Monday, December 21, 2009

Pot Roast with Veggies



I was at the grocery store today picking up "everyday" items when it dawned on me:  I had carrots, onion, and celery left over in the fridge from a few days ago that needed to be used.  In my world, celery + carrots + onion = pot roast materials.  So, I browsed online and found one from one of my favorite blogs, elly says opa! Most of the ingredients are the same as hers, but since I don't have a food scale, I don't do "pounds" of potatoes... I have to count.  :)


Ingredients:

3-4 lb. pot roast
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3-4 celery stalks, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
3/4 c. red wine
32 oz. beef broth
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into large "chunks" (smaller than quartered :))
4 carrots, peeled and chopped into pieces
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Season the roast with salt and pepper, then sear in the oil on all sides.  Remove the roast and set aside.  Add garlic, onions, and celery.  Saute till tender.  Add tomato paste, and cook till browned (1-2 minutes).

Deglaze with red wine (If you're like me and had to look up the word "deglaze," I'll save you the trouble:  it means to add liquid to a saute pan, bringing up the heat to simmer it down into a saucier version of what was orginially there, all while scraping up the browned bits left on the bottom of the pan.  You can thank me later :))

Add beef broth, salt, and pepper (to taste).  Place roast back into the Dutch oven.  Add rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, cover, and place into the oven.  Cook for 3 hours-- turn the roast occasionally.

Add potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms, stirring so all veggies are covered with some cooking liquid. Cook for another 45 minutes to an hour, until veggies are soft. 

Remove pot roast and veggies from the Dutch oven.  Meanwhile, place the pot over high heat and reduce the liquid to thicken.  Serve sauce over meat and vegetables. 

Enjoy!

Verdict: Keeper, with revision

Cooking this was an adventure-- another way to play with my cast iron Dutch oven. Plus, I had to look up what "deglazing" meant! Most everything went according to plan, with the exception of my main veggies. My potatoes and carrots ended up being underdone. So, when I make this again (and trust me, it will be made again) I'll have to cook it longer to give me the mushier potatoes I crave when I want pot roast. Either that or cut them into smaller chunks. Either way, the flavor was perfect... now I just need to work on my timing (i.e. "patience!")

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Beef Barley Soup

This was my first soup.

Ever.
After receiving a cast iron Dutch oven as a wedding gift (which, by the way, I had no idea I even needed till I asked some experienced cooks) I was on the hunt for a good winter soup-- you know, something that I could cook on a Sunday while I was busy with homework and household chores. Cooking Light had a recipe that sounded most like what I wanted, but I added some more liquid to get a good, brothy soup instead of a stew.
Also, since I'm too cheap to spend money on stew meat, I used center cut beef shanks, trimming beforehand and cutting into bite-sized pieces towards the end.
Honestly, I cannot tell you how excited I was to have this turn out so great on the first try! My husband had never tried beef barley soup before, so it was important to me that this one made a good impression. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Ingredients:

2 Beef Shanks (about 2 lbs. total)

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cups chopped leek (about 4 medium leeks)

2 cups chopped carrot

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 bay leaves

2 32oz. cartons beef broth

1 cup uncooked pearl barley


Heat a large Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add the oil.
While the oil is warming, trim any fat from the beef shanks. After trimming, brown the shanks on both sides. Remove from the pan.
Add the leeks, carrots, and garlic and saute till lightly browned. (You may need to add a little extra oil) Return the shanks to the pan, along with the water, salt, thyme, pepper, bay leaves, and beef broth.
Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until meat begins to fall from the bone.
When meat is cooked through, remove from pan and cut into bite-sized pieces. Replace meat into the pan. Add barley, and simmer for 30-40 minutes (or till the barley is tender).
Remove bay leaves, serve, and enjoy!

Verdict: Keeper
Directions: