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Beef, Orange and Olive Stew (Boeuf à la Gardiane)

Beef, Orange and Olive Stew (Boeuf à la Gardiane)

  • Makes
    6 to 8 servings
  • Cook Time
    4½ hours
  • Active time plus cooling
    1 hour active
  • Rating

Our version of this hearty stew from Camargue, in the south of France, uses chuck roast, a well-marbled cut. It gets robust flavor from Provençal ingredients—red wine, olives, anchovies and garlic. Orange is traditional, too; it lends the braise a balancing touch of brightness that balances its depth and richness. Wine is key to this dish and we wait until the beef is cooked before we add it, retaining more of the flavors. A bold, full-bodied dry red wine such as Côtes du Rhône or syrah is ideal, as it holds its own among the other big flavors. Serve with rice, egg noodles or potatoes.

Tip

Don’t forget to zest the orange before juicing it—it’s much easier to grate the zest from a whole orange than from one that’s been halved and squeezed. Don’t add all of the carrots to the pot with the beef. Adding some at the beginning gives the stew a subtle sweetness, but after hours of braising, these carrots are spent. We add more carrots near the end of cooking so that they are tender but still flavorful.

Ingredients
  • 6-7

    pounds boneless beef chuck roast, well trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 4

    medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into ½-inch rounds, divided

  • 3

    anchovy fillets, patted dry

  • 2

    tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2

    medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced

  • 1

    medium yellow onion, chopped

  • 1

    cup pitted Kalamata olives, rinsed, patted dry and chopped, divided

  • 2½

    cups dry red wine

  • 1

    medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 1

    tablespoon grated orange zest, plus ⅓ cup orange juice

  • 2

    teaspoons red wine vinegar

  • 1

    cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Step 1

Heat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. In a large Dutch oven, toss the beef with 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Add ½ the carrots, the anchovies, oil, garlic and onion, then toss. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook for 2 hours.

Step 2

Remove the pot from the oven and stir in ½ cup of the olives. Return to the oven uncovered and cook until a knife inserted into a piece of beef meets no resistance, 1 to 1½ hours.

Step 3

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a large bowl, leaving the vegetables in the pot. Set a fine mesh strainer over a fat separator or medium bowl. Pour the meat juices into the strainer, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids. You should have about 2½ cups liquid; if needed, add water to make up the difference.

Step 4

Pour the wine into the now-empty pot and bring to a boil over medium-high, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the wine is reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, if you strained the meat juices into a bowl, use a spoon to skim off and discard the fat from the surface.

Step 5

Pour the defatted meat juices into the pot and add the remaining carrots and the bell pepper. Return to a simmer and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir in the orange juice and beef. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce begins to cling to the meat, 3 to 6minutes.

Step 6

Off heat, stir in the remaining ½ cup olives, the orange zest, vinegar and half of the parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

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