Recipes

Chef John Umlauf’s Yankee Pot Roast

Serves four to six people

Ingredients:
3 lb. Boneless Chuck Roast
1 lb. Peeled and Cut Carrots
1 lb. Peeled and Cut Onions
1 lb. Washed and Cut Potatoes
1 cup tomato paste
½ cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Garlic
3 or 4 Bay Leaves
1 Pint Pure Water
Sea Salt and Pepper to Taste
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil or Beef Tallow

Directions: Preheat oven to 325. Place beef in dutch oven or covered non-aluminum roaster. Mix tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, garlic, pepper, bay leaves, and water and pour over meat. Cover and roast for two hours, then add potatoes, carrots, and onions to the roaster and roast until the vegetables are done and the meat is tender and flaky. Remove meat and vegetables to serving platter and keep warm. Skim excess fat from remaining sauce, stir and add sea salt and pepper to taste. Ad-just consistency of sauce by adding a small amount of water and/or thicken to a gravy with a mixture of unbleached white flour and water. Simmer and pour over meat and vegetables. For added flavor, begin recipe by searing meat at high heat in light olive oil or food grade beef tallow.

Julee Russo’s Autumn Vegetable Soup

Makes 10 servings and may be doubled.

As with all soups, you can take liberties with subtractions or additions if you keep the overall idea in mind.

Ingredients:
3-4 lbs. of Beef shanks cut about 1.5 inches thick
1 lb. of additional Beef Marrow Bones
2 cups coarsely chopped Onion
1 cup coarsely chopped Carrots
1 ½ cups coarsely chopped Celery
3 cloves of Garlic, minced
Bouquet Garni: sprigs of thyme, Italian Parsley and Bay Leaf tied together
1 Cup finely Shredded Leak
2 Cups peeled and diced fresh Tomato
1 ½ cups of Tomato Juice
1 cup shredded Cabbage
2 cups diced peeled Potato
1 lb. frozen Mixed Vegetables (16 oz.)
Salt and fresh ground Pepper

Directions:
(1) Preheat oven to 425.
(2) Wipe meat and bones with paper towels and place in roasting pan with onion, carrot, and celery. Roast 30 to 45 minutes stirring frequently until meat browns and vegetables begin to carmel-ize.
(3) Transfer all to large stockpot. Add 3 quarts of water, garlic, and bouquet garni .
(4) Add 1 cup water to roasting pan and heat on to of stove to boil scraping brown bits into the liquid. Add to stockpot.
(5) Heat soup to boil over medium high heat skimming foam, then simmer over lower heat for 4 hours.
(6) Increase heat to medium and add leeks, toma- tos, tomato juice, cabbage, and potatoes. Cook 50 minutes.
(7) Add frozen vegetables and cook 20 more minutes.
(8) Remove bones, shred meat, skim fat, and salt and pep-per to taste.

Each serving provides 165 calories, 17 grams of protein, 16 grams of carbohydrates, and 4 grams of fat. Bon appétit!

SLOW COOKED SUPPERS: TARA BENCH’S SHORT RIBS WITH CHEESY POLENTA

The following recipe is a great way to capture the flavor of a less expensive beef cut for a single dish meal.

Ingredients:
4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups frozen pearl onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 lbs. bone-in beef short ribs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
¾ cup low-sodium beef broth
¼ cup red wine
¼ cup coarsely shopped fresh flat leaf parsley, plus additional for garnish
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 cup quick-cooking polenta
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

Combine carrot, onions and garlic in a 6-quart slow cooker.
Rinse ribs and pat dry; season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large, wide pot over mod-erately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add ribs, in batches, and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 15 minutes. Trans-fer as cooked into slow cooker.
Stir together tomatoes, broth,wine,parsely,cornstarch and tomato paste in a bowl; pour over ribs. Add bay leaf. Cover and cook, 9 to 11 hours on low or 4 ½ to 5 ½ hours on high. Skim off any fat from top.
Combine 3 ¾ cups water, the polenta and salt in a large saucepan over moderately high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thick-ened, about 5 minutes.
Serve ribs over polenta and garnish with parsley if desired.

TARA BENCH’S SLOW COOKED BRISKET WITH FRUIT AND RED WINE SAUCE

Barbara made the following recipe for 15 members of our extended family who gathered on Christmas Eve. We had a 14 pound brisket which we divided into two separate recipes. Both were good, but this one was enjoyed enthusiastically by the whole four generation clan. You can adjust the quantities to match the size of the brisket.

INGREDIENTS: •
2 ½ lbs of beef brisket
½ cup dried pitted plums (prunes)
½ cup dried apricot halves
½ cup dried tart red cherries
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp. dry thyme) plus sprigs for garnish
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS:

Rinse brisket and pat dry. Place in a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker.
Top with plums, apricots, cherries, and garlic
Stir together broth, wine, thyme, cinnamon, salt and pepper in a small bowl
Whisk in flour until smooth
Pour mixture over fruit and meat in cooker
Cover and cook 9 to 10 hours on low heat
Slice brisket thinly against the grain.
Plate with fruit and sauce and garnish with thyme sprigs

MARK BITTMAN’S CRANBERRY POT ROAST

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter or extra virgin olive oil
½ cup sugar or splenda
2 to 3 lb. piece of chuck roast or brisket salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup sherry vinegar of good wine vinegar
12 ounces of fresh or frozen cranberries
1 orange Cayenne

Instructions:

Put the butter or oil in a casserole or skillet and turn heat to medium high.
Put the sugar on a plate and dredge the meat in it until all surfaces are coated. Reserve remaining sugar.
When the butter or oil foam subsides, brown the meat on all sides (about 15 minutes), and season with salt & pepper as it browns
When the meat is nicely browned, add the vinegar and cook for one minute, stirring. Then add the cranberries and remaining sugar and stir.
Strip the zest from the orange in broad strips and add to skillet. Juice the orange and add the juice along with a pinch of cayenne.
Turn the heat to low and cover. Cook for two hours or longer until meat is tender, turning the meat and stirring the sauce about every 30 minutes.
Turn off heat and let rest for a few minutes, then carve and serve with the sauce.

RICH IN UMAMI KAMERON KURTZ’S BRAISED SHORT RIBS WITH ROOT VEGGIES

Ingredients:
2 racks of short ribs
1 cup of Burgundy or other red wine
1 cup of water
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp parsley
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2" tsp black pepper
½ tsp coriander seed
½ cup cubed celery root
½ cup leeks
½ cup rutabaga
½ cup parsnips

Directions:

Pare and cube root veggies
Brown ribs in oil on high heat, then turn off heat.
Add thyme to pan and deglaze with red wine and water until reduced by half.
Combine remaining seasonings and rub on ribs.
Layer racks of short ribs with veggies in crock pot.
Pour on sauce and cook on low for 8 to 12 hours.