Do you ever buy things you don't need, just because they're on sale? This used to be a terrible habit of mine with clothes - I'd have a closet full of things that were such a good buy that I couldn't pass them up, but then none of them could actually be wrestled into a coordinated outfit. For better or for worse, having children has cured me of this, since I no longer have time to wander into stores just to see what's on sale. But I seem to have transferred the bad habit to my grocery shopping. Last week our grocery store had bone-in chuck roast on sale, and for some insane reason, I thought that seemed like a great thing to buy. Only $1.99/lb! So let's get a 5.5 lb one!
Dumb.
First of all, the damn thing was so big it wouldn't fit in my dutch oven. Instead, I had to use my roasting pan. And my attempt to brown it first was a disaster. I heated the roasting pan on the stove top and got the bottom half nice and brown...and then it was too heavy to pick up with tongs, so I couldn't flip it. Then trying to cook it in the oven and use tin foil as a lid...ugh. Let's just say it wasn't one of my better dinner results. When I pulled it out and took the tin foil off, my husband took one look at it and said, "It looks like roadkill." Thanks, dear. Unfortunately, he was right.
So, note to self. Just because it's on sale doesn't make it a good buy.
***
On the bright side, I finally got motivated to try baking bread at home. And it was, in word, Fabulous. You may have seen the recipes floating around from the New York Times several years ago about a bread-making technique that doesn't require any kneading. I've been wanting to try it forever, and just never got around to it. Thanks to a post on a Wall Street Journal website about how easy it really is, I finally got motivated and tried it this weekend. Here's the original New York Times article, which has an accompanying recipe. I used the recipe that was posted on the WSJ website, which follows with my notes (it's slightly different from the NYT recipe, but not much different). In baking, I think there are few recipes that are truly fool proof, because it requires so much precision. But based on my own oversights and omissions while making this bread, and the fantastic results we still got, this one truly is foolproof.
Juggle Bread (so-named by the WSJ author because making this bread fits so nicely into her daily juggle)
2.5 cups white bread flour
0.5 cup whole wheat flour
1 t. Kosher salt
1/4 t. instant yeast (Um, confession here. I don't know the difference between instant yeast and regular yeast. Which means when I read the recipe I didn't pick up the fact that it called for "instant" and I just jotted down "yeast" on my grocery list. I got regular yeast and didn't realize my mistake until I got home. Oops. But it still turned out fine.)
1 and 1/3 cup cold water (I actually used hot tap water, because I was worried that my regular yeast wouldn't activate with cold water.)
Mix dry ingredients with a fork.
Add water and stir vigorously until all flour is incorporated; alternatively, knead with hands for about 30 seconds.
Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and leave on the kitchen counter for 18 - 24 hours. (I did roughly 24 hours.)
Cut a square of parchment paper and lay it on the counter top. Cover the top of the dough with bread flour and, using one hand, pull the dough away from the sides of the bowl, gathering it into a smooth ball. Place the ball, seam-side-down, onto the parchment paper. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow to rise 1.5 to 2 hours, no more. (Oops again. Missed that "no more" part when I read the recipe and I think I let mine rise about 3 hours because I got distracted with other things.)
Meanwhile, heat a Dutch oven at 450 degrees for 1/2 hour. (My Le Creuset Dutch oven may seriously be the best thing I've ever gotten for my kitchen. I cook with it all the time. If you don't have one, put it on your Christmas list today. Or just go get one - as my grandmother would say, You Deserve.) (And by the way, oops AGAIN. I totally skipped this step. Seriously, I am not usually this flaky when cooking, but it was a really, really busy weekend. After rereading the NYT article, I realize that had I not skipped this step my bread would have had an even chewier crust, so I'll be sure to do it next time.)
Lift parchment paper by ends and place in hot Dutch oven. (At this point I brushed some olive oil on the top of my dough and give it a liberal sprinkling of kosher salt.)
Cover. Bake for 1/2 hour. Remove lid. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, until a golden crust is formed. Immediately remove bread from pan, discard parchment, and allow to cool on a rack.
Enjoy!
Despite my inability to follow such simple instructions, this bread was absolutely wonderful. Totally made up for the roadkill pot roast. Happy eating!
Showing posts with label Pot Roast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pot Roast. Show all posts
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Life's Great Questions
Sometimes, on a rainy weekend afternoon, I sit and ponder Life's Great Questions. For me, these include such important matters as:
Why won't my toddler nap?
Where did the Tar Heels' offense go?
Will I ever master the art of washing, drying, folding and putting away clothes all in the same day?
And most importantly:
What's for dinner?
Answers to the first three seem to elude me. But here's an excellent answer to the last: Ina Garten's pot roast. This is the perfect meal to make on a Sunday afternoon so that it can feed you Monday evening as well. Recipe follows, with my notes included.
Ingredients
1 (4 to 5-pound) prime boneless beef chuck roast, tied
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour
Good olive oil
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
2 cups chopped celery (4 stalks)
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 to 4 leeks) (Note: Leeks are so high maintenance with all that bothersome sand embedded in them. I substitute an extra onion)
5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 cups good red wine, such as Burgundy (Confession: I only use 1.5 cups of wine, because I want enough left to drink!)
2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes in puree
1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 chicken bouillon cube
3 branches fresh thyme
2 branches fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. Season the roast all over with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Dredge the whole roast in flour, including the ends. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the roast and sear for 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn and sear the other side and then turn and sear the ends. This should take 4 to 5 minutes for each side. Remove the roast to a large plate.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the Dutch oven. Add the carrots, onions, celery, leeks, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned. Add the wine and Cognac and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, bouillon cube, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Tie the thyme and rosemary together with kitchen string and add to the pot. Put the roast back into the pot, bring to a boil, and cover. Place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is fork tender or about 160 degrees F internally. Turn the heat down to 250 degrees F after about an hour to keep the sauce at a simmer.
Remove the roast to a cutting board. Remove the herb bundle and discard. Skim off as much fat as possible from the sauce. Transfer half the sauce and vegetables to a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until smooth. (This is where Ina and I part ways. I actually use my immersion blender to blend for just a minute. So much easier than putting part of the sauce in the blender!) Pour the puree back into the pot, place on the stovetop over low heat, and return the sauce to a simmer. Place 2 tablespoons flour and the butter in a small bowl and mash them together with a fork. Stir into the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring until thickened. Taste for seasonings.
On Sunday night, serve the roast sliced with sauce spooned over it, with a side of crusty bread and a salad. After dinner that night, take a few minutes to cut the remainder of the roast into bite sized pieces, save the remaining sauce in a separate container, and make a pot of brown rice. Throw it all in the fridge. Then on Monday, warm up the roast and sauce on the stove, heat up the rice in the microwave, and serve the roast and sauce over the rice. Dinner ready in less than 10 minutes!
Happy eating!
Why won't my toddler nap?
Where did the Tar Heels' offense go?
Will I ever master the art of washing, drying, folding and putting away clothes all in the same day?
And most importantly:
What's for dinner?
Answers to the first three seem to elude me. But here's an excellent answer to the last: Ina Garten's pot roast. This is the perfect meal to make on a Sunday afternoon so that it can feed you Monday evening as well. Recipe follows, with my notes included.
Ingredients
1 (4 to 5-pound) prime boneless beef chuck roast, tied
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour
Good olive oil
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
2 cups chopped celery (4 stalks)
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 to 4 leeks) (Note: Leeks are so high maintenance with all that bothersome sand embedded in them. I substitute an extra onion)
5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 cups good red wine, such as Burgundy (Confession: I only use 1.5 cups of wine, because I want enough left to drink!)
2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes in puree
1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 chicken bouillon cube
3 branches fresh thyme
2 branches fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. Season the roast all over with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Dredge the whole roast in flour, including the ends. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the roast and sear for 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn and sear the other side and then turn and sear the ends. This should take 4 to 5 minutes for each side. Remove the roast to a large plate.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the Dutch oven. Add the carrots, onions, celery, leeks, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned. Add the wine and Cognac and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, bouillon cube, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Tie the thyme and rosemary together with kitchen string and add to the pot. Put the roast back into the pot, bring to a boil, and cover. Place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is fork tender or about 160 degrees F internally. Turn the heat down to 250 degrees F after about an hour to keep the sauce at a simmer.
Remove the roast to a cutting board. Remove the herb bundle and discard. Skim off as much fat as possible from the sauce. Transfer half the sauce and vegetables to a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until smooth. (This is where Ina and I part ways. I actually use my immersion blender to blend for just a minute. So much easier than putting part of the sauce in the blender!) Pour the puree back into the pot, place on the stovetop over low heat, and return the sauce to a simmer. Place 2 tablespoons flour and the butter in a small bowl and mash them together with a fork. Stir into the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring until thickened. Taste for seasonings.
On Sunday night, serve the roast sliced with sauce spooned over it, with a side of crusty bread and a salad. After dinner that night, take a few minutes to cut the remainder of the roast into bite sized pieces, save the remaining sauce in a separate container, and make a pot of brown rice. Throw it all in the fridge. Then on Monday, warm up the roast and sauce on the stove, heat up the rice in the microwave, and serve the roast and sauce over the rice. Dinner ready in less than 10 minutes!
Happy eating!
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