What's For Dinner
September 26 2007
Not So Quick Meal : Stracotto and Roasted Root Vegetables
Comfort food at it's best! Stracotto is an Italian version of pot roast. Turnips and sweet potatoes are in season right now - so look for them at the farmer's market.
For the Stracotto:
1 ounce of dried mushrooms (porcini are best but shitake will work too)
4 pound chuck roast
salt
pepper
olive oil
2 onions sliced into half-moons
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup beef broth
1 cup dry red wine
1 spring of fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley
Soak the mushrooms in hot water for about 30 minutes to plump them up. Drain them and keep the water for your cooking liquid. Salt and pepper the beef. Heat about 2 tablespoons of Olive oil in a large Dutch oven - or a roasting pan that can go in the oven. Brown the meat on all sides. It should take you about 15 minutes. Take the meat out of the pan and set aside. Add the onions to the pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Make sure you get all the meat bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Pour in the mushroom liquid, the wine and the beef stock. Add the beef back to the pan and then add the mushrooms. Add the rosemary sprig then cover and place in a 350 degree oven for about 3 hours. When finished, remove the meat and slice across the grain. Add the parsley to the sauce and serve with the meat. You can puree the sauce in a blender if you like before you add the parsley.
For the Root Vegetables:
6 turnips, trimmed and cleaned
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of paprika
3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, chopped
Cut the turnips into quarters. Cut the sweet potatoes into pieces about the same size as the turnips. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet or roasting pan. Add the turnips and the sweet potatoes to the pan and stir so that the oil and butter coat them evenly. Add some salt and pepper to taste then add the paprika. Stir again. Add the vinegar and place in a 350 degree oven (with your Stracotto) and bake until soft and golden brown. About 20-30 minutes.