January 15 – January 21, 2024

Monday:                   Iceberg Wedge with Giant Eagle Rotisserie Chicken

Tuesday:                   Creamy Chicken Soup

Wednesday:            Polpettone Alla Toscana (Italian Meatloaf) with Haricots Verts

Thursday:                 Dunnings Meeting

Friday:                       Baked Ocean Perch with Roasted Broccoli

Saturday:                  Pizza with Prosciutto and Peppers

Sunday:                     Dark and Stormy Braised Pot Roast, Tricolore Salad

[Correction – Last week, I included the wrong recipe.  The pasta we had was a double pepper diavolo with shrimp and called for bucatini which is the pasta we truly love.  The Balsamic Mushroom and Sausage Pasta we wrote about last week uses a penne or rigatoni.  It is worth cooking – we’ll get back to the diavolo some day.]

IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT

It was cold last week at Casa Stuarti, really cold – the kind of cold that turns the surface of the snow into a field of diamonds which you can’t look at directly in the sunlight, the kind of cold that takes your breath away if you’re not dressed up like an eskimo, the kind of cold that makes you build a fire every night, which you need to do even more urgently after you’ve gone out to the frozen wood pile, the kind of cold that makes even me sleep with more than just a sheet, the kind of cold that makes you feel sorry for anyone out in it, even those lousy deer who keep eating your landscaping.*

*I’ve rethought this – I’ll  be leaving sympathy for cervids in the post for the tender-hearted and for those of you who live in the big city and have seen deer only in the character of Bambi.  Personally, I don’t feel anything but murderous toward those azalea, hydrangea and rhododendron-bud eating ba****rds.

So – what to cook on a frigid night for the boys and Beez?  I was feeling nostalgic as well as cold and thought about the Pot Roast, braised with carrots, celery, potatoes and onions of my youth.  My mother, who, at one time, had four teenage boys and one pre-adolescent to feed, would use this inexpensive but tasty dinner to keep us from eating the paint on the window frames and gnawing the electric cords.  So, I thought, why not a little nostalgic cooking?  But the first recipe that caught my eye was in a recent issue of bon appétit and called for Rum, Ginger Beer, and lime juice in the braise – think Bermuda fish chowder with a rocks glass of dark n’ stormy on the side.  My mother would never have cooked pot roast this way, but she would have known about dark and stormies – she loved Bermuda.

This version of Pot Roast, in addition to being stick-to-your-ribs and body-warming, will also help those who’ve been to Bermuda or further south to any Caribbean island to conjure up warmer times in warmer climes and – especially if you accompany it with several dark-and-stormy cocktails (Dark Rum with Ginger Beer a dash of bitters and a wedge of lime) – help you forget the cold as well as your taxes, and other major responsibilities and chores.  You’ll have a good night’s sleep.

Note:  This is a long cook – so plan ahead – and by all means have your mise-en-place in place before you start.  I had to catch up on my chopping and measuring while the meat was browning and reverted to Psycho-Chef levels of invective as I dropped things, spilled things, knocked things over, burnt my fingers and retrieved diced onion and chopped garlic from behind the coffee maker and – it was only there for a few seconds, I swear – the floor.  Beez was not amused.  (Please don’t tell her about the floor.)

DARK AND STORMY POT ROAST

(Adapted from bon appétit, February, 2024)

Timing:                      4 hours, 45 minutes to 5 hours, 15 minutes

                                  (About one hour prep and hands-on cooking)

Ingredients:                              Serves 6 – 8

4  lb. boneless beef chuck roast (we had about a 3 lb. roast, but were only cooking for 4 – we didn’t change any of the other quantities).  A brisket or top round roast would also work, probably better, since, once trimmed, they tend to be less fatty.

The basic idea is a long, low cook of a cut of beef with lost of connective tissue.

¼ cup vegetable oil

Two medium onions, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

10 garlic cloves, finely chopped (we used 4)

1  3” piece of ginger, peeled, finely chopped [Note:  you don’t need to peel the ginger completely – get rid of any dried ends or rough parts – most of the ginger peel is just fine]

2 tablespoons AP flour

2/3 cup dark rum (we used Goslings)

2 ½ cups beef stock or broth

2 cups ginger beer

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 lb. carrots, peeled, cut into 1” pieces

1 lb. small yellow potatoes

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Mint or cilantro or parsley leaves for garnish

Lime wedges for serving – we didn’t use them

Prep:  Have all of this ready, before you cook

1-2 hours before cooking, bring roast to room temperature – salt and pepper it on all sides

Chop the onions and celery (you can put them together – keep the garlic separate)

Chop the garlic and ginger (you can put them together)

Peel and cut the carrots

Measure out the rum, beef broth, brown sugar

Juice the limes

Have the flour and potatoes on hand

Heat the oven to 350 F – you want a rack in the middle – you’ll need to accommodate a large, covered Dutch oven.

Cook

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high.  When the oil begins to shimmer, cook the roast and brown on all sides – about 20 minutes.  Transfer the roast to a large plate or platter.

Reduce heat to medium and cook the onions and celery, stirring often and scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom.  You want the onions and celery softened and the onions golden brown – about 10 minutes or a bit more.

Now add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until fragrant – 2 minutes.

Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly until combined and then, gradually pour in the rum, a little at first, stirring constantly to avoid clumping, and adding

the rest gradually.  Now add the beef stock or broth, the ginger beer, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar and increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  Cook, stirring from time to time until sauce is reduced by a third and thick enough to lightly coat a spoon – 15-20 minutes.  Taste and add salt or pepper as needed.

Now remove the pot from the heat and place the roast in the center.  Arrange the carrots and potatoes around the meat, cover and braise in the oven until the meat is tender enough to shred in the center without much resistance – 3 – 3 ½ hours.  [It took us 3 ½]

Uncover, turn the meat over and roast until browned on top and sauce thickens more – 30 -45 minutes.

Skim as much fat from the surface as you can (discard).

Top with mint or cilantro or parsley and serve with lime wedges, if desired.