Pot roast makes a cheap meat meal for winter

Press, 11 July 1983, Page 16

Pot roast makes a cheap meat meal for winter

COOKING with

Celia Timms

A pot roast offers a distinctive taste in meat because it is simmered slowly and usually with vegetables. Cooked in one piece, instead of cubed as with a casserole or stew, it retains more of the meaty flavour. Almost any cut of meat can be pot-roasted including the cheaper cuts of beef such as blade, brisket, chuck, or round. Choose a piece that has a reasonably good fat covering and a few streaks of fat through it to make it juicy and flavourful. Plain pot roast of beef This is a plain pot roast which many people prefer. Select a IVz to 2kg piece of chuck or blade. Coat lightly with seasoned flour and brown on all sides in hot fat. Place on a low rack or trivet in a deep heavybased saucepan or frypan. Add % cup of water and cover tightly. Simmer slowly until meat is tender, 2¥z to 3 hours adding more water as needed to prevent burning or scorching. For the last 45 minutes of cooking add whole small onions and carrots. A piece of rolled hogget or a leg of lamb or hogget can be treated in the same way. A breadcrumb seasoning can be added in a pocket cut in the beef and closed by sewing with string or with skewers or the seasoning can be rolled in the hogget or mutton. Same day Sauerbraten Sauerbraten, a popular German dish, is described as the gourmet’s pot roast, and for the authentic German dish it is marinated for three days. This method is for an immediate sauerbraten

produces a very similar flavour. You need, to serve 6 to 8 persons: 2-3 kg of brisket, round or rump of beef IVz cups water % cup vinegar 1 teaspoon salt teaspoon freshly ground pepper ¥& teaspoon each of ground cloves and allspice 1 teaspoon monosodium glutamate 1 teaspoon ground ginger 3 tablespoons brown sugar % cup chopped onion 1 bay leaf Flour Method: Dredge the meat in flour and brown on all sides in hot fat in a deep heavy-based saucepan or a an. Place a low rack >r heat. Add half the water. Cover tightly and simmer for an hour. Remove meat and cut in thick, half-inch slices. Return to pan. Combine remaining water with vinegar, spices, salt and pepper, monosodium glutamate, sugar, onion and bayleaf and pour over meat slices. Cover tightly and simmer until fork tender, about 1% hours. Thicken the gravy with a little flour combined with cold water and serve with the meat. Pot roast with mushrooms Canned or fresh button mushrooms can be used. If using fresh replace the mushroom liquid from the canned mushrooms with an additional ¥a cup of

water. rhe Cantonese gravy is also optional. It can be served with the thickened gravy from the meat. To serve 6 to 8 persons you need: 1%-2kg blade beef in one piece 2 tablespoons fat ‘A cup water 'A cup liquid from canned mushrooms 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon ground ginger % cup finely diced green pepper 1 cup chopped onion % to ¥2 cup button mushrooms, canned or fresh 1 cup thinly sliced celery Salt to taste Flour Method: Dredge meat with flour and brown on all sides in hot fat in a deep heavy-based saucepan or frypan. Place a low rack under meat. Combine water with soy sauce and liquid from mushrooms, if canned mushrooms are used. Add the ginger and pour over the meat. Add vegetables. Cover tightly and simmer over low heat until meat is fork tender, about 2¥a to 3 hours. Remove the meat to warm platter and either make a gravy from the liquid in the pan or make a Cantonese gravy and serve with meat. Cantonese gravy Vz cup canned pineapple juice % cup water 2 tablespoons cornflour 1 cup drained crushed pineapple or chopped pineapple pieces Liquid from meat Method: Heat pineapple juice and water with meat liquid in pan. Stir in cornflour blended with a little cold water and continue to stir until slightly thickened. Add pineapple. Taste for seasoning. Spareribs Many people maintain that the meat closest to

the bone is the sweetest. Pork ribs might very well have inspired their belief. All but the most fastidious agree it is worth all the picking to obtain those tender sweet morsels that cling to the rib bones. There are different kinds of rib bones, but your butcher will advise you. Rib bones come from the side, and from the back or loin. They can be cooked in different ways, some needing to be pre-boiled before baking or barbecuing. Lamb and beef riblets can also be used. All can provide a most enjoyable if rather informal, food experience. Pork spareribs This method, which has a sweet-sour flavour, includes vegetables and can be served as a one-dish meal. For six persons you need: Ikg pork spareribs 125 g butter or margarine ’A cup chopped onion ‘A cup chopped celery ’A cup chopped green pepper 2 tablespoons cornflour 1 cup stock 1 tin (small) pineapple chunks 4 tablespoons vinegar 1 tablespoon soy sauce Salt and pepper Method: Arrange spareribs, meaty side up, in baking dish. Season lightly with salt and pepper and bake at 160 C for an hour. Melt butter or margarine in saucepan or pan, add the chopped vegetables and cook for five minutes. Blend cornflour with stock, add 1 cup of pineapple juice and combine with vegetables. Cook stirring until clear and thickened. Add vinegar, soy sauce, and salt and pepper to taste, and lastly the drained pineapple. Drain spareribs of fat and pour the hot sauce over them. Continue baking until very tender. Serve very hot. .5