Carbonnade De Boeuf A La Provencale

Sometimes in my effort to be really efficient I occasionally do stupid things. For example I backed up all my photos to a flash drive, then deleted them from my computer's hard drive,,,,the result no cookbook photo for this post or the next one.

When I first decided to make this I was going to do it on a Saturday but instead we ventured over to Winston-Salem. So I thought I would make it on Sunday. At 2 pm on Sunday I read the first part of the recipe which tells you to marinate the beef for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. So Sunday's dinner became Monday's dinner.

The next problem was I failed to read the entire recipe and so when I started on Monday at 6 PM I had no clue that it would take 1 1/2 hours to bake once you had it ready to go in the oven. We did not eat until 8:30 that night. By then I was so hungry I served up the meal and we ate before I realized I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. So what you get is a photo of the leftovers ready for me to take to work for lunch.

We both really liked this dish and I would make it again,,,like in the middle of winter when I know we will not be going anywhere for the weekend.

Since it is only the two of us I halved this recipe. I used the pan I sauteed the onion in as my casserole dish for the oven, pushing the slices of meat into the cooked onions before topping with the potato slices.

Carbonnade De Boeuf A La Provencale

3 lbs chuck steak cut into slices 3 1/2 x 2 x 3/8"

THE MARINADE
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1 tblsp olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced (I used 4)
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp savory
3/4 tsp thyme

Mix the marinade in a glazed, glass or stainless-steel bowl. Add the meat, turning and basting with the liquid, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight, basting and turning the meat several times.

THE ONIONS

Optional but traditional: 4 oz. fresh side pork (I used bacon)
a heavy skillet
1-3 tblsp olive oil
5-6 cups sliced onions

Cut the optional pork into 1" pieces about 1/4" thick. Saute slowly in a tablespoon of oil to render the fat and brown very lightly. (If pork is omitted, pour 3 tablespoons of oil into your pan). Stir in the onions, cover closely and cook slowly for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are tender and just starting to brown.

BAKING

A 6 qt. flame-proof casserole
7-8 cups sliced all purpose potatoes
salt & pepper
Beef bouillon
1/4 Parmesan cheese for the final step

Preheat oven to 350.

Drain meat, saving marinade, and season with salt and pepper. Alternate layers of onions and meat in casserole. Pour in marinade, then arrange layers of potato slices on top, seasoning each layer with salt & pepper. Pour in enough bouillon to cover the meat; bring to a simmer on the stove top.

Cover casserole and set in middle of preheated oven for about an hour or until meat is almost tender when pierced with a fork.

Raise heat to 425. Tip casserole and spoon out accumulated fat. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the potatoes and baste with a spoonful or two of the cooking liquid.

Place uncovered casserole in upper third of oven and bake about 30 minutes, to brown top of potatoes and reduce & thicken cooking liquid. Serve from casserole.

Serves 6.
Serve with green beans or peas, French bread and either a Beaujolais or a rose wine.