For the upcoming weekend, I plan to snuggle up in front of our fireplace and reduce my reading pile a foot or so. I’ll prepare my recipe for pot roast, a roast that includes an array of vegetables. While languishing, I’ll enjoy the aroma thatwafts from our kitchen stove and fills the house with the smell of a home-cooked meal. This recipe includes turnips and parsnips, some of winter’s root vegetables that are in season now. The recipe for biscuits is great for sopping up the seasoned broth. Keep the pot roast warm while the biscuits bake.
BEEF POT ROAST
(Freshly grated or prepared horseradish is a complementing accompaniment to the roast. If the biscuits didn’t sop up all the essence, you’ve got a delicious stock for soup.)
One 4-pound beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat
1 garlic clove, crushed
White flour
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 medium onions, quartered
2 cans (14.25 ounces) chicken broth
One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes with juice
6 small to medium red potatoes, quartered
8 carrots, peeled and cut 2-3 inches long on the diagonal
3 small turnips, peeled and quartered
4 parsnips, peeled and cut 2-3 inches long on the diagonal
3 stalks celery cut 4-5 inches long
Preheat oven to 325. Rub roast with garlic and dredge in flour, coating all sides. In a large skillet, heat oil to medium high and brown meat on all sides. Remove meat, and season with salt and pepper. Place meat, onions and chicken broth in a large roasting pan to accommodate meat and eventually all the vegetables and cook covered for one hour. Add vegetables and cook covered for another two to three hours. Turn vegetables once or twice to ensure even cooking. Arrange pot roast on platter and surround with vegetables. Serve immediately. Serves 6.
Nutritional analysis per slice: 1197 calories, 78 grams total fat, 32 grams saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 212 mgs cholesterol, 1028 mgs sodium, 61 grams total carbohydrate, 11grams dietary fiber, 62 grams protein, 14 grams sugar.
DELICIOUS BISCUITS
(Plan accordingly; the dough needs to sit for at least one hour or overnight.)
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
4 cups white flour
1/2 cup raw wheat germ
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups low-fat buttermilk
In a medium bowl, combine yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Add warm water and stir until mixture is dissolved; allow to proof about 5 minutes. In a large mixing bowl combine white flour, wheat germ, wheat flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly drizzle oil over flour mixture, and toss with a fork until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yeast mixture and buttermilk stir until moist. Cover and chill for 1 hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 450. Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface and knead several times. Roll into a 1/2 inch thickness and cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Arrange biscuits on a greased baking sheet and bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until golden. Yields about 2 dozen biscuits.
Nutritional analysis per biscuit: 168 calories, 6 grams total fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 120 mgs sodium, 25 grams total carbohydrate, 2 grams dietary fiber, 5 grams protein, 3 grams sugar.
Catch Kerry Dunnington’s column biweekly in Healthy Life. She can be reached at [email protected].
