Creole Daube

• servings: 8-10

Ingredients

• 1 (3-5 pound) boneless chuck roast

• Salt, pepper, red pepper, and paprika

• 2-3 cloves garlic, halved

• ½ cup vegetable oil

• ¼ cup flour

• 1 cup chopped onion

• ¼ cup chopped bell pepper

• 1 rib celery, chopped

• 2-3 green onions, chopped

• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

• ¼ cup red wine

• 1 cup water

• ¼ cup chopped parsley

• 1-2 bay leaves

• ¼ teaspoon sugar

• ½ teaspoon salt

• Red pepper to taste

Directions

• Season the roast with salt, pepper, red pepper (cayenne), and paprika

• Make slits in the roast and insert the garlic.

• In a 5-quart Dutch oven heat ¼ cup of the oil.

• Over medium heat brown the roast on all sides.

• Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, covered, while preparing the roux. (If roast sticks add ½ cup of water.)

• In a separate heavy pot heat the remaining oil.

• Add the flour, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the roux is the color of chocolate.

• Reduce the heat to low and add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and green onion and cook until they are limp.

• Stir in the tomato sauce and cook for 10 minutes.

• Add the wine and 1 cup water slowly to the roux.

• Add the parsley, bay leaves, sugar, salt, and pepper to the tomato sauce mixture.

• Pour the sauce over the roast.

• Simmer slowly on top of the stove for 2 to 3 hours, or until the roast is very tender.

• Add more water if needed.

Notes

Notes from http://raisedonaroux.com/creole-daube/

In New Orleans, there’s pot roast and then there’s Creole Daube.  Creole Daube, or daube (pronounced “dohb”) for short, is what you get when you blend a French braising technique with an Italian (“red”) gravy and a roux–the typical melding of flavors, cultures and cuisines that takes place in most New Orleans family kitchens on a daily basis.  Together, these three things magically transform an inexpensive cut of beef such as a rump, a shoulder or a chuck roast into deeply flavored and tender comfort food.  In our family, daube was usually a Sunday supper meal served over pasta or Baked Macaroni with a green salad and lots of warm French bread.  Years ago, it was also a popular neighborhood restaurant dish.  Unfortunately, today very few restaurants serve it.  That’s really too bad because it’s one of New Orleans most humble yet glorious dishes.

There are various ways to cook daube.  Early Creole recipes suggest “larding” the beef (plugging or injecting it with pork fat) to help maintain moisture and add flavor.  Others call for marinating the roast overnight in red wine.  I don’t recall my family ever larding the roast or using wine.  I don’t do either of those things with my daube and it always turns out moist and rich.  Another variation among recipes? Too roux or not to roux.  In my opinion, you’ve got to make a roux because it’s that roux-based red gravy that sets this dish apart from a typical pot roast or stew. And to be quite honest, it wouldn’t be “Creole” without it!

Daube is not complicated, but it is time-consuming.  The roast needs to simmer for at least three hours after all the ingredients have been added to the pot.  But all you’ll need to do during that time is give it an occasional stir.  Oh, and protect the pot from your family members.  You know the ones that claim to be “official tasters”?  Tell them too much lid-lifting will not do a daube good!