Braised Beef With Eggplant

Name: Braised Beef With Eggplant
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: french
Ingredients: 1 eggplant (about 1 pound) in 1-inch dice; Salt; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 1 2 1/2-pound piece of beef for braising (tri-tip, rump or brisket); 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh fennel bulb; 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1/2 cup chopped canned San Marzano tomatoes; 3 tablespoons pastis or other anise liqueur; 4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, slivered; 1 cup dry red wine; 1 cup beef or vegetable stock; Ground black pepper; 2 branches fresh rosemary; 2 branches fresh thyme; 1 teaspoon grated orange zest; 1 tablespoon black olive tapenade

By Florence Fabricant

Total Time: 3 hours
Rating: 4(169)
Comments: Read comments

The food of Provence usually evokes summer, with lovely vegetables, salads, seafood and a whiff of lavender. But there’s a wintry side to it as well. When a fierce mistral wind blows, it’s time to crank out beef stews and roasted meats. This braised beef dish, a pot roast, keeps a Provençal flavor profile, with eggplant, garlic, fennel, rosemary, orange, black olives and tomatoes. It’s prepared to allow the eggplant to maintain its character and not disintegrate. I like to braise a nice piece of tri-tip sirloin, but this recipe will suit any cut of beef you prefer for braising. Serve the dish with plain broad egg noodles dressed with a splash of good olive oil.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

1eggplant (about 1 pound) in 1-inch dice
Salt
1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
12½-pound piece of beef for braising (tri-tip, rump or brisket)
½cup finely chopped fresh fennel bulb
½cup finely chopped red onion
2garlic cloves, minced
½cup chopped canned San Marzano tomatoes
3tablespoons pastis or other anise liqueur
4sun-dried tomatoes in oil, slivered
1cup dry red wine
1cup beef or vegetable stock
Ground black pepper
2branches fresh rosemary
2branches fresh thyme
1teaspoon grated orange zest
1tablespoon black olive tapenade

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Place eggplant in a colander, dust with salt and set aside 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a 4-quart stovetop casserole on medium-high and add the oil. Dry the beef and brown it on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan to a plate. Turn off heat.
Step 2
Rinse and dry the eggplant. Reheat the casserole on medium and sear the eggplant, turning frequently, until it is lightly browned, glossy and still somewhat firm, about 10 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a bowl. Add the fennel, onion and garlic to the casserole and sauté on low heat until translucent. Add the diced tomatoes and pastis and cook, stirring, to deglaze the casserole. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, wine and stock, and bring to a simmer. Season with pepper. Add the rosemary and thyme. Return the meat to the casserole, cover and simmer on low heat for 2 hours, turning once or twice during the cooking.
Step 3
After 2 hours the meat should be tender. If not, give it another 15 or 20 minutes cooking. Remove it to a cutting board. Discard herb branches from sauce, and stir in the orange zest and tapenade. Season to taste with salt. Add the eggplant to the casserole and simmer 5 minutes, just to reheat it. Slice the beef and arrange on a platter. Give the sauce another quick heating, then spoon it with the eggplant over and around the meat and serve.

Ratings

4 out of 5

169 user ratings

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Comments

Sandra G6 years ago

I made this dish. To put it simply, it was amazingly delicious!! Will absolutely make it again. Particularly loved the addition of orange zest and the olive tapenade after.

Adam6 years ago

No...its illegal! Can't do it.

Anne C.6 years ago

Delicious : the addition of the fennel, pastis and the orange zest in the sauce really take it to the next level. But I am on a budget and used a few shortcuts. I used stew meat, cheaper. Instead of expensive San Marzano tomatoes (for only 1/2 cup!) I chopped a fresh tomato. I did not buy a jar of sun-dried tomatoes (for only 4 needed in the recipe) I added a Tbsp of tomato paste. Instead of tapenade, chopped olives very finely. Slow cooker for 5 hrs. Delicious indeed. Served on mashed potatoes.

absolut_foodie1 month ago

I just cooked this for the second time and am convinced beef is the wrong meat. I tried rump and then brisket and both were meh. This needs lamb shanks to make it a winner. The veg and sauce are great (with a bit of uplift from chili flakes) but the beef just tastes wrong.

myhomeaddress1 year ago

I was drawn to this recipe bc of the wide variety of unique ingredients. I followed everything to a tee and it certainly came out unique tasting—dark, bold, acidic. The flavors reminded me of an Israeli restaurant in Philly. The olive tapenade at the very end really helped bring it all together and the orange citrus zest provides a nice bright contrast to the dish.

Dorothy P.3 years ago

I couldn’t find a small bottle of pastis and didn’t want a big one, but there is so much rich flavor in this it wasn’t missing anything. I did add extra chopped black olives. Next time, because I will certainly make this again, I might add a little heat. Had this over couscous and it was absolutely delicious—even better the next day.

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