Robie says I have now reached a new level with a simple roast I cooked up. You know, those chuck roasts where you throw in some onions, carrots and potatoes, add some salt and pepper, and in two hours, you've got a good ol' pot roast. Tastes great, has for years.
But, as with a mousetrap, there's gotta be a better way to make it, some way to add some yum to it.
Here's what I did. This time. Gotta get it down and in a file because I'm likely to forget how before next time.
I got a roast on sale. Looked pretty good. Just a plain, everyday chuck roast...though this one was, perhaps, just a wee bit thicker than a lot of those they put on sale. Had the gratutious amount of fat. Gotta have that, it adds flavor.
First, I did something I always do with turkeys before deep frying them. I injected this hunk of cow beef with a marinade. This was my first variation on my old recipe. It was a Creole and Butter marinade, but anything you like will work, too. The roast, of course, has little holes in it, but with a little gentle maneuvering, I was able to inject the marinade into several areas. Yep, some ran out, but that's ok, too.
Next, I cut several small slits with a sharp knife...about a half dozen, in all...half way through the slab of beef. I sliced two cloves of peeled garlic into wedges, and crammed the slits fill. What can go wrong, right? It gets better.
Time to rub the roast. A bit of a gentle, soothing massage? Well, not exactly. I used some of our
Double-R rub. It's our own blend of 11 herbs and spices. But, since you don't have any, you can used any rub you like. Old Bay, if you can't come up with anything else. Then, I put a bit of Worchestershire sauce on one side. Not much. And, I spread it somewhat evenly over the meat.
Add salt and pepper to both sides of the roast. Then, dust it with an all purpose flour. Not too much, you're not looking to coat with a paste; and it shouldn't be as heavy as you would a chicken for Sunday lunch.
Add some light olive oil to a large frying pan. I like stainless steel for this. Got one of those big ones for Christmas a couple years back. When the oil is sizzling hot, stick the beef in, holding it with your hands (yep, they're gonna get grimy, but they'll come clean with some water), and rotate it so that all sides are thoroughly seared.
Then, lay the meat down in the pan. Break out the sturdy tongs, or get a big fork (not one of those pansy things that can't pick up more than one little carrot at a time). After about a minute, or so, flip the roast over, and sear the other side. This will keep all those scrumptious, flavorful juices INSIDE the beef where they belong.
Remove the roast from the pan, and place it on a cutting board. Nope, it's not done. You've just got to get the pan ready for cooking.
Add a dash (maybe several dashes) of wine to the pan. I had some white that Robie had bought for her clam sauce, so that's what I used. Got some merlot, or another red? Sure, why not. I want to discourage you from using that stuff you can buy on the cooking aisle. Not good. And, if you have some leftover Ripple or Mad Dog 2020 from your school days, don't even think of using that.
The liquid will start to boil, and you should use a spoon to stir up up, deglazing the pan. Awakening all that flavor left over from the searing process.
I then added a beef "cube". You know, one of those flavored beef things. Along with a half cup of water. Or, if you prefer, use a can of beef stock.
Now's the time, before the water/stock liquid starts to boil, to add a wee bit of flour. Stir vigorously until the concoction starts to boil and the flour is part of the mix. It becomes a little thicker, and that's what I like.
Return the guest of honor to the now bubbling liquid; reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and get ready to prep the rest of the mess.
I used a large anaheim pepper çause I had several in the fridge. Any peppers you like will work just fine. Slice it, remove the seeds, and cut it into 1/4 x 3/8 inch pieces. Be sure to use an accurate ruler, maybe even calipers when you slice it (please don't tell me you're actually thinking of following that step). Dump the pepper into a holding bowl.
Peel a large onion or three. Maybe four, if you have a big roast. I sliced the onions into quarter inch slices. Add to the holding bowl. If you're feeding my son-in-law, Marty, disguise the onions. Tell him they're a new variety of potato. He doesn't like onions. No kind. No way. Sighhhh.
If you like taters, wash a few. Whatever kind you like. I washed four medium red ones, aka "new potatoes", in soap and water. Nice and clean. Dont forget to rinse thoroughly. Duh. As with the onions, I sliced them into quarter inch pieces. You didn't peel them, did you? If you did, throw them out and start over. Leave the peeling on. It's good for you.
Wash, then slice up several stalks of celery. I cut mine into pieces about 11/16 to 3/4 inch long. Those calipers are getting a workout today. Add to the holding bowl.
Now, peel some carrots. If you're cooking for my niece, Diane, don't add the carrots unless you can disguise them. Not sure why, but she doesn't like them. I cut the peeled carrots into pieces about an inch or so long. No need for the ruler. Just take a guess. If the carrots are thick on one end, you might wanna slice down the middle. Add them to the holding bowl.
Back to the pan...it should be cooking nicely. Remove the lid, and flip the roast over. If the bottom looks like it's cooking a little too fast, reduce the heat. It should, by this time, have a nice "done"look to it. Re-cover.
Look at the holding bowl to make sure it's doing its job. Give it a thumbs-up.
After an hour or so, of simmering, stick a fork into the meat. Is it getting tender? Should be. Twist the fork and see just how tender it is. Smell the escaping steam and say, "ähhhhhh".
Re-cover.
Now comes the tricky stuff.
35-38 minutes before it's time to eat, add the potatoes to the pan.
Re-cover.
30 minutes before chow time, add the celery, pepper and onions.
Re-cover.
20 minutes out, add the carrots.
Salt and pepper the veggies.
Re-cover.
Continue simmering, but you can increase the heat a little to get a head of steam working.
At the prescribed time, check the carrots. They should be TENDER but NOT mushy. If the fork cannot penetrate with relative ease, re-cover and continue cooking for a bit.
In my case, I like the carrots to have a little consistency. They should not be baby-food-mushy soft, but should be able to be stabbed, and remain on the fork.
If you want to add something else to this roast dinner, you might try some wild rice. Cook per the instructions prior to dinner. Or, some butterbeans, string beans...whatever you like...would be simply delicious.
And, if you like this recipe, please send the blog attachment to all your friends and relatives. I am keeping a count on which of my blogs people visit the most.
And, remember, in cooking...First, You Take an Onion.
Who said that. Well, I did. But, my late uncle, a boat captain, said it first when we asked him how he cooked so-and-so.
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