Beef Pot Roast with Tomato Sauce
This process will make at least two different meals (or two courses for a sumptuous dinner!) The long, slow cooking really lets the roast shine, and the rich sauce can be used to make a pasta sauce at the end. You'll need a heavy-bottomed braising pot like a Dutch oven. It should be wide enough to hold the roast with space between the meat and sides of the pan, and should be at least six inches deep.
Cover the bottom of your braising pot with olive oil, and set the pot over medium heat. Begin browning the meat: turn the meat from time to time-- cooking both sides multiple times. What you're going for is as much color on the bottom of the pan as you can get without burning the roast. When the meat is well browned on both sides, remove it from the pan and set aside.
Add the pancetta, prosciutto (or ham pieces) and vegetables to the juices and oil in the pan. Raise the heat slightly, and stir often. After about ten minutes, add the garlic. Raise the heat to high and continue stirring.
When you begin to smell the garlic add one cup of stock. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release all of the caramelized residue. Boil until the liquid is nearly all evaporated, and then add another cup of stock and repeat the process. Repeat this process two more times, using a total of 4 cups of stock.
Add the tomato paste and dissolve it in the stock, and then add the tomatoes and return the pot roast to the pan.
Add the remaining four cups of stock and lower the heat to medium-low. The liquid should bubble slightly. Simmer the roast for about four hours uncovered. When you can begin to pull apart the meat it is done. You could stop at this point and let it cool. Cover and refrigerate for two or three days if you choose.
Ingredients
Directions
Cover the bottom of your braising pot with olive oil, and set the pot over medium heat. Begin browning the meat: turn the meat from time to time-- cooking both sides multiple times. What you're going for is as much color on the bottom of the pan as you can get without burning the roast. When the meat is well browned on both sides, remove it from the pan and set aside.
Add the pancetta, prosciutto (or ham pieces) and vegetables to the juices and oil in the pan. Raise the heat slightly, and stir often. After about ten minutes, add the garlic. Raise the heat to high and continue stirring.
When you begin to smell the garlic add one cup of stock. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release all of the caramelized residue. Boil until the liquid is nearly all evaporated, and then add another cup of stock and repeat the process. Repeat this process two more times, using a total of 4 cups of stock.
Add the tomato paste and dissolve it in the stock, and then add the tomatoes and return the pot roast to the pan.
Add the remaining four cups of stock and lower the heat to medium-low. The liquid should bubble slightly. Simmer the roast for about four hours uncovered. When you can begin to pull apart the meat it is done. You could stop at this point and let it cool. Cover and refrigerate for two or three days if you choose.