Evocation of the food of Provence might make you think of dishes like ratatouille and salade niçoise, accompanied by endless glasses of pink rosé. But all is not as it seems. In this episode, Emily and Caroline delve into the history of this varied region, exploring medicinal Roman wine, assertive goat cheeses, a sweet tart made with Swiss chard, of all things, and a hearty beef stew that goes against everything the Mediterranean diet seems to be known for. 


Mountain people link: https://bit.ly/3rlyS2k

David Lebovitz’s fromage fort recipe:
https://www.davidlebovitz.com/fromage-forte-cheese-dip-spread-recipe/


Daube Provençal (Beef Stew from Provence)
Serves 4

2lb of stewing beef, cut into 2-3 inch squares
1 bottle of inexpensive red wine, Côtes du Rhône is a good bet
1 onion, diced
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp of tomato paste
1 orange, cut in half
A handful or two of good black olives, Nyons are the best!
olive oil
1 bay leaf
some sprigs of thyme
4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp room temp butter

This is home cooking at its most perfect. Don't stress about measuring perfectly, add another onion or more olives or some rosemary, it's all fine! What makes this distinct from other beef stews is the addition of the orange and the finishing touch of olives. I use my Instant Pot pressure cooker for this, but you can easily do it in a dutch oven or even a normal pot. I'll include timings for both. Traditional recipes have you marinate the meat, but it's a superfluous step that really doesn't do much except make a mess, so I don't bother!

Combine some salt and pepper in a small bowl, this helps with keeping things clean!
Dry off your beef chunks with paper towel, salt and pepper them using your handy mixture
Sear the beef in batches in hot oil (sautée setting on the InstantPot, or medium high heat)
Don't crowd the pan or the meat won't sear! Once you've got a good hard sear on one side it's good to go, pop it in a bowl to wait for the rest.
When your final batch of beef is seared, remove it from the pan and add the diced onion
Cook for a few minutes then add the garlic cloves and tomato paste
Add the wine and scrape up all the good bits from the bottom of the pan
Add back the beef, the carrots, the bay leaf and herbs, and the orange
Cook till it's done - Give it an hour and a half if you're using a pressure cooker, or 4-6 hours if you're going oldschool. This is something that just takes how long it takes, and if the meat isn't tender, it's not done.
Combine the flour and butter in a bowl - this is your beurre manié
Add a tablespoon to your stew and bring it to the boil, add more as needed to get a nice glossy thick stew, you may not need it all, or you may need more!
Add the olives
Taste your food please and add plenty of salt and pepper. If it doesn't taste good it means you haven't added enough salt, this is a lot of food and it needs a lot of salt. Add more salt!
Enjoy with simple rice, buttered noodles, potatoes, or good crusty bread.


Wine Dine Lyon: https://www.winedinecaroline.com/french-wine-tours-retreats/lyon-french-wine-tour/

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Credits
Host: Emily Monaco. @Emily_in_France; Website: http://www.tomatokumato.com and http://www.emilymmonaco.com
Host: Caroline Conner, https://www.parisundergroundradio.com/carolineconner; https://www.instagram.com/winedinecaroline/, www.winedinecaroline.com; www.lyonwinetastings.com
Producer: Jennifer Geraghty. @jennyphoria; Website: http://jennyphoria.com


Music Credits
Mon Paris by Ikson https://www.iksonmusic.com; https://youtube.com/ikson


About Us
France is home to thousands of wines, thousands of cheeses, and countless recipes – almost all of which are inextricable from their local terroir. Terroir is a word that links foods, wines, and more to the places they're from and the people who make them. Let culinary journalist Emily Monaco and chef and wine expert Caroline Conner take you through the ins and outs of France's phenomenal regional richness.