The Joys of Simmering thru Life at a Grandmotherly Pace

‘Plus elle est demeuree sur le feu, meilleure elle est!

(The longer it stays on the fire, the better the daube is)

A daube is a slow-cooked stew you will find simmering at a grandmotherly pace in kitchens all across France, though the best known come from southern France. Traditionally daubes can be made from lamb or beef, though one does not need to travel too far to find pork daubes, bull daubes, bull testicle daubes, goose daubes, rabbit daubes, and even octopus daubes.

In the old days, daubes were cooked in the dying embers of a wood fire in a special potbellied pot called a daubiere. The lengthy cooking time combined with the bulbous shape of the pot creates a convection action where heat from the bottom rises up in the form of steam, hits the cooler top, then rains back down over the simmering meat. This action allows the collagen in braising meats to turn into gelatin and provides a silky mouthfeel to the finished dish.

Many cooks claim it is next to impossible to make a proper daube without a daubiere. The unique shape Though some, including me, will begrudgingly admit it is possible, the results will be slightly less succulent. If stew-making becomes a passion in your life, there is still one potter left in France making authentic daubieres.

My friend Marie Helene from the company Remember Provence sells real daubieres made from clay. You can buy yours from her — she ships worldwide. For a real daubiere click here.

Daube Tips

• Never eat a daube the same day it is made. Let the stew mature and have its flavors marry together to blossom into the work of art that humble peasant cooking is. Serve it with boiled or mashed potatoes, spätzle, potato gratin, or even buttered noodles.

• Cooking is meant to be a joyous thing. It is not as exacting as everyone these days seems to make it out to be. Have fun, and do what you like. If you don’t have juniper, bacon, anchovies, or olives don’t worry — make it anyway. Cooking is free-form poetry at its very best.

NOTES: If you are using a clay daubiere, transfer all the ingredients to a daubiere after step 3. Heat the daubiere with the ingredients very slowly. I even bought a cast iron skillet to act as a diffuser. Sometimes it takes an hour for my daube to come to a simmer. Cooking in clay is not a race and you will be richly rewarded with heavenly scents and the most tender meat ever.

Daube of Beef a la Provencale

PREP: 10 minutes, plus overnight to marinate | COOK: 5 hours 30 minutes |4 servings

• 2 pounds of boneless short ribs, beef cheeks, or any other gelatinous cut of beef

• Zest and juice of 1 orange (see notes)

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1 star anise

• 1 bay leaf

• a few juniper berries

• 1 bottle of a big red wine

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 medium carrots, sliced into rounds

• 1 sweet onion, diced

• 1/4 cup mashed garlic cloves

• 4 ounces slab bacon, diced

• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

• 1 (14-ounces) can of San Marzano tomatoes, undrained

• 1 cup of beef stock, chicken stock, or water

• Big pinch saffron threads

• 6 oil-packed anchovy fillets, chopped

• 1 cup Picholine olives

1. In a large nonreactive bowl, combine the beef, orange zest and juice, cinnamon, star anise, bay leaf, juniper, and wine. Cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

2. Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and strain into the bowl, reserving the liquid. Discard the orange zest and spices. With paper towels, pat the short ribs dry.

3. In a large Dutch oven or stockpot over high heat, heat the oil. Add the beef and cook, turning frequently, until browned on all sides, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate. Add the carrots and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and bacon and cook until the bacon is browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour. Squeeze each of the tomatoes in your hand until they pop, then add them and their juices, the stock, and reserved marinade to the pot. Stir in the saffron, anchovies, and olives, then add back the beef.

4. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the meat is insanely tender, about 5 hours. Serve directly from the pot.

TIP: In Provence, people are frugal and throw nothing away. Whenever you eat oranges take the skins and dry them out completely. The orange flavor will be more pronounced.

Other Daubes:

Lamb Daube

Oxtail Daube

Pork Cheek Daube

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Francois de Melogue is a Photographer, reformed chef, cookbook author, and bon vivant. He lives in Saint Albans, Vermont with his wife Lisa and 12-year-old son Beaumont. His photography is available for sale at his online gallery. For Video recipes.

Help Me Cook More by buying me a cup of coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/francois