Any time I have some extra red wine available I look for a good beef stew. This beef daube recipe from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan recommended the use of beef cheeks. I did not have time to locate beef cheeks but she gave an alternative of beef chuck roast. Other items included in the stew were carrots, onion, bacon, beef broth and secret ingredient bittersweet chocolate.

I made a half recipe but kept the full amount of carrots. My husband likes a good balance of vegetables to meat. I also did not have bacon on hand so that ingredient was left out. The beef daube is braised in the oven for 2 hours which always makes meat very tender. Then the chocolate is added after the braise and then the cooked pasta. This was a different beef dish for us but very good.

Beef Cheek Daube with Carrots and Elbow Macaroni page 246 from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan.