and a bay leaf lied together with kitchen twine)
1 Tablespoon of flour
1/2 cup of beef broth
Niçoise olives or Kalamata olives (about 10-12 olives)
salt, pepper
butter
Heat heavy stew pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 t of butter and allow to brown. Season meat with salt and pepper. Boil water and pour over dried mushrooms in a small bowl, just enough to cover. Add meat, without crowding or stirring in batches in order to brown evenly on all sides. Remove meat to plate and cover. Pour excess oil and butter out of pan, leaving about 1 teaspoon. Chop onion into 1/4 inch rounds, carrots into 1 inch rounds, dice celery, chop garlic and add to pot. Stir to remove all bits of brown stuck on bottom. Add 1/2 can of whole tomatoes or Saute for about 5 minutes. Mix flour into wine and ensure that there are no lumps. Add beef, bouquet garni, wine/flour mixture and beef broth to pot and bring to simmer. Add orange zests stuck with the cloves. Cook for 2 - 2 1/2 hours, or until meat is fork tender and sauce is very reduced, removing orange zest and cloves after 1 1/2 hours. Carefully drain mushrooms and mushroom broth, ensuring that there is no sand or grit. Chop mushrooms and add mushrooms and broth to pot. Cook an additional 15-30 minutes or until desired thickness is reached. Serve over noodles, polenta or potatoes.
Recipe : Truffled Polenta
3 Cups of Water
1 Cup of Polenta
pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon of butter
dash of cream
truffle salt
Boil water with pinch of salt. When boiling carefully add polenta, stirring constantly. Turn down to simmer and cook stirring constantly for 30 minutes or until polenta pulls away from side of pan. Add in butter and cream. When incorporated, take off heat and sprinkle in desired amount of truffle salt. Serve either immediately or traditionally, spreading it over a wooded board and allowing it to cool for 10 minutes, then cutting and serving alongside dish.
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