Dish of Boeuf Camarguaise
(click to enlarge)

Boeuf Camarguaise


France - Provence   -   L'estouffade de Boeuf Camarguaise
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 6 main
***
17+ hrs
Best		 This stew, marinated and then cooked in red wine, is from Camargue, which lies between the two mouths of the Rhone river in Provence.

4
------
3/4
3-1/2
12
3
1/2
2
1/3
2/3
------
5
3
4
3
3/4
1
1
2/3
2/3
#
---
c
oz
oz
T
T

t
c
---
oz
T
cl
c
c
t
T
c
c
Beef Chuck (1)  
-- Marinade
Olive Oil
Carrots
Onions
Parsley
Thyme, dry
Bay Leaves
Pepper
Wine Vinegar, red
---------
Bacon
Olive Oil
Garlic
Red Wine, dry (2)
Beef Broth (3)
Salt
Tomato Paste
Green Olives (4)
Black Olives (4)

This dish is properly served with Macaronade pasta, not rice bread or potatoes. I couldn't replenish my supply, so I broke up some Mezzanelli, a reasonable substitute.

Prep   -   (13+ hrs - 30 min work)
  1. Trim BEEF as needed and cut into cubes about 1-3/4 inch on a side.
  2. Peel CARROTS and slice thick, Chop ONIONS coarse. Chop PARSLEY coarse.
  3. Mix all Marinade items and massage into beef. Package in a non-reactive bowl or polyurethane bag. Stash in the fridge for at least 6 hours. Turn now and then.
  4. Cut BACON into small dice.
  5. Lightly crush GARLIC.
  6. Pit Olives.
Run   -   (4 hrs)
  1. Fish BEEF out of the marinade and drain well. Keep all the marinade.
  2. In a spacious sauté pan or Dutch oven (see Pan Size), heat Olive Oil (Pure, not Virgin) and fry Bacon until lightly crisp. Remove bacon crisps and set aside, leaving the oil behind.
  3. Stir Beef into the hot oil and fry stirring until lightly browned all over.
  4. Pour Marinade over the Beef, along with Wine, Stock, Garlic and Salt. Bring to a boil, cover tightly and simmer slowly until Beef is reasonably tender, remembering it's going to get another 40 minutes or so. Time could be as little as 1 hour or as much as 2 depending on size of pieces, toughness of cut and length of marinade step. Make sure it does not run low on liquid - the Beef should be nearly covered.
  5. Strain out the liquid, returning all the solids to the pan. Defat the liquid using your gravy separator and return to the pan.
  6. Stir in Tomato Paste, Olives and reserved Bacon Crisps. Bring back to a boil and simmer tightly covered for 30 to 45 minutes.
  7. Serve hot with Pasta. The traditional pasta for this is French Macaronade, much like our small macaroni but much longer and gently curved. For details see our European Pasta and Noodles page.
NOTES:

  1. Beef Chuck Roast:

      Chuck (Shoulder - any part) is good for this recipe, flavorful but not too tough. Weight is for boneless and trimmed of excess fat and membranes.

  2. Red Wine:

      If possible, use a Burgundy type wine (Pinot Noir).

  3. Beef Broth:

      I've usually made plenty of this by simmering the trimmings cut from the hunk of Beef I bought for this recipe.

  4. Olives, Green & Black:

      These must be Mediterranean salt and oil cured black olives and cracked green olives. Canned black salad olives and Spanish cocktail olives will not do - wrong flavor. For details see our Olives page.

  5. Pan Size:

      For 1/2 recipe I use a 3-1/2 quart saute pan, for the full recipe a 5 quart. If you use a Dutch oven, deeper but with less bottom area, you'll probably have to fry the beef in two batches.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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