Stracotto Pot Roast With Porcini Mushrooms Recipes

STRACOTTO (POT ROAST) WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Season the meat well with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy skillet, and brown the meat well on all sides. Remove it and keep warm. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery to the pan and saute until tender, and starting to brown. Put the dried mushrooms into a bowl, and add 1 cup of hot water. Let sit for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving the mushroom water, and chop finely. Add the mushrooms into the pot with the other vegetables along with the canned tomatoes. Strain the mushroom water, and add 1/2 cup to the tomato mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and return the roast to the pot. Add enough of the red wine so the roast is about 3/4 covered, and reduce the heat to low. Cover, and cook on low heat for 3 hours, turning the roast and stirring the contents of the pot every 30 minutes, and adding additional wine as needed if the sauce reduces too much. If you prefer cooking the roast in the oven, place the ovenproof pot with the roast and sauce in an oven preheated to 300 degrees F. Cook for 3 hours. Once the roast is done, remove it to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil. Turn the heat up on the sauce, and cook it until it has thickened. Add the fresh, chopped parsley, and stir. Cut the roast into thin slices, and serve with a scoop of sauce on top.

STRACOTO WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the beef generously with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy 6-quart roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until brown on all sides, about 15 minutes total cooking time. Transfer the beef to a bowl. Add remaining tablespoon oil to the pan, add the onions and saute until tender, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute. Add the wine and boil 1 minute. Stir in the broth and mushrooms. Return the beef to the pan. Bring the liquids to a boil. Cover and transfer to the oven. Braise until the beef is fork-tender, turning the beef over halfway through cooking, about 3 hours.
• Transfer the beef to a cutting board. Tent the beef with foil and let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, spoon any excess fat off the top of the pan juices. Transfer the pan juices and vegetables to a blender and puree until smooth. Combine the sauce and rosemary sprig in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Cut the beef across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange the sliced beef on a platter and garnish with rosemary. Spoon the sauce over and serve, passing the remaining sauce in a sauce boat.