Food - Drink
How Leah Chase Transformed Beef Stew Tradition With One Ingredient
By KYLE GRACE MILLS
Beloved chef Leah Chase enjoyed cooking Old World recipes with Creole twists, including daube, a traditional French beef stew that she changed up with just one addition.
In her recipe, Chase cooks the beef with a bevy of tomatoes. This isn’t far from the original, which calls for tomato paste, but tomatoes take the center stage in Chase’s version.
Chase preferred using Creole tomatoes, which refers to those grown in the Louisiana Creole area. In other words, she enjoyed using local and home-grown tomatoes for the stew.
Served up with more tomatoes and spaghetti, Chase described Creole daube as "the best thing in the world." The fresh tomatoes add both brightness and richness to the dish.