Slow Cooker Classic Pot Roast with Garlic Thyme Gravy

Yum

It's a new year and everyone is looking toward eating healthy.  Did you make that resolution again?  It's one I strive toward each year (sometimes I'm better than others, but it's a work in progress!)  So whether your hitting the gym or taking some long walks, let your slow cooker do the cooking and help you get dinner on the table quickly.  

Today we're making a simple, delicious and healthy recipe (low calorie/low carb) which can be prepped before you leave in the morning.  After work, or a day of running errands or attending the kids sports activities, dinner’s ready with just a few finishing touches

I have to say that Pot Roast is a good 'ole All-American dish.  There is always something comforting about meat and potatoes and a roast braised in a wonderful sauce takes it over the top!

Nothing compares to my Mom's Famous Pot Roast which braises in the oven, slow and low, for hours.  It's the best, but this Slow Cooker Classic Pot Roast with Garlic Thyme Gravy is a great variation on a classic.

I found this wonderful recipe in my Cuisine at Home, Slow Cooker Menus magazine and knew right away it would be a winner.  The best thing about it...made in a slow cooker. Um hello?  Easy...!  The best part about the dish is the gravy that it makes.    The flavors of garlic, thyme, wine, and beef broth lend a whole other dimension to this post roast, elevating this to a company worthy meal!  I would say this is an Italian take on a pot roast.

SLOW COOKER CLASSIC POT ROAST WITH GARLIC THYME GRAVY

You need a good sized 4-6 qt slow cooker for this recipe.  I've mentioned many times that my favorite slow cooker is the Breville Risotto Plus which I used today.  It's such a convenience with all the different functions it has.  This recipe calls for browning the meat in a skillet, place it in the slow cooker, and then deglaze the skillet and add the gravy ingredients before adding to the slow cooker.  Since my slow cooker has a sauté feature I used that instead of a separate skillet, allowing me to do all these steps in my slow cooker.  Easy to do, and less clean up! Follow my lead if you have a multi-cooker and if you don't (get one!) follow the directions below in the recipe.

Kitchen Tip: #1 (by Cuisine at Home)  Boneless beef chuck roast is ideal for this recipe; the tough meat becomes tender and succulent when cooked with moisture for a long time. Trim away as much fat as possible to keep the sauce from becoming greasy.  #2 This dish has a distinct wine flavor.  If you don't enjoy that flavor or are serving kids, you can omit it and substitute with additional beef broth.  #3 To prep ahead, cut the vegetables the night before and place them in a bag in the frig.

Out of the slow cooker comes a succulent piece of roast that just falls apart with a fork.  Tender onions, celery and carrots that have soaked in the delicious gravy are perfect on the side.  We served this with a side of mashed potatoes and used the gravy over both the meat and the potatoes.  I loved this dish but think that a red wine might give it a more full bodied flavor.  I'll try that variation next.  You choose which ever you like best and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!






Slow Cooker Classic Pot Roast with Garlic Thyme Gravy

adapted from Cuisine at Home Slow Cooker Menus
serves 6

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 4–5 hours (high heat) 8–9 hours (low heat)

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 3–4 lb. boneless beef chuck  roast, trimmed, seasoned with salt and pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
11/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2  cups sliced onions
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces (I used baby carrots)
3 large celery ribs, cut into  2- to 3-inch pieces
6 cloves garlic, chopped
3–4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown roast on all sides, 10 minutes total. Transfer roast to a 4- to 6-qt. slow cooker. Stir flour into pan; cook 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute more.

Deglaze sauté pan with wine, cooking until liquid evaporates. Stir in broth and Worcestershire; bring mixture to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits.

Transfer broth mixture to the slow cooker; add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves. Cover and cook until meat is fork-tender, on high-heat setting for 4–5 hours or on low-heat setting for 8–9 hours. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves before serving.

Nutrition:  Per serving: 427 cal; 15g total fat (4g sat); 100mg chol; 251mg sodium; 15g carb; 2g fiber; 53g protein

Braciole - Tour of Roman Food

Ready to continue on our tour of Roman food?

Me too!

The other day I took an excellent class at Williams-Sonoma where we are touring Italy.  First stop was Rome.  We had a feast, I tell you.  I felt like an Italian mama cooking in a rustic kitchen for an large family gathering.  It was wonderful!  The class was hands-on so we really made our own meals.  This is such a great way to learn as you go.  So make sure to check out the schedule of classes for your local Willimas-Sonoma to see if they offer these wonderful classes.


Several days ago I brought you an excellent pasta, Bucatini all' Amatriciana.  Wow! that is some tasty pasta.  Today we are exploring another secondi, or main dish which is Braciole.  Pronounced (bra zhul).  Braciole are rolled slices of beef or veal that are filled with a savory stuffing and slowly simmered in a tasty tomato sauce.  Usually using a less than tender cut of meat that turns out fork tender when it's done.   

We used skirt steak as our meat, however flank, or top round would be a good choice as well.  I will tell you this dish is a little more involved with the preparation of the meat.  You add the stuffing and roll it all up, followed by tieing the meat to hold the stuffing in.  Once that is done you are almost there.  A little browning and sauteing and then adding the ingredients for the sauce and the rest is done with little attention from you.  The meat will braise in this wonderful sauce and become succulent and tender! Oh my, I'm getting hungry thinking about it. 

We ate this with a side of our Bucatini all' Amatriciana.  The meal was perfect, the beef was tender and full of flavor.  The filling...heaven.  You have to try this.  It's well worth the effort.

Braciole

serves 4

1 lb. skirt steak, top round, or flank steak, cut across the width into 4 slices

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 

4 slices prosciutto 

4-8 slices of provolone cheese 

2 Tbs. pine nuts 

2 Tbs. raisins 

1 garlic clove, minced 

1/4 cup olive oil 

1 yellow onion, chopped 

1 cup dry red wine such as Barolo 

1 cup beef broth 

4 large fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, or 1 can (15 oz.) chopped plum tomatoes with juices

1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 

3 or 4 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces 

One at a time, place the beef slices between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound gently with a meat pounder until 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle the pounded slices on both sides with salt and pepper. Lay prosciutto and cheese on each beef slice. Sprinkle the slices evenly with the pine nuts, raisins and garlic. Roll up the slices, tucking in the ends, then tie the rolls at 1-inch intervals with kitchen string.

In a chef pan or dutch oven, over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the beef rolls and cook, turning as needed, until browned on all sides, about 15 minutes total. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes longer. Pour in the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the pan bottom, about 2 minutes.

Add the broth and tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, turning the rolls occasionally, until the beef is tender when pierced with a knife,  about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Check from time to time to see if the sauce is becoming too dry and add water if needed.

Uncover, scatter the parsley and basil evenly over the rolls, and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer the rolls to a cutting board and cut into thick slices, removing and discarding the kitchen string. Transfer the slices to warmed plates, spoon the sauce over the top and serve immediately. 

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Italian by Michele Scicolone (Oxmoor House, 2007).

Herb Rubbed Flank Steak

Growing up a meat and potatoes girl, I LOVE steak. 

This is a dandy recipe for flank steak that you mix up a pretty herb rub and roast it in the oven.
How easy is that?

Here's how to make it: 

(Sorry about the lack of pics on this one...I got so excited over the food I forgot to take the different steps, but you'll see...it's easy I promise!)

You'll need a flank steak, beef broth, red wine, herbs such as oregano, thyme, parsley, garlic powder, olive oil and lemon zest.  Oh, and a heavy cast iron (or any oven safe) skillet.

Mix oregano, thyme, parsley, garlic powder, olive oil, and lemon zest in a small bowl and set aside. (I used fresh minced garlic in this one, cause that's what I had..)  (either is fine)

Season your steak with salt and pepper.  Add steak to a hot skillet on the stove over medium high heat and sear for about 2 min on each side.  Add the wine and beef broth and cook for about 1 min.

Using a brush, rub the herb mixture over the top of the steak.  Smother it will all of the mixture.

Put it in the oven, preheated to 400 degrees for about 10-15 min for rate to medium rare.  Take it out and let it rest. 

You want to cut this steak against the grain like this.

Serve with the pan sauce if you would like!!!  So Yummy!

Herb Rubbed Flank Steak



Serves:  4 - 6

Ingredients:

1 t dried thyme
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried parsley
¼ t lemon zest
1 t garlic powder or 1 clove of fresh minced garlic.
2 t olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste
1.5 lb flank steak
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup beef broth

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix thyme, oregano, parsley, zest, garlic powder, and olive oil in a small bowl and set aside.

Sprinkle salt and pepper over steak. Add steak to a large heavy ovenproof skillet. Cook 2 minutes on each side until browned. Add wine and broth; cook 1 minute. Spread herb mixture over steak with a brush.

Place in oven and cook for 10-15 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve with pan sauce.