Beef Daube Provencal

The blend herbs give a sweet and fragrant aroma

Ingredients
3 pounds beef stew meat (*shoulder cut is best) cut into 2 inch cubes  *I bought the choiced shoulder cut
3 cloves garlic, sliced thick
4 cups dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc works well)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
1 large onion cut in medium sized strips
1 1 / 2 pounds brown (Cremini) mushrooms, stems removed and quartered. If you can’t get Cremini mushrooms use white button mushrooms. The Cremini just make the stew richer and earthier.
2 tomatoes, peeled
3 strips bacon, sliced into 1/ 4 inch pieces. Use good, thick cut bacon.

**Bouquet Gami
A traditional herb blend, with rosemary, thyme,
 and parsley

1 small can black Nicoise olives, pitted. In a pinch, use 1 /4 cup or so of black Kalamata olives.
1 Bouquet Garni**
1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence (available in most supermarkets.)
1 orange, zested
2 cups homemade or organic beef stock (you want to watch the salt content because of the bacon and olives in the stew.)
Flour, about 2 tablespoons. Salt and Pepper


Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place beef, garlic and wine in a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Marinate for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator, turning a couple of times. Remove beef from bowl and pat dry with a paper towel. Reserve half of wine marinade, placing in a pot so you can heat it up for later use.

Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over beef. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until it starts to smoke. Add beef to pot in batches, making sure not to overcrowd in the pot so you can brown it all evenly. Add a small amount of olive oil as needed to brown beef. This will take about 5 minutes or so per batch. Transfer beef to a clean plate and set aside.

In the Dutch oven, add bacon to cook until browned. Remove bacon and add to plate with beef. Add sliced onions to the pot and cook until translucent. Sprinkle flour over onions and cook for about two minutes, until the flour is lightly browned and smells nutty. Do not let the flour mixture burn!
Add browned beef and bacon pieces, then add carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms and olives; then pour in warmed reserved wine marinade, beef stock, Herbes de Provence, Bouquet Garni and orange zest. Stir well.

Place lid on Dutch oven and place in preheated oven for 3 hours or so. The meat should be tender and melt in your mouth, so don’t be shy about cooking it a bit longer if needed.


Via http://www.divinecaroline.com/38/94481-beef-daube-provencal-beef-stew#ixzz2Hp0FLzb4