Francophile Stew - from me to you

Passport & Plate - Francophile Stew

France | Saturday, February 28, 2015 | 5 photos

Ingredients
Olive oil - 1 tablespoon
Garlic cloves – 3, smashed
Onion – 1, roughly chopped
Salt
Pepper
Diced or stewing beef - 500g (it does not have to be best quality or cut)
Red wine – ½ cup (I use French wine, does not have to be best quality)
Carrots – 3 large, chopped into 1-2 inch large chunks
Fresh rosemary - 1 tablespoon, chopped
Fresh thyme - 1 tablespoon, chopped
Ground cloves - small pinch
Tomato paste - 1 tablespoon
Chopped tomatoes - 1 500g tin
Beef stock – ¼ - ½ cup (just enough to almost cover the ingredients)

 

How to prepare this recipe
In a stewing/soup pot, or dutch oven if you prefer:
- First fry off the garlic quickly in the olive oil, and remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate.
- Gently cook the onions in the remaining oil for about 2-3 minutes, then remove and place on the plate with the garlic.
- Season the beef with salt and pepper, then brown the beef in the remaining oil in batches (otherwise the beef will stew and not brown) just until the pink is gone and the beef has a nice textured brown color – there should be bits on the bottom of the pan. Keep the browned beef on the side plate with the onions and garlic after you cook each batch.
- After cooking the beef, pour the wine into the empty pot and boil off the alcohol, whilst scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan – just about 2 minutes max.
- Next, add the beef, onions and garlic back into the pot, along with the carrots – give a stir.
- Add good pinch of salt and pepper, rosemary, thyme and cloves, give another stir.
- Add tomato paste, canned tomatoes and beef stock – bring to a boil.
- Cover with tin foil and a lid, and place in the oven at 150 C or 300 F, for 2 to 2 ½ hours.
- Take out of the oven and leave to rest for a few min, then serve with steamed rice, potatoes or cous cous. Or for a low carb option, serve with steamed green beans.

 

The story behind this recipe
Ok, so French food is not that original these days. But, why break what isn’t broken! Here, one finds the comfort of a dependable stew, with classic, comforting flavours that cannot be beat, from one of the most beautiful regions in Europe - Provence.

Why do I love this recipe? Not only is it tasty, it is foolproof. The ingredients are not costly, and you can vary the ingredients to use different meat or root vegetables. It also uses fresh herbs, which make the flavours of the dish soar. This particular aromatic dish can be served with anything, from green beans or a few roasted potatoes, to rice or cous cous (as I used here). A sure crowd pleaser, or great as a staple for an old fashioned family meal, it will not disappoint. It makes everyone feel at home on a cold winter’s day, and as if they jumped straight into the rustic French countryside.

I am not from France, but it still stands to be one of my favourite places in the world, and I keep going back to explore. Despite France being known for ‘French’ food, I find it has such tremendous diversity in its cuisine – taking on culinary cues from places as different as Africa and Japan. However the classic flavours and ingredients from this region are undoubtedly some of the world’s best, and for good reason. It is all about refined simplicity, and using ingredients from the surrounding environment, contributing to the authenticity of the dishes.

I would assume that the essence of this type of dish will be similar to the philosophy to cooking dishes in Sri Lanka, and that is a major reason why I chose it. It is all about ingredients and good flavours from the local area, used to make hearty, simple and comforting food that makes one feel at home wherever they are. A kind of ‘Global goodness’.