Culinary Disasters

This dish is perfect for the serial stabber in your family.  This dish allows them to get out of their frustration safely and they would be contributing to cooking dinner which work wonders for a serial stabber’s self esteem.

Also, this dish helps ward off evil vampires that are living amongst us.  I still recommend that you sleep with a UV light generator and a couple wooden stakes (please do not forget the hammer because nothing is more embarrassing than scrambling to find something to bash the wooden stake into a vampire).

On a completely happy related moment it is the officially braising season because last week’s high was a wonderful 40 something degrees (without fail when I made this dish the temperature jumped to a joyous 60 something degrees but I just ate my bowl in front of an open freezer to get the full effect).  Do not get me wrong I love grilling season but I can grill all year long (my grills have a priority over my truck in the garage) but there is something even magical about a house that smells like seared meat and meat that has been cooked for hours and hours slowly (I need to bottle up the flavors and send to febreeze because I would kill for bacon air fresheners).

With braising season also starts some garden preparation for next year such as 8 feet of shallots are in the ground, 2 blueberry plants (thanks elle you are the best), and a 8×4 bed full of garlic.  Now just need to figure out a way to fast forward through winter……

For this recipe you will need:

• 3 lb of chuck roast
• 1 head of garlic
• 1.5 cups of red wine
• 2 cups of stock (I used veal)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons whole chili powder (I used a combination of ancho and guajillo)
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
• Couple good handful of mushrooms quartered
• 1 onion finely diced
• 2 stalks of celery cut in 1/2 inch slices
• 2 carrots cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 parsnip cut into 1/2 inch slice
• Red potatoes quartered
• 1/2 cup of peas
• 1/2 cup of corn
• egg noodles cooked to ale dente

Steps:

Stab the chuck roast all over and shove peeled whole cloves of garlic into the stab wound.

Cover the chuck roast with salt and pepper.  In a cast iron skillet over high heat add a squirt  of canola oil and sear the chuck roast until browned all over.

Once the roast is browned all over remove and place in the crock-pot.  Take the 1.5 cups of wine and dump into the skillet and reduce by 1/3 making sure to scrape to free up all the stuck bits.  Dump the wine, stock, herbs, tomato paste, chili powder, paprika, and bay leaves into the crock-pot.

Place this mixture in the fridge to relax over night.  Why the overnight marinade you ask?  I am freaking lazy, I like sleep, and I like searing and the idea of waking up bright and early in the morning to sear a chuck roast and assemble everything lost to the snooze button.

The next day turn the crock-pot over to low and let it work while you go work (8-10 hours).  When you get home add in the onions, celery, parsnips, carrots, and potatoes.  Let this mixture cook for another hour and then add in the mushrooms and let this go for another hour.  Add in the corn and peas and cook until they come up to temperature.

Serve and enjoy over egg noodles!

Tags: beef, All //