Provencale Beef Stew with Olives

Ingredients

• 1 3 1/2 pound beef chuck roast trimmed, cut into 1 3/4 inc pieces
• 1 bottle(s) dry red wine
• 1 teaspoon(s) black peppercorns crushed
• 8 sprig(s) fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
• 8 fresh Italian parsley stems
• 2 strip(s) 2 X 1/2 inch orange peel
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
• 2 cup(s) chopped onion
• 1 cup(s) chopped carrots
• 4 clove(s) garlic minced
• 1 can(s) 28 oz. plum tomatoes drained
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
• 2/3 cup(s) nicoise olives, pitted
• 1/8 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/4 cup(s) chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preparation

1. In a large glass baking dish or resealable plastic bag, combine beef, wine and peppercorns. Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight to marinate.
2. Heat oven to 300. With butchers' twine and cheesecloth, tie thyme, parsley stems, orange peel and bay leaf together to make a bouquet garni. Set aside.
3. Drain beef, reserving marinade. Dry beef with paper towels. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Brown beef in batches 2 to 4 minutes or until well browned on all sides. Remove from Dutch oven; set aside.
4. Add onions and carrots to Dutch oven; cook 4 to 6 minutes or until softened and lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add garlic, cook and stir about 30 seconds. Add reserved marinade. Bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Add beef, tomatoes, pepper and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
5. Cover; bake 2 1/2 hours or until beef is almot tender.
6. Add olives to stew; bake an additional 20 to 30 miniutes or until beef is very tender.
7. With slotted spoon, transfer beef and olives to serving dish; keep warm. Discard bouquet garni. Skim fat from top of sauce with paper towels. If desired, boil sauce over high heat 5 to 10 mintues to intensify flavor and thicken slightly. Add salt. Pour sauce over beef and olives.
8. Stew can be made up to 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat gently on stovetop before serving.