The photos show more than indicated in the recipe because I made this for guests and doubled the ingredients. You may want to do that so you have lots of leftover pot roast.

Pot Roast Italian Style

Ingredients

4-pound rump or chuck beef roast
1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large carrot, diced (about 1 cup)
1 large celery stalk, diced (about 1 cup)
1 medium red onion, diced (1 to 1 1/2 cups)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced plus extra for the roast
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
1 ½ cups low sodium beef broth
1 1/2 cups medium-bodied Italian red wine
One 28-ounce can Italian whole cherry tomatoes (Cento brand)

Preparing the meat


With a sharp paring knife, cut 4 slits in the roast and stuff slits with garlic slices. Pat dry with paper towels. Season generously with the salt and pepper. Tie the meat with kitchen string in several places to keep it from falling apart.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, shimmering but not smoking, add the meat and cook, turning it a few times, until it is brown on all sides, 10-12 minutes. Transfer the meat to a platter.


Reduce the heat to medium. Add the carrot, celery, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic, parsley, and sage, and stir until the herbs are lightly colored about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the wine and stir quickly, lifting up the richly browned caramelized vegetables that stick to the bottom of the pan. When the wine is almost all evaporated and thickly coats the vegetables, return the meat to the pan and turn it over a few times to coat it with the savory base.

Preheat the oven 350°F.
Raise the heat to high, adding the remaining wine, beef broth. the bay leaf, and the tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and place in the preheated oven.

Roast for one hour and reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.
Turning and baste the meat every hour until the meat is very tender and flakes away when pierced with a fork, 3-4 hours. Remove the meat from the pot and place it on a cutting board, covered loosely with aluminum foil. If the sauce is too thin, bring it to a hard boil and reduce it until it has a medium-thick consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Remove the strings and cut the meat into thick slices (it will probably fall apart), and place on a warm serving dish. Spoon the sauce over the meat and serve hot.


Posted by in Beef, carrots, celery, Healthy Italian Cooking, onion, Pot Roast, tomatoes, Wine Tags: