Italian Pot Roast Stracotto Recipes

ITALIAN POT ROAST (STRACOTTO ALLA FIORENTINA)

Steps:

• Trim some of the fat from the meat. Using a sharp knife, make cuts all over the meat and insert the garlic slices inside. Season generously with salt and pepper. If you like, you can tie the beef with kitchen strin, to help it keep it shape during cooking.
• In a large dutch oven pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the meat and brown on all sides until a nice brown crust develops, about 5 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and reserve.
• Lower the heat to medium low. Add the veggies and cook until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Then, add the wine and cook until it reduces slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Add the marinara sauce and stir to combine. Then, add back the chuck roast and the basil leaves. Cover, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer gently for 2 to 3 hours, turning the roast at least once, until fork tender. If you think the sauce is drying out, you can add some water of beef broth.
• When done, remove the basil leaves and discard. Transfer the meat to a chopping board, remove the kitchen string (if used) and cut into smaller pieces. The sauce should be thick enough, but if it's not, you can continue boiling over medium-high heat, uncovered, until it reaches the desired thickness. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
• Serve the roast over creamy polenta (or mashed potatoes), garnished with chopped parsley.

ITALIAN POT ROAST (STRACOTTO)

Steps:

• Cut the garlic into thin slivers. Pierce the meat in many places with the point of a knife and insert the garlic slivers into the holes.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy 3- to 4-quart heatproof casserole. Add the meat and brown it well over medium heat. Remove it from the casserole. Add the remaining oil and the onions, carrots and celery. Saute them until moderately brown.
• Stir in the wine and cook for a few minutes, scraping the casserole. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and basil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and return the meat to the casserole.
• Cover tightly and cook over very low heat for at least three hours, until the meat is very tender. Turn the meat a few times during cooking.
• Remove the meat from the casserole. To serve immediately, skim the fat from the surface of the sauce, then puree the sauce in a food processor and reheat. Otherwise, refrigerate the meat and sauce overnight. Remove any congealed fat from the sauce and puree the sauce in a food processor. Reheat the meat in the sauce before serving.

STRACOTTO-ITALIAN POT ROAST (PRESSURE COOKER)

Steps:

• 1. In a 6-quart pressure cooker, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the roast and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and season with salt and pepper.
• 2. Pour off fat in pressure cooker. Add remaining oil and heat over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Saute about 2 minutes, stirring. Add wine and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon. Add tomatoes and their juices.
• 3. Return meat to pan along with any juices that have collected. Lock lid in place. Bring to pressure over high heat.
• 4. Adjust heat to maintain the pressure. Cook for 1 1/4 hours.
• 5. Remove from heat and quick-release the pressure. Open lid. Place meat on platter and let rest 10 minutes.
• 6. Skim any fat from the surface of the sauce. Slice meat and serve with sauce.

STRACOTTO (POT ROAST) WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. In a heavy 6-quart pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 12 minutes. Remove the beef and set aside.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining oil and the onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic. Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the broth and mushrooms. Return the beef to the pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until the beef is fork-tender, about 3 hours, turning the beef over halfway through and adding more beef broth, as needed.
• Transfer the beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, spoon any excess fat off the top of the pan juices. Using an immersion blender, blend the pan juices and vegetables until smooth. Add the rosemary and thyme. Bring to sauce to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Cut the beef into 1-inch pieces and place on a platter. Spoon some of the sauce over the meat and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

CLASSIC ITALIAN BEEF POT ROAST

Steps:

• Prepare Marinade (24-36 hours in advance): Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, onions, and carrot and saute for 7 to 8 minutes, or until they are lightly caramelized. Add garlic, bay leaves, rosemary sprigs, and whole peppercorn, pour in wine, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer liquid for 5 minutes to infuse wine. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Season the meat, on all sides, generously with salt. Place in a large gallon size freezer bag, and carefully pour the room-temperature red wine marinade into bag, along with all of the aromatics. Place on a small baking sheet and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Turn meat a few times during the marinade process.
• Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and place a rack in lower third of oven. Remove the pot roast from the marinade, place on a rack on top of a baking sheet to drain (you want to save any marinade that drips from the meat for cooking later). Pat the meat thoroughly with paper towels, you want it to be relatively dry in order for it to brown well.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add meat, and sear on all sides, using large kitchen tongs to turn it. It will take anywhere from 12 to 20 minutes total. It should be a relatively dark sear (especially due to the wine marinade). Transfer meat to a 3 or 4-quart Dutch oven.
• Discard any fat in the skillet, and wipe it with a clean paper towel. Return skillet to medium-high heat and add the brandy-be extremely careful and stand back, as alcohol can ignite. Bring brandy to a boil, scraping bottom of skillet to deglaze any brown bits on bottom of pan. Reduce liquid to roughly 2 tablespoons. Strain the marinade into the skillet (reserve vegetables), and bring to a boil. Boil marinade until it is reduce to about a cup. Add stock, and boil again to reduce by half. Remove from heat.
• Place pancetta (or bacon, if using) under or next to the seared pot roast in the Dutch oven pot. Place the reserved vegetables from the marinade around the meat (you can also push some under the meat too). Pour over the reduced braising liquid, cover with a sheet of parchment paper so that it nearly touches the meat, and cover tightly with lid.
• Place pot into the oven, checking after 15 to 20 minutes to ensure it is very slowly simmering (not simmering too quickly). Reduce heat by 10°F to 15°F if simmering too quickly. Braise the roast for 2½ to 3½ hours, turning it once halfway through the braising time.
• To finish: Lift pot roast carefully and place on platter to catch juices. Strain braising liquid into a saucepan (reserve pancetta and garlic)-discard any other vegetables. Skim and discard most fat from the braising liquid, and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes, tasting as you go. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, squeeze the garlic cloves out of the head of garlic, and smash into a paste using a fork. Pull apart the pancetta. Tear into small shreds, and add this to the sauce along with the smashed garlic.
• Remove kitchen string from pot roast, and carve on an angle to produce ½-thick slices, and serve with sauce and mashed potatoes.

ITALIAN POT ROAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat.
• Pat roast dry and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Once the oil is shimmering hot, sear the meat on both ends and all the way around the outside. Total time about 15 minutes to sear the whole roast.
• Remove the roast to a plate and add the carrots, celery and onions and cook for five minutes, stirring often.
• Add the tomato paste and garlic and cook for two more minutes.
• Add wine to deglaze. Cook until the wine evaporates.
• Add the bay leaves, sundried tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, broth, thyme, oregano and basil and stir. Add the beef back in along with any liquid on the plate, cover and place in the oven for three hours, turning the beef over once about 1 ½ hours into the roasting time.
• After the full three hours, remove the meat, let it rest under a sheet of loose foil for 10 minutes.
• Remove and discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs then slice the beef and serve with the sauce.
• The string should be left on while slicing to hold the roast together. OK to cut off after sliced and plated.

STRACOTTO (POT ROAST) WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. In a heavy 6-quart pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 12 minutes. Remove the beef and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining oil and the onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic. Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the broth and mushrooms. Return the beef to the pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until the beef is fork-tender, about 3 hours, turning the beef over halfway through and adding more beef broth, as needed. Transfer the beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, spoon any excess fat off the top of the pan juices. Using an immersion blender, blend the pan juices and vegetables until smooth. Add the rosemary and thyme. Bring to sauce to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cut the beef into 1-inch pieces and place on a platter. Spoon some of the sauce over the meat and serve the remaining sauce on the side. Cook's Note: The cooked pan juices and vegetables can also be pureed in a blender.