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Every year I’m a sucker for those gorgeous days in mid-February filled with the promise of an early spring.\u00a0 Then the sun goes back behind the clouds and it starts to rain again.\u00a0 I have to remind myself that it’s still winter.<\/p>\n
This is the perfect season for stracotto, an Italian take on a slow-cooked pot roast, steeped in red wine, mushrooms and aromatic vegetables.<\/p>\n
My introduction to this gutsy and soul-warming dish came in the beautiful cookbook, “Organic Marin,”<\/a> by Tim Porter and Farina Wong Kingsley (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 20080).\u00a0 A fund-raiser for Marin Organic’s school lunch program, it’s filled with mouth-watering photographs and appealing recipes from some of Marin County’s best restaurants. The braised chuck roast was the contribution of Piatti Ristorante & Bar in Mill Valley.<\/p>\n I was so smitten that I made stracotto several times in the oven before I began experimenting with a slow cooker variation for one of my favorite cooks, who had just acquired her first Crock Pot.\u00a0 Along the way, it picked up porcini mushrooms, bacon, and a generous portion of red wine to pump up the already vivid flavors. The secret to this recipe is browning the meat, sauteing the vegetables and reducing the wine before placing them in the slow cooker.\u00a0 Those steps \u2013 which many recipes skip in the name of convenience \u2013 help develop and concentrate the flavors.<\/p>\n So then, you ask, what’s the advantage of using a slow cooker instead of\u00a0 just shoving the roast into the oven for three or four hours?\u00a0 For one thing, it gives you flexibility.\u00a0 Prep this dish in the morning before you go out for the day and you won’t have to worry about getting back in time to put it in the oven.<\/p>\n You could even get it ready the night before and stash the cooker’s ceramic insert in the refrigerator.\u00a0 Take it out when you get up in the morning, let it come to room temperature while you’re getting ready to leave, then put it in the cooker and let it simmer all day.<\/p>\n When you come home, you’ll have a dinner fit for company.\u00a0 Serve it over soft polenta with good bread and a simple salad.\u00a0 Winter suppers don’t get much better.<\/p>\n 1 2\u00bd-3-pound boneless beef chuck roast, tied While you prepare the vegetables, bring stock to a simmer in a small saucepan.\u00a0 Remove pan from heat and soak mushrooms in hot stock for 30 minutes, until softened.\u00a0 Strain mushrooms through a coffee filter or cheesecloth and reserve liquid.\u00a0 Chop mushrooms coarsely and set aside.<\/p>\n Heat olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat. \u00a0Add meat and brown well on all sides.\u00a0 Transfer meat to medium or large sized slow cooker.<\/p>\n Pour off excess fat and saut\u00c3\u00a9 the bacon until it begins to brown.\u00a0 Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to skillet and saut\u00c3\u00a9 until lightly browned.\u00a0 Scrape vegetables into the slow cooker with meat.\u00a0 Using the same pan, reduce heat to medium, stir in wine, bring to a boil over high heat. and cook for 5-10 minutes until reduced by half.\u00a0 Stir in tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes.\u00a0 Add rehydrated mushrooms and reserved soaking liquid.\u00a0 Stir in rosemary, parsley and bay leaves.<\/p>\n Pour liquid mixture over meat and vegetables in slow cooker.\u00a0\u00a0 Set temperature on low and let cook for about eight hours, until meat is fork tender.<\/p>\n To serve, remove meat to platter, cover and keep in a warm place while you transfer the braising liquid to a saucepan and boil it down until slightly thickened.\u00a0 Cut meat into \u00bd-inch slices. Pour sauce over meat or pass separately.<\/p>\n Aleta Watson<\/em><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Every year I’m a sucker for those gorgeous days in mid-February filled with the promise of an early spring.\u00a0 Then the sun goes back behind the clouds and it starts to rain again.\u00a0 I have to remind myself that it’s still winter. This is the perfect season for stracotto, an Italian take on a slow-cooked … Continue reading Italian pot roast from slow cooker<\/span> ![\"stracotto2\"](\"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/stracotto2.jpg\" "\\"stracotto2\\"")
<\/p>\nSLOW COOKER STRACOTTO<\/strong>
\nServes 4-6<\/em><\/p>\n
\nKosher salt
\n1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
\n1 cup beef broth
\n2 tablespoons olive oil
\n1 strip thick-sliced bacon, coarsely chopped
\n1 large onion, coarsely chopped
\n1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
\n2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
\n5 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
\n2 cups red wine
\n1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
\n1 tablespoon tomato paste
\n1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
\n\u00bc cup chopped parsley
\n2 bay leaves
\nSalt and freshly ground pepper to taste<\/p>\n