French · Languedoc · main

Gardiane de Taureau

Gardiane de Taureau reads salinity 4.9, richness 4.4 and allium 3.6 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a French · Languedoc main, about 29 hr 26 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 5.5 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 3.5 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 2.2 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.4 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 4.7 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.3 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Salinity 4.9 · Richness 4.4 · Allium 3.6 · Warm Spice 3.5 · Umami 3.0 · Sweetness 2.9 · Funk & Ferment 2.7 · Herbaceous 2.6 · Floral 2.2 · Bitterness 2.2 · Sourness 2.0 · Fruity 1.9 · Earthy 1.6 · Nutty 1.0 · Heat 0.8 · Citrus 0.7

What's in it (19)

• bull shin — 1500 g
• red wine — 750 g
• onions — 450 g
• cloves — 300 g
• carrots — 250 g
• garlic — 60 g
• wide strips dried orange peel — 8 g
• thyme — 2 g
• bay leaf — 2 g
• rosemary — 2 g
• parsley — 320 g
• oil-cured black olives — 100 g
• olive oil — 41 g
• marc — 60 g
• black peppercorns — 5 g
• salt — 10 g
• red camargue rice — 300 g
• water — 600 g
• unsalted butter — 20 g

Time & effort: about 29 hr 26 min (5 hr 26 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 43.9 kcal, 0.9 g protein, 1.6 g fat, 6.8 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

1. The gardians are the herdsmen of the Camargue and this is what they cook with the bulls that come off the marsh. Bull meat is darker, leaner and far more sinewy than beef, with almost no marbling — it needs longer than you would give beef and it will be dry at three hours where beef would be done.
2. The day before, put the meat in a bowl with the sliced onions, carrots, garlic, orange peel, bouquet garni and peppercorns, pour the whole bottle of wine over, cover and refrigerate 24 hours. Turn it twice.
3. Drain everything, keeping the wine, and dry the meat thoroughly on a cloth. Heat the olive oil in a heavy casserole and brown the pieces in three batches over medium-high heat, 5 minutes a batch, until they are properly dark on at least two faces. Lean meat gives less fond than fatty meat, so take the browning further than feels comfortable.
4. Lower the heat, put back the drained vegetables and cook 8 minutes, then pour in the marc and let it burn off, scraping the base clean.
5. Return the meat, add the clove-stuck onion, the reserved wine and the salt. The wine should just cover; top up with water if it does not. Bring it to the barest tremble, cover, and cook in a 140°C (285°F) oven for 4 hours.
6. Test at 3 hours 30 and expect it not to be ready. It is done when a piece can be pushed apart with the side of a spoon and the sauce has gone glossy and dark. Skim the fat, stir in the olives and let it stand 15 minutes off the heat.
7. Rinse the red rice and cook it in the water with the butter and a pinch of salt, covered, for 40 to 45 minutes. Camargue red rice keeps a firm chew even when fully cooked and it will never go fluffy like a long-grain — that resistance is exactly what you want under this sauce.
8. Serve the gardiane over the red rice. Like all wine stews it is better the next day, and it is traditionally eaten at the abrivado and the village fêtes rather than as a weekday dinner.
9. Substitutions: beef shin and cheek can stand in for the bull shin and cheek; brandy can stand in for the marc.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Spiced Chickpea Shakshuka Skillet — Middle Eastern
• Greek Moussaka — Greek
• Shakshuka with Feta and Crusty Bread — Middle Eastern
• Tripes à la Mode de Caen — French · Normandy
• Dowjic (Chicken and Yoghurt Soup with Rice) — Kurdish

Keep reading: what salinity, richness, allium mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.