Boeuf Daube Provencal

There is quite a drama behind this recipe.

My Cooking Light magazine arrived and had a recipe for Boaef Daube Provencal, a dish I'd never heard of but looked yummy and do-able. I decided I'd compare their recipe with Julia Child's from her famous Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It was apples and oranges, I tell you.

The Cooking Light version was a stew (which they described as, "classic French braised beef, red wine, and vegetable stew is simple and delicious. It stands above all of our other beef recipes because it offers the homey comfort and convenience of pot roast yet is versatile and sophisticated enough for entertaining. Garnish with chopped fresh thyme"), but Madame Child's was a casserole, kind of like a layered meat dish.

Both looked good, but it was obvious that Cooking Light just needed a fancy name for their beef stew. So I combined the best of both, in my humble opinion. The result was what I'd call a rich stew that we ate over garlic mashed potatoes.

2 teaspoons olive oil
12 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
1/2 lb bacon or poitrine fumee, cut into thick slices
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 cup red wine (I used a Cote du Rhone)
4 cups chopped carrot (I like a lot!)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
Dash ground cloves
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 bay leaf

Heat olive oil in a small Dutch oven over low heat. Add garlic to pan; cook for 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Increase heat to medium-high. Cook bacon until browned. Remove and set aside.

Add beef to pan. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add garlic, beef, bacon, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and remaining ingredients to pan. Bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and pour into earthenware baking dish.Cover and bake at 300 degrees for 2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf and serve over garlic mashed potatoes.