Since I have moved to here and thus live 600 km away from my parents, Easter is the holiday I do not spend at home anymore. I usually visit my parents in March during the semester breaks, but a few weeks before Easter, the new semester has already started, and I do not go again then. Most of my friends have left already or stay with their families because they do not come from so far away, so I am usually on my own and have a quiet weekend. I do not mind at all, though.
This year, I am (still) sick – spring and summer colds are often so much more severe and persistent – and annoyed because I have missed two Japanese lessons, my exercise plans are currently on ice, and it is sunny and warm outside while I am stuck inside, often in bed. Once a day I go out and walk a little to prevent rusting completely and keep the mollusk at bay, but I must be careful not to overdo it. Happily, I do not have to go very far to have a nice walking environment. Some scenes from a walk …
~ a small castle in the city ~
~ people sitting in the park ~
~ bell towers everywhere ~
So you see, I am not totally inactive. My piano is here, I work on my thesis a little, do some conceptualization of characters and places for a novel I am planning to write (together with a friend, hopefully – more on that soon), and I have my kitchen, of course.
Something I always wanted to make but never dared is a pot roast. Naturally, I feel scared by big pieces of meat, and I am not used to cooking in advance so far. These are things I want to change, though. Meat and brown rice are good for cooking in advance (while I prefer veggies to be fresh and find them rather icky as leftovers), so I want to make more of these and was happy to find roast beef meat on offer the other day.
My mom makes an awesome pot roast – the last one of hers I was happy to enjoy was a venison pot roast she had made for dinner at Christmas. It was so good that I still have a picture of my plate from then.
~ I still drool when I think of it ~
If my mom says that making a pot roast is the easiest thing in the world, it is. Basically, all you have to do is roast a big piece of meat from all sides, season it with salt and pepper, add a little water and leave it alone for 1 1/2 hours. This is something I can do! My style, I also threw in some veggies, herbs, and spices of which I thought that their flavors might combine nicely, and the result was delicious.
Bay, Coriander, and Tarragon Flavored Beef Pot Roast
4-5 servings
Ingredients
ghee, butter, or oil
750 g (1 1/2 lbs) roast beef meat
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 onions, peeled and cut into slices
2 stalks of celery, cut into slices
4 bay leaves
1/2 tbsp coriander seed
1 tbsp dried tarragon
Directions
Heat some fat in a big pot and roast the meat from all sides over high heat.
When the meat is brown all around, season with salt and pepper, add onion and celery slices, bay leaves, coriander, and tarragon. Carefully add some water, until it stands about 2 cm high in the pot.
Cover and cook on low heat for 1 1/2 hours. Let it cool a little, then take the meat out of the pot and drain carefully. If you like, you can clear the broth with a simmer, cook it a little further and add some sauce thickener to make gravy. Cut slices from the roast, serve with a nice vegetable side, and enjoy.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days. You can reheat them, but they also taste cold and make a nice addition to a quick salad or veggie stir fry.
~ left over beef pot roast with a spicy bean sprout and spinach stir fry ~
~ leftover beef pot roast with tomato, bean sprout, and parsley salad ~
So, at least the food is a little festive for Easter this year. I am totally in love with pot roasts now and already think about the next one.
Have you ever made a pot roast, or do you have a favorite recipe to share? Are you going to cook something special for Easter?
