Beef daube

My interpretation of daube, a classic French Provencal dish.

2-4 lbs stew beef, cut in chunks (I've used oxtails, too)
olive oil
1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 cups beef stock
3/4 bottle red wine (traditionally a Rhone-style wine)
strip of orange peel
1/4 cup chopped black olives, pref. oil-cured
bouquet garni or loose herbs, your preference: thyme, bay leaf; optional oregano, marjoram, whole cloves or allspice berries (that's Julia Child's recommendation)
4-6 anchovy filets, mashed
1 16-oz can whole tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped or crushed by hand (or peeled and seeded fresh tomatoes if they're deserving)

Brown meat on all sides with a bit of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, covered casserole. Set meat aside. Deglaze pan with a bit of wine.

Over medium heat, saute onions until softening, then add garlic and anchovies and stir for a minute or two. Now add everything else, including meat, and adjust amounts of liquid to mostly submerge meat. Put in on lowest possible heat and cover, cooking for 3-4 hours. Stir and flip meat occasionally.

To be extra fabulous: cool stew completely, skim fat and reheat before serving. If you want thicker, stewier stuff, make a roux and add to the pot. Over egg noodles with lots of delicious broth is my preference, but extra-good bread dipped in a stew bowl is good, too.