Beef Provencal With Root Vegetables

There’s no greater comfort food than a hearty stew like this classic French Beef Provencal.

Who else loves indulging in a hearty stew during the wintertime? Beef Provencal is the classic French stew for those days when you’re craving a warm and satisfying dish: tender braised beef and succulent root vegetables in a rich wine sauce.

And it’s also a perfect make-ahead dish. The flavors intensify after the wine and spices have time to mingle with the meat overnight.

I adapted this version of beef provencal from a recipe I found on my local grass fed meat provider’s website. They had used a combination of beef short ribs and cross-cut beef shank. I found this to be an absolutely delectable choice of meat for this dish.

Beef provencal can be made with all different kinds of vegetables. Some like to throw in olives and mushrooms. In this recipe, we flavor the gravy with sautéed tomatoes, garlic, and a medley of spices. Then to the stew, I added winter root vegetables: potatoes, rutabagas, turnips, and carrots.

Since these root vegetables grow underground, they absorb a lot of nutrients from the soil. Just what we need during these long winter months.

The rutabagas, turnips, and potatoes are subtle in flavor, soaking up the richness of the sauce, while the carrots add a touch of sweetness. And don’t you love the colors they bring to this dish?

I made this dish ahead of time on Saturday so my family could enjoy it for Sunday dinner. It’s a very easy dish to prepare as most of the time it’s just left to simmer on the stove, warming the house and filling the kitchen with the most delicious aroma.

First, I sear the beef in a skillet and transfer it to a dutch oven. Then add wine to the skillet; scraping the pan to loosen the browned bits. Add garlic and simmer a little. Then pour the wine mixture over the beef in the dutch oven..

Then add some beef stock and start to simmer the beef. Next add the spices (oregano, basil, paprika, and rosemary), a touch of salt, and a bay leaf.

Meanwhile, simmer chopped onions and tomatoes in the same skillet where you had simmered the wine with the garlic. When these are soft, add them to the dutch oven too. Finally, leave the meat to simmer and absorb all of those flavors for about two hours.

After those two hours, the beef starts to literally fall off the bone. Yes, it’s that tender and juicy. Carefully, remove the bones along with any beef still partially on them. Then scoop out the rest of the meat from the Dutch oven with a slotted spoon onto a cutting board and shred all the meat lightly with two forks. It almost looks like pulled pork. This meat can then be added back into the sauce.

Now, for the root vegetables. Peel and chop up the rutabaga, turnip and carrots. These are also added to the Dutch oven and continue to simmer for another two hours. At the very end, add peeled and cubed potatoes and simmer for forty-five minutes more.

You can serve right away or, if you’re saving it for the next day, just keep the stew in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to eat, all you have to do is heat it slowly on the stove until it’s simmering, stirring occasionally for about twenty minutes. I recommend garnishing with fresh chopped parsley.

Enjoy! Have a happy and healthy week, friends!

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Beef Provencal With Root Vegetables

Beef Provencal is the classic French stew for those days when you’re craving a warm and satisfying dish: tender braised beef and succulent root vegetables in a rich wine sauce.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 5 hours

Total Time 5 hours 20 minutes

Servings 6

Author Barbara Bianchi

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. beef short ribs
• 2 lbs. beef shank cross cut
• sea salt and pepper to season meat before cooking
• 4 tablespoons avocado oil divided
• 1 1/2 cups red wine
• 1 quart beef stock homemade or store bought
• 4 Roma tomatoes diced with juice reserved
• 1 onion diced
• 4 small carrots peeled and sliced
• 1 turnip peeled and cut into bite size pieces
• 1 rutabaga peeled and cut into bite size pieces
• 2 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
• 6 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika I like smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

• Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet. Sear beef for 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a dutch oven.
• Add wine to the skillet. Bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add garlic and simmer for 4 minutes. Then pour over the beef in the dutch oven..
• Pour beef stock over the meat, as well. Bring to a boil, cover and turn flame down to simmer.
• Meanwhile, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet. Sauté the chopped onions until browned. Add diced tomatoes with the juice, bring to a boil and then simmer about 30 minutes. The tomatoes will break down as they simmer. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes with a fork. Then add the tomato mixture to the beef in the dutch oven.
• Add oregano, basil, paprika, rosemary, two teaspoons of salt and bay leaf. Stir occasionally, until beef starts to fall of the bone, about 2 hours.
• Carefully remove the bones and any beef still partially on the bones, Scoop out the rest of the meat from the Dutch oven with a slotted spoon onto a cutting board. Break beef apart shredding lightly with two forks and then add back to the gravy.
• Peel and cut up turnip, rutabaga and carrots and place into the the dutch oven and continue to simmer for 2 more hours.
• Then add the peeled and cubed potatoes. Adjust the seasonings. Simmer for 45 minutes more.
• Serve garnished with fresh chopped parsley.

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