Good old-fashioned american pot roast

  2 1/2 lb Boned bottom round roast
    1/4 lb Thinly-sliced mushrooms
      1 ts Butter
      1 ea Stalk of celery, cut
      3 ea Medium carrots, cut in 3s
      6 ea New potatoes, with skins
      3 tb Tomato paste
      1 c  Robust red wine
    1/2 ts Parsley
    1/2 ts Sage
    1/2 ts Rosemary
    1/2 ts Thyme
    1/2 ts Marjoram
    1/2 ts Crumbled sweet basil
      1 c  Beef consomme
      3 ea Cloves minced garlic
      2 ea Yellow onions, sliced
    1/4 ts Fresh-ground black pepper
      1 tb Minced parsley

Heat your broiler and season the roast with the pepper. Place the meat on the broiler pan rack and broil about 4 inches from the heat until brown on all sides - about 10 minutes or so. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Combine the onions, garlic, consomme, wine, tomato paste, and spices in a 4-quart Dutch oven. Add the beef and bring it to a simmer over moderate heat. Cover tightly and transfer to the oven, and cook for an hour and a half. Add the potatoes, carrots and celery, and continue baking for another hour, or until the meat is tender. Slice the meat into quarter-inch thick slices, and arrange them, overlapping slightly, on a heating platter, or a heated serving dish. Set the potatoes and carrots around the meat; keep warm. Puree the onions, celery and meat juices in an electric blender or food processor. Add the butter to a heavy 10-inch skillet and set over moderate heat for about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Stir in the pureed gravy. Keep warm over low heat until ready to serve. Spoon the sauce over the beef and sprinkle everything with parsley.


Yield: 5 Servings