The Provençal version of boeuf bourguignonne, with different vegetables and seasonings. I think the variation, Beef Daube with Olives, is the superior recipe, but you may prefer this simpler version. Serve this with crisp-roasted potatoes or crusty bread. Other cuts of meat you can use here: boneless lamb shoulder, cut into chunks.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

　　1/4 pound good-quality slab bacon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

　　2 pounds boneless beef chuck or brisket, cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch cubes

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　2 large onions, chopped

　　2 celery stalks, chopped

　　3 carrots, chopped

　　5 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed

　　3 or 4 fresh thyme sprigs

　　1 fresh rosemary sprig or 1 teaspoon dried

　　2 or 3 strips orange peel

　　1 cup rough red wine, preferably from the south of France—something like Cahors or Côtes-du-Rhône

　　1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

　　Stock or water if necessary

　　

Step 1

Put the olive oil in a Dutch oven or flameproof casserole with a lid and turn the heat to medium. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is crisp and has given up most of its fat, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, add the meat, and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, turning the cubes as they brown and sprinkling them with salt and pepper, until the meat is brown and crisp all over, at least 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.

　　

Step 2

Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and orange peel, along with some more salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and vinegar and let them bubble for a minute, then return the meat to the pan.

　　

Step 3

Cover and adjust the heat so the mixture simmers gently for about an hour, then add the bacon. Recover and continue to cook until the meat is tender, adding a little more liquid if the mixture threatens to dry out. Depending on the meat, the dish could be done in as little as 30 minutes more or in three times as long.

　　

Step 4

Taste and adjust the seasoning, then garnish and serve or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days before reheating.

　　

Beef Daube with Olives or Dried Fruit

Step 5

In step 2, replace the rosemary with 1 teaspoon fennel seeds. When you return the bacon to the pan in step 3, add 1 cup good-quality green or black olives, preferably pitted, or 1 cup dried prunes or apricots.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.