Old Fashioned Pot Roast

Pot roast, there's nothing better on a cold wintry day then to set down to a dinner of pot roast, vegetables and gravy just lake mom used to make. Here is Louisa's version of Old Fashioned Pot roast that she has been making for years.

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 lb Buffalo chuck roast or Beef
3 Tbsp Flour, divided
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cups Hot water
2 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 medium Onion or shallot
2 Ribs celery
4  Carrots
4  medium potatoes
1/2 tspn Pepper
1 Tbsp dry parsley flakes
1 tspn Mrs. Dash "Table Blend"

PREPARATION:

Wash the roast and remove any excessive fat and connective tissue. Sprinkle the roast with 1 Tbsp. flour; or place the flour in a paper bag add the meat and shake it around a bit to cover with the flour. Peel and quarter the onion. Wash the celery and cut into 3" pieces. Wash the carrots and cut into 3" pieces. Wash and peel the potatoes, cut them in half.

COOKING:

In a Dutch oven, add the butter and olive oil then the meat, brown the roast on all sides. When it's brown, add the water, bouillon, onion, celery, parsley, Mrs. Dash and pepper to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 hour. Add carrots and potatoes; cover and simmer 45-60 minutes longer or until meat is tender. Pour off most of the cooking juices into a 2 to 3 qt pot. Then add 1/2 cup of water to the Dutch oven and lower the heat just to keep it warm.

Set the pot on a burner and bring the heat to medium low. While it is warming, mix the remainder of the flour with water to form a medium thick paste. Add the paste a little at a time thickening the gravy, cook and stir until bubbly and thickened; add additional flour paste as necessary to get the desired consistency. Remove the meat and slice across the grain and arrange on a serving platter along with the potatoes and carrots, pour some of the gravy over the meat and garnish with parsley sprigs. Pour the remaining gravy in gravy boat and serve on the side.

Buffalo Brisket for St. PATRICK'S DAY

St. PATRICK'S DAY has always been an important day for me as my father was Irish through and through. Well since we stopped eating beef, that left out corned beef also. That just wasn't acceptable, so here's my solution.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Lb. Buffalo Brisket

1-3/4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

1 shallot

1 clove of garlic

1 rib of celery

1 tsp dried basil

black pepper to taste

3/4 cup red wine

1 Tbsp extra virgin Olive oil

PREPARATION:

Wash the brisket, pat dry and set aside. Peel the garlic and shallot, leaving them whole. Wash the celery rib, trimming and cut into 3rds.

COOKING:

Set a Dutch oven over medium heat, when warm to the touch, add the olive oil. Sear the brisket on all sides; then sauté the shallot, garlic and celery. Add the red wine and chicken broth, Basil and pepper. Braise the brisket simmering for 3 hours adding more broth if necessary.

            Serve with prepared horseradish and garnish with parsley sprigs

For St. PATRICK'S DAY

Additional INGREDIENTS:

1 small head of cabbage

3 carrots

6 small potatoes

1 cup reduced sodium chicken stock

4 oz. salt pork

PREPARATION:

Peel the outer leaves, wash and cut the cabbage in 4ths. Peel and wash the potatoes and carrots. Leave the potatoes whole, but cut the carrots in thirds. Score the rind of the pork.

COOKING:

Set a pot over medium heat, add 1 cup of chicken stock, the salt pork and ½ cup of the stock from the brisket. Bring to a gentle boil and add the vegetables. Add more broth or water to cover the vegetables. Simmer covered, until the potatoes and carrots are fork tender, about 20-30 min.

Bison Pot Roast (Buffalo)

This is a twist on an old recipe of my wife’s. As we don’t eat beef any longer, Buffalo (Bison) is even better than the beef ever was, so it was a natural choice. Try it; I’m sure you will agree.

INGREDIENTS:

One 1-1/2 to 2 lb Bison boneless chuck roast
2 cups water

2 medium shallots
4 carrots

4 medium potatoes

3 Tbsp fresh parsley

2 Tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp flour
2 chicken bullion cubes
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1Tbsp corn starch dissolved in 1 Tbsp of water.

Parsley sprigs for garnish

PREPARATION:

Wash the bison roast, removing fat and sinew or any membrane. Wash and peel the potatoes and carrots. Cut them in half. Peel and thinly slice the shallots. Wash the parsley shaking off the water, cut from stalk and finely chop.

Dredge the roast in a dish containing the flour.

COOKING:

Set a Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat, add the oil.  Heat the oil hot, and then add the roast. Turn the roast several times browning it all over, about 10 minutes. Watch that it doesn’t burn or blacken. Once brown, Add the water, Bullion cubes, shallots parsley bringing it to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 2-1/2 hours checking that it isn’t sticking occasionally.

Add the potatoes and carrots continuing to simmer for another hour, stirring with a wooden spoon occasionally. Remove the roast and vegetables from the Dutch oven setting aside for now.

Thicken the sauce with the 1/1 Tbsp of corn starch. Slice the roast, arrange on a serving platter with the vegetables around. Drizzle some of the gravy over the meat.

Garnish with sprigs of parsley. Serve the remaining gravy in a boat along with the platter.