As with beef Bourguignon, there are as many variations on the theme of daube as there are cooks in Provence. You can cook a daube with chunks of meat — shin would be good — or in the piece, pot-roast style. Here we have used the so-called housekeeper’s cut, which is taken from the shoulder of the animal and is ideally suited to a long, slow braise in the oven while you get on with something else. The gratin is delicious.
Daube with Macaroni St Gall Gratin – Printer Friendly Download
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg housekeeper’s cut, rolled and tied
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or Irish rapeseed oil
- 1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 500 ml beef or chicken stock
- 250 g macaroni
- 150 g St Gall cheese, grated
for the marinade:
- 1 bottle red wine
- 100 ml brandy
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or Irish rapeseed oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 onions, halved and sliced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 stick celery, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 orange, juice and zest, in strips
- 6 black peppercorns
- 6 allspice berries
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
To Cook
Put the beef in a large bowl with all the marinade ingredients. Leave to marinate overnight. Preheat the oven to 140° C/fan 120° C/gas mark 1. Lift the marinated meat from the bowl and pat dry with kitchen paper. Dust it thoroughly with the flour. Heat the oil in a casserole and brown the meat all over, turning it a couple of times. Add the tomatoes and stock and stir well. Add the marinade with the vegetables. Bring to a simmer, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook slowly for about three hours, after which it will be beautifully tender. Remove the meat from the cooking liquid, cover it with foil and keep warm. Strain the liquid, skim the fat from the surface and boil to reduce by half. Meanwhile, cook the macaroni until just short of al dente. Add the macaroni and half the cheese to the cooking liquid and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, turn the oven up to 180° C/fan 160° C/gas mark 4 and reheat for 10–15 minutes. Heat under the grill for a few minutes to brown the top of the gratin. Slice the meat and serve with the macaroni, making sure that everyone gets some of the crisp topping.
Tags: Avoca Irish Butcher, daube, Daube with Macaroni St Gall Gratin, housekeeper's cut, Irish Beef, James Whelan Butchers, Pat Whelan, Potato Gratin, Shin beef, slow braise
