Weight Loss Surgery Kitchen

Kitchen > Beef > Florentine Pot Roast with Red Wine, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

Florentine Pot Roast with Red Wine, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

Ingredients:
One 2 1/2 pound eye of the round roast, excess fat trimmed, tied with kitchen string at 1-inch intervals
3 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into thin slivers, plus 2 cloves smashed and peeled
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 pound bacon cut into 1/2-inch strips
2 medium Spanish onions, peeled and quartered
2 celery stalks, cut crosswise 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 reduced sodium beef broth
1 cup dried porcini mushrooms
One 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, drained and squeezed by hand to remove excess moisture.
Handful fresh oregano leaves

Directions:
Preheate the oven to 300F. 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 edge of the knife. Seasons the beef generously with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large, havey-bottomed ovenproof pot over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the beef and sear it well on all sides until well browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the beef to a plate and set it aside.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pot. Add the bacon, onions, celery, and carrot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minute. Add the tomato paste and sugar and stir to coat theother 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 liquied. If it is not, add some more wine, water, or broth. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot, transfer it tot he oven, and braise the beef for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, turning the beef over and giving the liquid a stir every half hour. Make sure that the liquid is simmering gently; if it's bubbling aggressively, reduce the oven temperature to 275F. When done the meat will be firm to the touch and pink at the center. If not serving immediately, let cool, cover, and refrigerate for a few days or freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat before proceeding.

To serve, transfer the beef to a cutting board and slice it against the grain into 6 pieces. Place 1 slice on each of 6 warm dinner plates. Spoon some sauce over each serving and pass extra sauce on the side.