Simply Tweaked Italian Braised Beef with Root Vegetables

After visiting Cafe Bella in Boston (I suggest if you're ever in the Randolph MA area you must go!) I have been thinking, nay, dreaming of their braised beef dish. Since I am no longer in Boston I had to find a recipe for this, and thank goodness I did. This dish takes a lot of dedication if I must say. The braising liquid itself asked for about 8 hours on low to simmer away. Now I'm not one to just have a pot on the stove for hours and hours. So my simple tweak to this recipe simplifies this and has you sleeping easy and waking up to the smell of an Italian bistro. 

I could not for the life of me figure out what meaty beef bone to buy so I opted for beef broth. I didn't have fresh oregano so I just used a table spoon dried oregano. I added all of the ingredients for Yai Yai's Sunday sauce into my trusty slow cooker and set it on low and let it simmer away while I rested peacefully throughout the night. 

The next day I started on my braised beef, first searing the roast on all sides

I was super happy with my searing job, with braised meats this is the most important part of the dish, never skimp on the time needed to get the perfect sear.

I browned celery root, carrots and onions, then added in garlic and stirred that together for about 2 minutes, and added the rest of the ingredients (plus a cup of beef broth instead of water) with a little extra of Yia Yia's sauce and let it simmer (About 5 ladle fulls).

The original recipe called for a dutch oven which I do not have, so I just used a deep pan lined with foil, I transferred the meat and braising liquid to the pan and sealed it tightly with foil and braised it for three hours. 

The meat was fork tender and so delicious, I added a bit more of the Sunday Sauce to the already braised meat (about three more ladle fulls) and set that aside and prepared the rigatoni. Once the pasta was done I tossed everything together.

This is a must for dinner time, probably when you have time on your hands, but nonetheless don't make that scare you away from this amazing dish. Try it out and let me know what your simple tweaks are.

Ingredients 

YIA YIA'S SUNDAY SAUCE:

1 large yellow onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon kosher salt, or more as needed
6 cloves garlic, sliced
Two 28-ounce cans San Marzano tomatoes, with their juice
1 beef broth
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon dried oregano 
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf

BRAISED BEEF WITH ROOT VEGETABLES:

3 pounds rump roast
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 carrot, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 small celery root, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 cup red wine
8 ladles of  Yia Yia's Sunday Sauce
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 pounds dried rigatoni, for serving

Directions

For Yia Yia's Sunday sauce: 

1. In a slow cooker add onions, tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper, bay leaf, white wine, garlic and salt and leave on lower over night or until it has reduced by 1/3.

For the braised beef with root vegetables:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. 
2. Sprinkle the meat liberally with salt and pepper as much as 1 day in advance. (Cover and refrigerate it if doing so and take the meat out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.)
3.  Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. When the oil is on the verge of smoking, sear the meat for about 2 minutes per side. 
4. Move the meat to the side (or remove it from the pot altogether if necessary), and add the carrots, celery root and onions. Brown the vegetables for about 3 minutes, and then add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer.
5.  Pour in the wine and deglaze the pot, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom. 
6. Add Yia Yia's Sunday Sauce, 1 cup beef broth and the bay leaves.
7. Bring the liquid to a simmer and taste for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary.
8. Transfer to foil lined pan, cover with foil and place it in the oven for 3 hours, basting the meat occasionally during cooking time. 
9. When almost ready to serve, make the rigatoni, if using. Boil in salted water according to package directions until al dente. 
10. Discard the bay leaves before serving. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and shred with 2 forks. Return the meat to the pot of sauce along with the drained rigatoni. 
11. Toss to coat, and serve.

For original Recipe by Michael Symon follow this link

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/michael-symon/italian-braised-beef-with-root-vegetables.html

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/videos/italian-braised-beef.html