Gardiane de taureau (Rancher’s beef)
a Caroline Conran recipe
800g shin of beef; 1 litre of red wine; 3 onions, sliced; 2 tbsp vinegar; 3 cloves; 3 sprigs of thyme; 3 bay leaves; 3 sprigs of rosemary; 2 strips of orange peel; 3-4 tbsp of olive oil; 2 tbsp flour; 12 green and 12 black olives; salt and coarsely ground black pepper.
Cut the beef into large (5cm) pieces, place them in a dish and cover with red wine,
onions, vinegar, spices, herbs and orange peel and a tablespoon of olive oil. Mix it and marinate for 24 hours to tenderize and flavour the beef. Drain off the liquid, keeping the marinade for cooking the beef. Pat the meat dry with kitchen paper.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a casserole, coat the meat with flour and brown very thoroughly, in batches, a few pieces at a time, adding a tablespoon of olive oil after each batch. Pour the marinade over the meat, add the olives, and season with salt and masses of pepper. Simmer gently for 2-3 hours with the lid on. If there is too much sauce, remove the lid and simmer for a further 15-20 minutes.
This will taste better and better if kept a day or two.
Serve with your choice of cooked green vegetables and a glass of cool climate Shiraz (Syrah).
(Serves 4)