Recipes → Florentine Pot Roast with Red Wine, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

Florentine Pot Roast with Red Wine, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

Description:

Recipe Reprinted from "Tom Valenti's Soups, Stews, and One-Pot Meals" Copyright 2003 by Tom Valenti and Andrew Friedman Reprinted with Permission of Scribner Publishers, Inc. This recipe is based on the Italian stracotto, which means "slow cooked." It's a favorite wintertime preparation in Florence and the small Tuscan hill towns that surround it. This version uses an all-star lineup of the region's ingredients, including red wine, dried porcini, and canned tomatoes and is excellent with its compatriot accompaniment, polenta. This Recipe was taken from: "Tom Valenti's Soups, Stews, & One-Pot Meals :" Tom Valenti is Manhattan's grandmaster of comfort food, a much-touted chef who has made this beloved cooking his hallmark. And on any given night, you'll find him at his wildly successful Upper West Side restaurant Ouest, ... Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 eye of the round roast, 2-1/2 pounds, excess fat trimmed, tied with kitchen string at 1-inch intervals 3 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into slivers, plus 2 cloves smashed and peeled Coarse salt Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 pound slab bacon, cut into 1/2-inch strips 2 medium Spanish onions, peeled and quartered 2 stalks celery, cut into 1/4-inch pieces 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds 1/4 cup tomato paste Pinch of sugar 2 cups red wine, plus more if needed 1 cup water or store-bought low-sodium beef broth 1 cup dried porcini mushrooms One 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, drained and squeezed by hand to remove excess liquid 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Using a sharp, thin-bladed knife, make small, 1/2-inch deep slits all over the beef. Slide a garlic sliver into each slit using the tip of the knife. Season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not yet smoking, add the beef and brown it well, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set it aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pot. Return it to the stove over medium-high heat. Add the bacon, onions, celery, and carrot and cook, stirring until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and the sugar, stirring to coat the other ingredients. Add the wine and water, raise the heat to high, and boil until the liquid has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, tomatoes, and oregano and season lightly with salt and pepper, keeping in mind that the bacon is salty. Return the beef to the pot. It should be half to three-quarters covered by the liquid. If it is not, add some more wine, water, or broth. Leave the casserole over high heat until the liquid returns to a boil. Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Braise for 2-1/2 to 3 hours, turning the beef over and giving the liquid a stir every 30 minutes. Make sure the liquid is simmering gently; if it is bubbling aggressively, reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees F. When done, the meat will be firm to the touch and pink at the center. If not serving immediately, cool, cover, and refrigerate for a few days. Reheat before proceeding. Transfer the beef to a cutting board and slice it against the grain into 6 pieces. Serve with sauce spooned over each serving and pass extra sauce on the side in a sauceboat.

Recipe Related Products:

• Tom Valenti's Soups, Stews, & One-Pot Meals