Ingredients
- 1.5 kg (3 lb) beef blade roast
- 200 g (7 oz) smoked bacon, diced
- 250 ml (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 2 tomatoes, peeled and seeded, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large bay leaf
- 4 cloves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 250 ml (1 cup) demi-glace
- 100 g (3 1/2 oz) pitted black olives
- 250 g (8 oz) carrots, cut in 2 cm (3/4 in.) thick slices
Marinade:
- 750 ml (3 cups) red wine
- 150 g (5 oz) carrots, diced
- 3 medium onions, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
- 1 dried orange peel
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) red wine vinegar
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) herbes de Provence
- 2 bay leaves
- 10 ml (2 tsp) black peppercorns
Preparation
- Cut the beef into 5 cm (2 in.) thick cubes and marinate in a large dish.
- Add the wine and the rest of the marinade ingredients. Stir.
- Refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Stir 3 or 4 times during the marinating period.
- Remove the beef cubes, making sure no residue from the marinade remains on the meat. Drain. Set aside.
- Pour the marinade through a strainer.
- Reserve the liquid that will be used as the cooking juice and eventually as the sauce.
- Discard the rest of the marinade ingredients.
- In a casserole, brown the bacon over medium heat. Pat dry.
- Keep the bacon fat.
- Flour the meat cubes and gently brown a small quantity at a time in the bacon fat (add a bit of oil if needed).
- Once finished, wash the casserole.
- Place the browned meat cubes and diced bacon back into the casserole and add the strained marinade.
- Cover and start cooking over low heat (the key to the recipe is in the slow cooking - the stew should simmer very lightly during the whole cooking time).
- Add the rest of the ingredients (except for the demi-glace, olives and carrots).
- After 2 hours of cooking, remove the fat with a ladle.
- Add the demi-glace and olives.
- Periodically check the tenderness of the meat, and plan 30 to 45 minutes for the carrots to cook.
- When you think it's almost ready, add the carrots and finish cooking.
- Serve with buttered noodles.

