We may not be able to control what is happening outside, but we can find comfort in cooking a cozy meal for our families.
Right now everyone is hunkering down in their homes with the express desire to slow the spread of the Covid-19 Virus. We are encouraged to take practical actions, while still maintaining a sense of calm. Without panicking, we can find many things to accomplish as we stay home for the forseeable future.
Dealing with The Realities of Staying Inside
Purging and cleaning closets, chests of drawers, the pantry, office, garage, storage locker is definitely a great place to start. Not only is it cathartic and necessary, we may find ourselves feeling ‘lighter’ and breathing better after it is all done. Getting to those books or paperwork that we’ve been meaning to conquer is another good thing. Board games, even just getting out the colouring books or a deck of cards will help the time pass. And thankfully we can stream just about anything we want these days.
Making Life Less Stressful in the Kitchen
What can I do to help you, even if I’ve never met you? Well, I can help out in the kitchen. I’ve to put together a blog post of easy, budget-friendly and accessible recipes to help you use what you may have in the pantry. Even grocery shopping may be affected, not so much because of availability of produce etc, but because many may hesitate to be out in public. But if we can plan carefully, we can pick up what we need, to manage for a couple of weeks. No sense planning beyond that.
Pot Roast is Pure Comfort Food
Over this past weekend, I made a pot roast. Jim is a total meat and potato kind of guy, and he loves this meal. So I decided that this was the perfect weekend to make a cozy pot roast. The easiest of recipes, with ingredients you surely already have at home or access to.
This is a simple sear and braise. The flavours come from some red wine, tomato paste, beef stock, and herbs. And I add my veggies at a later stage, just so that they don’t overcook and melt around the meat.
I love a classic combo of carrots, potatoes and celery for this dish. You can add as much of one or another as you like. Using mini potatoes means that there’s no peeling, just slicing in half. Cutting the carrots into larger chunks means that they won’t start falling apart if in the pot for too long. And celery goes so wonderfully with beef.
As for the cut of meat, a good chuck or shoulder cut of beef is your best friend here. Well marbled, and tied off. If it wasn’t tied by your butcher, then use two or three rounds of kitchen twine to pull the meat tight together so that it will cook evenly. The pockets of fat in a chuck or shoulder roast will make this a succulent roast, especially after all the hours of cooking. After a good sear (really go for some great browning) for flavour, the meat is removed from the pot. Onions and garlic get added in to soften just a touch, and then the meat is returned to nestle on top, and the liquids are added. Get a rolling simmer happening, and then drop the temperature under the pot to as low as you can to maintain a gentle simmer.
Don’t Add the Vegetables Right Away
After the first two hours, add the veggies. Adding them too early means that you’ll run the risk of overcooking them. Let the meat continue to cook. When a knife slides right in, and the meat pulls away from itself with ease, then you know the meat is done. The veggies should be done by this time as well. If however, you find that the meat is not quite ready, but the veggies are, just remove them to a baking dish and place them in a warming oven to wait on the meat.
Once the meat is done, let it sit for a few minutes, while you cook down the juices (depending on how much is left behind in the pot) to create a fantastic gravy. When ready to serve, use a knife and fork to pull the meat apart gently into manageable pieces. It is so much easier to do this than to try and cut the meat into slices. When it is already in bite sized pieces, everyone can just take what they want, and barely need to use their knives! Adding a side of mustard or horse radish is always a great condiment for beef. And if your kids would rather have green beans or broccoli, go for it, just steam some on the side, towards the end of the cooking time.
We’ll have a few more opportunities to make a good pot roast, before the weather turns warm. Having the pot slowly simmering away on the stove top means that the kitchen will smell amazing. But it is definitely not a recipe that you need to babysit. Instead, get over to the living room and play a game with the kids, or take a walk outside. When you return, your nostrils and tastebuds will thank you.
Stay healthy, safe and sane.
Love Jen
Classic Pot Roast with Veggies
A classic cozy pot roast, with veggies and gravy is a joy to serve. This dish cooks slowly on the stove top, making it easy for occasional checking. Creamy potatoes, carrots and celery, and mustard or horseradish make this a meal fit for Sunday Family dinner.
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb well-marbled beef shoulder or boneless chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt and ground pepper
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 large yellow onions thickly sliced, lengthwise (tip to tail)
- 4 cloves garlic peeled, sliced thinly
- 1 tsp peppercorns cracked and crushed in a mortar and pestle or with the bottom of a thick glass on the cutting board or bowl
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1/2 cup beef stock can use Better than Bouillon paste in water
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 medium carrots peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces (if very thick then they can be slice in half lengthwise as well)
- 4-5 mini potatoes per person scrubbed and halved
- 3 celery ribs sliced into 2 inch pieces
Instructions
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Using a thick-bottomed pot with a lid such as a Dutch oven that is just large enough to hold roast and vegetables, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat.
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Ensure that the roast is tied off. Depending on how thick it is, you may need two or three rounds of string to tighten the roast so that it will roast evenly. Use paper towels to pat the roast dry on all sides. Combine the salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning in a small bowl. Add it to the meat and rub in in well over all the sides.
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Sear the roast on each side, this should take a few minutes on each side. Adjust the heat accordingly. When all sides are well browned, remove the meat to a plate.
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Add the onions to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
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Add the cracked peppercorns and tomato sauce. Stir to coat well and deglaze any bits that may be stuck to the bottom of the pot.
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Return the roast to the pot. Add red wine and stock. Add the bay leaf and cover.
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As soon as the liquids have come to a rolling simmer (just below boiling) drop the heat to the lowest temperature possible to maintain a gentle simmer. After about 15 minutes, check to see that the simmer is there.
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Cook several hours until fork tender, this may take from for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours, or longer, depending on the size of your roast. Check once or twice to make sure that the liquids haven't cooked down too much. If so, add a bit more stock.
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After the first 2 1/2 hours, add the vegetables all around the meat. Cover and continue cooking. After an hour, check on the status of the vegetables and the meat. If the meat still needs a little longer in the pot, remove the vegetables to a baking dish. This can be covered and placed in the oven to keep warm on a low temperature.
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Once the meat is fork tender, remove to sit on a cutting board. Take the remaining juices in the pot. If you like the consistency, then pour the juices into a gravy boat. If you don't think you have enough, add more stock to the juices and onions. If there is too much liquid for your liking, or it is too thin, feel free to cook it down while the roast is resting.
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Cut the roast into large bite sized pieces. If it is tender enough, you'll barely require a knife!
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Serve with the veggies, and a side of mustard or horseradish for the meat.
Recipe Notes
I say that this feeds four. But the larger cut of roast will easily feed six.
Save some of the sauce for storing the leftovers in. It will re-heat amazingly in the oven at 300F
I’ve never made a pot roast before and decided after making osso Bucco this would be an interesting comparison. Never knew life could be so simple. The recipe was absolutely amazing and taste sensational. Leftovers were also incredible a day or so later! Big thumbs up for this recipe!
Hey Sissy, so happy you like this one! One of my hubby’s personal faves as well. Definitely, leftovers can be pretty epic. Love Jen
Mabey I am blind,but nowhere did I see the temperature that your suppose to cook this roast on.
Hi Charmaine, the temperature is stated all throughout in the instructions. Since it braised on the stove top, you won’t see numbers, but rather what your burners would work well to correspond to medium high, low, etc. Hope this helps. Love Jen