Provencal Beef Stew
- 3 pounds stewing beef, cut into cubes
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 piece thick cut bacon
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 small carrots, scraped and cut into rounds
- 12 ounces waxy potatoes, scrubbed but unpeeled, cut into chunks
- 1 small onion, cut into quarters
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5 cups medium body fruity red wine, such as a Cotes de Rhone or a Provencal red
- 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Herbes De Provence
- Place the flour and paprika with a pinch of salt into a large paper or plastic bag. Seal and shake to mix. Add the beef, half at a time, and shake until each piece of beef is coated with the flour mixture.
- In a large hot skillet (preferably cast iron), fry the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon and set aside, leaving the bacon grease in the pan. Add olive oil to the pan.
- Brown the beef in the oil and bacon grease mixture. Having a good brown on the beef is essential to the final flavor of the stew, so it's important a) not to crowd the beef in the pan (you'll have to brown the beef in multiple batches, depending on the size of your skillet) b) to let the beef sit and get a good sear before turning. I use tongs to turn each piece of beef individually after it has browned.
- Place the browned beef with the reserved pieces of bacon into a heavy dutch oven with a lid. Add carrots, onion, potatoes, garlic, herbes de provence and a large pinch of salt to taste. Toss gently so that the mixture is fairly heterogeneous.
- Meanwhile, deglaze your hot skillet with the red wine. Use a spatula to scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Add tomato paste and anchovy paste, and stir until the mixture is combined.
- Pour the mixture over the beef, salt lightly to taste, and cover with a lid.
- Bake in a 300 degree oven until the meat is tender, usually about 3 hours, stirring occasionally. (Very occasionally. The fantastic smell makes me want to take a peep periodically, and I'll give it a stir while I'm doing so.)
- Serve over noodles or with a nice crusty bread, some wine, and a green salad.
stewing beef, flour, paprika, bacon, olive oil, carrots, potatoes, onion, garlic, medium body fruity red wine, anchovy paste, tomato paste
Taken from food52.com/recipes/2997-provencal-beef-stew (may not work)