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French Beef Stew with Old-Fashioned Vegetables

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The French really know how to make great stews.  Here is one of them and it uses a method similar to that of German Sauerbraten and corned beef to achieve both an exquisitely tangy flavor and a lusciously tender beef. Many of you have already been introduced to my French friend, Sandrine, from here and here.  She shared a recipe with me that inspired this adaptation:  A traditional French stew featuring old-fashioned vegetables.  Hence, its French name, Daube de Boeuf Aux Legumes Anciens.  It’s a delicious and hearty stew packed with a variety of healthy veggies and a flavor you’ll fall in love with. I thought it only fitting to my Le Creuset dutch oven for the occasion.  Sandrine had the fortune of inheriting her great-grandmother’s Le Creuset.  Her great-grandmother was an accomplished cook and owned a cafe next to a castle in Lorraine.  Of all things to have inherited from her I can’t think of anything more perfect than her old Le Creuset.  To think of how many meals were made in that Le Creuset and the stories and history surrounding it. That’s special.  There’s a certain romance about cooking utensils that have stood the test of time and were used with loving care to make food as expressions of love. I don’t have an heirloom like that but someday my daughter and granddaughter – maybe even my great-granddaughter – will have one because my Le Creuset is going to be passed down, too.  And being the sentimental traditionalist that I am, I chose mine in the original Flame color that goes back to Le Creuset’s beginnings in 1925. French-Ancient-Stew-prep-2 French-Ancient-Stew-10-cropped This beautiful and robustly rich stew featuring vegetables that were staples in our grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s kitchens but several of which have since fallen out of popularity, which is a shame. Turnips, rutabagas and parsnips were as much staples a hundred years ago as carrots and potatoes are today.  They contribute such a fantastic flavor and texture to this stew, so be sure to use them and don’t be tempted to look for substitutes. Another vegetable that would commonly be added to this traditional stew in France is salsify, a delicious and versatile Winter root vegetable in the dandelion family.  It’s very difficult to find here in the U.S. but if you have a local produce shop that carries it, grab some and add it to the stew. French-Ancient-Stew-prep-1 French-Ancient-Stew-5 This stew is also naturally gluten free and paleo. Ready to cook? Let’s get started! Cut up the meat into 1-inch chunks.  The meat is going to simmer for two hours, so that will enough to tenderize it anyway, but generally you want to cut it against the grains for optimal tenderness. French-Ancient-Stew-prep-6 Place the beef in the dutch oven with the onions and carrots and the bouquet garni. For quick and easy tutorial on how to make a bouquet garni, see my post How To Make A Bouquet Garni. 1 French-Ancient-Stew-prep-7 Add the red wine and the red wine vinegar.  Cover and let marinate in the fridge for 24 hours. French-Ancient-Stew-prep-8 After it has fully marinated, remove the beef and pat it with paper towels to remove the excess moisture.  This will enable it to brown properly and get that brown crust that is essential for the flavor of the stew. French-Ancient-Stew-prep-12 Heat the oil in the dutch oven over medium-high heat once the oil is very hot add the beef, a few pieces at a time.  Be sure not to overcrowd the pot otherwise the beef won’t brown, it will simply steam.  Generously brown the pieces on all sides.  Transfer them to a plate and set aside. French-Ancient-Stew-prep-13 The browned crust that develops on the bottom of you pot – keep it!  Don’t throw it out, that’s going to make your stew taste heavenly.  Later when you add the liquid your going to do what’s known as “deglazing” the pot.  That’s when you scrape up those luscious browned bits and incorporate them into the stew. French-Ancient-Stew-prep-14 Add the onions and cook until golden brown.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute. french stew collage 1 Strain the contents of the marinade into a sieve over the dutch oven.  You want all of the original marinade in the dutch oven.  Discard the onions and carrots from the marinade but keep the bouquet garni. French-Ancient-Stew-prep-19 Return the beef to the Dutch oven with the bouquet garni and the whole cloves.  (Note: You can choose to wrap the cloves in a bit of cheesecloth or muslin so that you don’t have to fish them out later from the serving on your plate.)  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour. French-Ancient-Stew-prep-21 Towards the end of the hour, chop up the vegetables.  For contrast and variety, I like to chop each of the vegetables into different shapes and sizes. French-Ancient-Stew-prep-9 Add the vegetables along with the tomato sauce, salt and pepper.  Stir a bit to combine. Return everything to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for another hour or until the vegetables are soft.  Add salt and pepper to taste. *If you think the beef can handle further cooking without falling apart, go ahead and simmer it for another 30 or more minutes, it will only get better! French-Ancient-Stew-prep-10 Serve with some crusty bread. This stew is even better the next day as the flavors have more time to meld. Enjoy! French-Ancient-Stew-10

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French Beef Stew with Old-Fashioned Vegetables

4.28 from 18 votes
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 day 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 1 day 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • For the Marinade:
  • 2 pounds beef chuck , cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 2 medium carrots , peeled and chopped
  • 2 medium yellow onions , chopped
  • 3 cups full-bodied red wine , e.g., Bordeaux like cabernet sauvignon or merlot
  • 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 bouquet garni
  • For the Stew:
  • 3 tablespoons oil or lard
  • 1 medium yellow onion , chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 14.5 ounce can plain tomato sauce
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2 medium carrots , cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 3 turnips , cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 2 medium rutabagas , cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 2 medium parsnips , cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes , cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Place the beef in the dutch oven with the onions and carrots and and bouquet garni. Add the red wine and the red wine vinegar. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.
    After it has fully marinated, remove the beef and pat it with paper towels to remove the excess moisture. This will enable it to brown properly and get that brown crust that is essential for the flavor of the stew.
  • Heat the oil in the dutch oven over medium-high heat once the oil is very hot add the beef, a few pieces at a time. Be sure not to overcrowd the pot otherwise the beef won't brown, it will simply steam. Generously brown the pieces on all sides. Transfer them to a plate and set aside.
    Add the onions and cook until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
  • Strain the contents of the marinade into a sieve over the dutch oven (DO NOT discard the marinade). Discard the onions and carrots from the marinade but keep the bouquet garni.
  • Return the beef to the Dutch oven with the bouquet garni and the whole cloves. (Note: You can choose to wrap the cloves in a bit of cheesecloth or muslin so that you don't have to fish them out later from the serving on your plate.) Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
    Towards the end of the hour, chop up the vegetables. (For contrast and variety, I like to chop each of the vegetables into different shapes and sizes.) Add the vegetables along with the tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Stir a bit to combine.
    Return everything to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for another hour or until the vegetables are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. (If you think the beef can handle further cooking without falling apart, go ahead and simmer it for another 30 or more minutes, it will only get better!)
  • Serve with some crusty bread.
    This stew is even better the next day after the flavors have had time to meld.

Notes

Another vegetable that would commonly be added to this traditional stew in France is salsify, a delicious and versatile Winter root vegetable in the dandelion family. It's very difficult to find here in the U.S. but if you have a local produce shop that carries it, grab some and add it to the stew.
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine French
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!

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Recipe Rating




4.28 from 18 votes (1 rating without comment)

69 Comments

  1. This is absolutely stunning. I love beef stew but always find it hard to photograph. You nailed it. This is so beautiful. I dig that you used such fabulous root veggies. I grew up eating all of those ones. I love parsnips, but turnips not so much. But back in the day we ate them anyway. No picky eating allowed back then. I swear I can just imagine how awesome this tastes. Day one would be fabulous, then day two the flavour would build even more and leftovers would rock. If there was any left because it’s so darn good.

    My hubs bought me a Le CreCre (I say that because I can’t pronounce the actual name properly). It’s my first dutch oven from them. I have a grill pan my friend Liz (that skinny b) gave me at a conference one year. She won it but already had one so she gave it to me. Then I passed out. I have one of their tiny little Cocottes too because I wanted to say I owned a Le CreCre back in the day and it was the only one I could afford, it was a whooping $20. Lol.

  2. What an incredibly gorgeous stew!! I’ll bet my stew hating husband (crazy right??) will absolutely love this one!! I love how you wrapped the herbs in the leek and also your idea of different sizes of veggies and of course the wine in the broth!!

  3. The french do know how to make a great stew. Probably because they aren’t afraid of fat. This is a gorgeous stew, I bet your house smells amazing while you are making it!

  4. I have a Le Creuset with the same color and love using it all the time!! This delicious and hearty beef stew is the perfect dish to cook in it! Perfect comfort food for winter!

  5. Oh my goodness this looks rich and good. I was reading the recipe, and have never tried the 24-hour marination at room temp. I’m ready to do it! I do wonder, though, when to add the beef back into the pot? I see we brown it and then take it out and set it aside, but I don’t see at what point we add it back. Thank you!

    1. I agree, Brandy, and I love that you can use them for a long slow simmer on the stovetop or in the oven.

    2. The enameled 8 QT Dutch ovens I’ve had only lasted about 3 years before the enamel started coming off the inside…The first one was a Le Creuset, the 2nd was a Martha Stewart. I replaced the MS with an AllClad D5…In November I bought the 6.5 quart Tramontina enameled dutch oven (looks gorgeous) on sale at Sam’s Club for 36.00 including shipping….so far, it’s just as good as the other brands….The Le Creuset would have cost 10X as much….

      1. How are you cleaning the dutch ovens? If you don’t let them cool before cleaning that will surely shorten their lifespan. I’ve had all my enameled (Le Crueset and Staub) for between 5-12 years with no issues.

  6. I really like that you cut the vegetables into varying shapes and sizes. I’ll be doing that in the future! The stew looks delicious. I wish I could have been hanging around your house while it was simmering.