Italian Pot Roast (Stracotto or Brasato)

Italians eat pot roast. There is no major difference to theirs, they also marinade their chuck (or bottom round) in a soffritto of processed carrots, celery, onions, bay leaf, peppercorns and garlic.

Here's the Italian twist.

Red wine.

A good red wine.

A good Italian red wine.

You might have heard of beef braised in Barolo?

I can not afford a bad bottle of Barolo. I choose a Sagrantino instead. I can afford a decent wine using that grape.

The other difference is while browning on both sides they throw in a few whole garlic cloves and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. Luckily, my rosemary bush still has a few left.

I am making The Nudge mashed potatoes.

Yes, again.

Yes, he raved.

I also need them for tomorrows dinner.....Ina's Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic.

Why not make double and save myself some time.

I will be serving roasted baby carrots and broccoli.

If I only eat a 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes this meal is well within my exchange plan and if I eat 1/2 cup of vegetables the 2 actually cancel each other out.

I wanted to add a can of cannelloni beans to the sauce but I was out of them. The only thing I had was black and red beans. Not exactly what you would put in a red wine sauce.

If you have a can of any type white bean, it would be a good thing to add to your braising liquid the last hour of cooking.

Italian Pot Roast
makes 4-6 generous servings

* 3 1/2 pound bottom round or chuck roast
* 2 carrots, chopped
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 stalk celery, chopped
* 1 bay leaf
* 4-5 whole cloves
* 7-8 whole peppercorns
* 1 bottle of red wine
* 1-2 sprigs of rosemary
* 3-4 whole garlic cloves
* Bacon or pancetta fat, or canola oil
Place first 8 ingredients in a gallon zip bag and marinate at least 6 hours, overnight would be ideal.

Remove meat from bag and pat dry. Strain marinade through colander, removing solids.

In Dutch oven or large saucepan, saute garlic cloves and rosemary until fragrant. Add meat and brown on all sides for at least 4 minutes per side. If garlic starts to burn remove it but reserve.

Once meat is browned add wine marinade and large pieces of the carrots & onions.

Cover tightly and on low heat, braise for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Last hour add beans.

Roasted Vegetables
* A mixture of any vegetables you have. I like to use a head of broccoli and a small bag of baby carrots.
* Make sure they are cut the same size or they will not cook at the same rate of time.
* Olive oil and salt & pepper, toss onto a baking sheet pan and in a 400F oven for 35 minutes.