Mushroom & Blueberry Balsamic Pot Roast

Mushroom & Blueberry Balsamic Pot Roast

From TheNoshery.com

1 whole (3 to 4 lbs.) Chuck Roast

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 whole Onions

1 heaping cup of baby carrots or 6 large carrots

1 cup mushrooms, sliced thick (optional)

4 cloves garlic, sliced thin

½ cup balsamic vinegar

½ cup beef broth

¼ cup tomato sauce

2 cups fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, or more to taste

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, or more to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Drizzle olive oil over roast.  Generously rub the roast with salt and pepper.

Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees.

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

Cut two onions in quarters and cut 6 carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel the carrots, but you don’t have to).  When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the onions, browning them on one side and then the other.  Remove the onions to a plate.  Add the carrots into the same pot and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or two.  Add a little more olive oil to the pot if necessary and add mushrooms and sliced garlic.  Toss the pot until the mushrooms just begin to brown, remove the mushrooms to a plate.

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the pot.  Place the meat in the pot and sear it for about a minute on all sides until evenly browned.  Remove the roast to a plate.

With the burner still on high, add balsamic vinegar and beef broth to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk until all the brown bits are up.  Add tomato sauce and blueberries.  Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer.  Allow the berries to cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until they plump, then using the back of your spoon, mash some of the berries against the side of the pot. 

Place the roast back in the pan; add in the onion, mushrooms and carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Put the lid on, and then roast in 275 degree oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

Enjoy~

Pot Roast & Risotto

If you have been reading my blog since day one (which was only a few weeks ago), you might recall that I was pining for pot roast. I took out what I thought was a pot roast from my freezer but it turned out to be about 4 pounds of ground beef. Well, I finally made the pot roast that I have been dying for. I am one of those cooks who tries new recipes constantly. I rarely make the same recipe twice. But in this case, I loved Tyler Florence's pot roast and risotto recipe so much that I am on my third or fourth time making it. That really says something for this recipe. Tyler Florence makes this pot roast on the stove top in a large dutch oven. I am not sure why we couldn't use a slow cooker but I didn't. I followed his recipe to the letter. It was so good that I didn't want to mess with success. The recipe is time-consuming at over 3 hours just to cook the pot roast (which is why I thought it could be put into a slow cooker) but it is so worth the time. Just try it once and you'll be hooked on this pot roast too! The risotto is creamy and heavenly -- so luscious. All I can say is yum!



Pot Roast Risotto
3 hrs., 55 mins.


Ingredients

Pot Roast:

2 1/2 pound beef shoulder
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced in half
4 large carrots, cut in half
2 celery stalks, sliced in large pieces
1 cup red wine
2 quarts beef stock
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 bay leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Risotto:

1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
8 cups pot-roast braising stock, strained, skimmed and heated
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil


Cooking Instructions:

Start with the pot roast. Drizzle the meat with extra-virgin olive oil and then season all over with a good amount of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot that has a tight cover, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over moderately high heat. Sear the beef all over, ensuring a nice crust and good even color. Add the rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and garlic cloves to the beef. Then add the onions, carrots and celery and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the red wine and then the stock.

Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Braise for about 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until the beef is fork tender. Set the meat aside and take out the vegetables. Strain the braising liquid and skim the fat, this will be used to make the risotto.

Now prepare the risotto. Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat and pour in 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes, until soft. Stir in the rice making sure to coat all the grains with the oil. Add wine and thyme and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Ladle in 1 cup of strained, hot braising stock. Using a wooden spoon, stir constantly until most of the stock has been absorbed. Keep adding stock, one cup at a time, and stirring until absorbed. After about 10 to 15 minutes, test the rice. It should be cooked and creamy but still have a slight bite to it. (You may not need all of the stock.) Season with salt and pepper; stir in Parmesan cheese. Taste for seasoning then remove from heat and cover. Just before serving fold in chopped parsley.

To serve, slice the pot roast and arrange over the top of the risotto with some of the vegetables. Garnish with fresh parsley stems.

I didn't use all the beef stock to make the risotto but I didn't have much left. I like my risotto more creamy than crunchy. I didn't keep the onions and celery that were cooked with the roast. I did keep the carrots to enjoy with dinner. The pot roast and risotto wasn't very photogenic so if you really need to see a better picture you can check out http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence and search for pot roast and risotto.