Beef Daube Arlesienne

Source: Food & Wine, Oct. 2001, p. 102 It is a Jacques Pepin recipe.

Ingredients

• 8 small Red Potatoes, Peeled
• 2½ cups Water
• 1 cup Pearl Onions or 8 Small Boiling Onions, peeled
• 16 Baby Carrots, Peeled
• 2 Olive Oil
• 2 lbs. Boneless Beef Shoulder-Blade Steaks, cut in half
• Salt And Pepper
• 1 medium Onion, Finely Chopped
• 1 cup Dry White Wine
• 1 teaspoon Herbes De Provence
• 20 Hazelnuts, toasted
• 1¾ inch slice Country Bread (1 ounce), toasted and cut into 1-inch
• ½ cup Flat Leaf Parsley Leaves
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• ¼ cup Nicoise Olives, Pitted & Sliced
• 2 tablespoons Capers, drained
• 1 medium Tomato, Seeded And Diced

Method

1. In a medium saucepan, cover the potatoes with the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly and cook for 15 minutes. Add the pearl onions and carrots, cover and cook until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain the vegetables, reserving the cooking liquid.

2. Heat the olive oil in a medium enameled cast-iron casserole. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Add half of the meat to the casserole and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until well browned, about 10 minutes; transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining meat.

3. Return all of the meat to the casserole. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the reserved vegetable cooking liquid, the wine and the herbes de Provence. Season lightly with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, reduce the heat to very low and simmer until the beef is tender, 2 to 2½ hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread the hazelnuts in a pie plate and roast in the oven for 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Transfer the hazelnuts to a plate and let cool completely. In a food processor, combine the hazelnuts with the toast, parsley and garlic and process until finely chopped.

5. Stir the hazelnut mixture and the cooked vegetables into the daube. Cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Stir in the olives, capers and tomato and cook for 1 minute longer. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

MAKE AHEAD The recipe can be prepared through Step 4 and refrigerated overnight. Bring the stew to a simmer before proceeding.

Notes

Pepin uses shoulder-blade steaks, sometimes called top blade, underblade or flatiron blade steak. Shank meat and chuck steaks, cut in large pieces, are good, readily available substitutes.

Corrected, 2026-07-26. https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/270/daube-de-boeuf-arlesienne-beef-stew-from-arles