Have
I been cooking a lot? Yes, as usual. Have I had any time to document,
explore, or blog about what I have cooked in the past year or
something that I am interested in? No. Motherhood and a huge move
across the country consumed what free time I had this past year. What
better way to kick-start a dead blog than to be enrolled in a food
writing class with an assignment to photograph and write about
something food related?
A
delicious beef roast is one of the most satisfying items for me to
cook for dinner, especially on a cold winter evening. It makes the
house smell great and the leftovers are equally delicious or even
better. I enjoy making several basic variations: Mexican, which will
shred nicely for enchiladas, a classic pot roast if I am in the mood,
or an Italian seasoned roast. I decided to marinate a roast overnight
with Italian-inspired ingredients which I happened to have on hand.
Typically
when I am cooking something I am familiar with I enjoy researching
new recipes to accompany the main dish.
I received a bundle of cippolini onions in my CSA box this week.
About a month ago I enjoyed a delicious meal at my favorite
restaurant, Hen of the Wood,
which just happens to be in the town I live in, and one of the
memorable items on my dinner plate was a deliciously tender and sweet
cippolini onion. Conveniently, my CSA newsletter for the week arrived
with what sounded like a very similar recipe for the sweet little
onions so I added these to my menu for the night.
Broccoli
is easily one of my absolute favorite vegetables. My standard way to
prepare it is roasted in a 450º oven for 15 minutes with olive oil,
salt, pepper, and a splash of lemon juice. Simple and fast. We (or
maybe just I) tend to tire of using the same preparations for
certain dishes so I scoured the internet for a new broccoli recipe
that would be equally as simple, yet delicious. Keeping with the
Italian theme, I discovered a Mario Batali recipe in my first couple
of clicks.
I
happily realized while checking my pantry and refrigerator for
necessary ingredients for dinner, a common ingredient in all three
dishes: white wine. I admit I did not use the most quality pinot
grigio but rather used a moderately-priced bottle due to the fact
that I was using most of it in all three recipes. One must budget
when necessary! Pleased that I had all of the ingredients on hand for
these dishes except a lemon and wine, a quick run to the store
completed my preparations for dinner.
Here
is an outline of the meal, complete with recipes:
Italian Herbed Roast, serves 4-5
 |
| Organic Bottom Round Roast and other ingredients. |
1 cup white wine
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs Italian seasoning
1-2 tsp sea salt, depending on your taste
1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
6 cloves of garlic sliced in half length-wise
The night before cooking the roast, prepare marinade combining all ingredients except the garlic. Make slits throughout the roast and insert sliced garlic thoroughly into each slice. Place marinade in large zip-lock bag and then add roast. Seal and massage to coat roast evenly. Refrigerate overnight or at least 5-6 hours.
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| A thing of beauty. |
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| Dressing the roast. |
 |
| Fully marinated. |
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place meat on a rack within a roasting pan. When oven is to temperature, place pan in oven. Cook for 15 minutes on high heat and then lower temperature to 325 degree. Continue to cook roast for approximately 25-30 minutes per pound, subtracting the first 15 minutes from the total time. 10 minutes prior to removing roast from oven, deglaze pan with either a cup or so of salted water with a splash of wine or straight beef broth. I used the water option, with more wine of course! This creates a lovely au jus to accompany the roast. If the meat bits have not lifted from the bottom of the pan at the end of roasting, you can scrape them up. Remove pan from oven, let roast rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes prior to carving and serve with strained juice from the pan.
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| Crusted and delicious |
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| Nicely pink. |
 |
| Complete with au jus. |
Cippolini Onions Roasted with Balsamic Vinegar and Honey
(Recipe from Pete's Greens CSA newsletter)
1 1/4 lb cippolini onions, peeled
Four sprigs fresh rosemary, thyme or oregano, chopped3/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs honey
Place enough water in a saucepan large enough to hold the cippolinis. Bring the water to a boil. Score an X in the root end of each onion and boil the in the water for 60 seconds. Drain and allow to cool.
Preheat the oven to 450. Cut off the roots and stems and remove the onion peels.
Place the onions in a shallow dish or pan big enough to hold them all in one layer without crowding. Combine the wine, soy sauce, vinegar, olive oil, and honey. Pour the mixture over the onions. Scatter on the herbs. Roast in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, turning twice. Serve immediately.
Broccoli Sautéed in Wine and Garlic (Broccoli al Frascati)
(recipe by Mario Batali, Epicurious)
yield: Makes 6 servings
Cooking cruciferous vegetables without boiling them, as in this recipe, seems to make them more fragrant and heady—just the way the robust Romans like their food.
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 pounds broccoli, cut into spears
1 cup Frascati or other dry white wine
1 tablespoon hot red pepper flakes
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Grated zest of 1 orange
Salt to taste
In a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil with the garlic over medium-high heat until just sizzling. Add the broccoli and cook, tossing frequently and gradually adding the wine to keep the garlic from browning until the stalks are tender 8 to 10 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, salt and zests, and tossing well, serve immediately.
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