Pork Cheek Daube a Fall Weather Stew from Provence
François de Mélogue · Main Course · Pork · Provencal Recipes · TasteI crave daube as soon as the cooler Fall weather starts. It corresponds to a single moment when my wife Lisa and I lived in a small, off-the-grid hippie cabin deep in the woods of Mendocino, California. Fall had started in earnest, and we decided to go for a long walk foraging for wild cèpes. I built a huge fire in our wood-burning stove and placed a daube of beef to slow cook on top. We opened a bottle of wine to decant and walked out into the cool, misty day heady with pine scents. After walking two miles, we had collected two full shopping bags of mushrooms and headed back home to enjoy our simple feast. The closer to the cabin we got, the hungrier we became. The wood smoke and rich beef scents hung in the mist surrounding the cabin, enticing us to come in and eat.
Give this pork cheek daube a try.
Daube of Pork Cheek
This slow-cooked pork stew will fill your home with delicious aromas. If you are lucky enough to forage for your own cepes, you will think you landed in autumnal heaven.
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 pork cheeks joues de porc in France
- 1 tsp herbes de Provence
- 2 medium carrots sliced
- 1 sweet onion large dice
- 2 cloves garlic mashed
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1 orange zested and juiced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 whole star anise
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 big pinch saffron
- 4 anchovy fillets chopped
Instructions
Before your guests arrive:
- Heat olive oil in a heavy sauté pan. Season pork cheeks with salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and herbes de Provence, then sear in oil till browned, for about five minutes.
- Remove cheeks and reserve.
- Add carrots, onion and garlic to the pan, and cook until softened, about five minutes.
- Add tomatoes, orange, cinnamon, star anise, white wine, stock, saffron and anchovy. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and then add the cheeks and cook slowly for two hours or until pork is fork tender. I usually make a huge batch in the fall and freeze in smaller portions.
When you are ready to eat:
- Reheat pork daube and spoon over buttered noodles, rice, or potatoes.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Other Pork Recipes to Try
Pork Tenderloin en Croûte with Porcini Demiglace
Although there are a few steps to this recipe, it's a terrific "Sunday" kitchen project with a wonderfully delicious finish. If you are short on time, see the notes below.
Check out this recipe
Pork Tenderloin in Marsala Sauce
Tender pork medallions and mushrooms in a light and lovely Marsala sauce.
Check out this recipe
Pork Rillettes
Because of the lengthy cook time, Lisa and I like to make a big batch of rillettes every winter and freeze them in small jars ready to enjoy all throughout the year. Rillettes are best served at room temperature spread thickly on toasted bread.
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