Chef Chuck's Pot Roast

Pot roast with vegetables is a hearty and rustic dinner, a comforting meal for a chilly evening.
The gravy was loaded with brilliant flavors. The roast was so tender due to the slow and low stove top cooking.


Pot Roast
1 large pot roast (eye round)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
flour
salt and pepper
1 onion, thick slices
3 carrots, large pieces
3 celery stalks, large pieces
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped fine
3 potatoes, cut large

Bring meat to room temperature, combine flour, salt and pepper and coat all sides. In a large pot heat olive oil and butter and brown well on all sides of roast. Remove, cover and set aside. Saute onions, carrots and celery for about 5 minutes, add garlic. Pour in wine, tomato sauce, broth and rosemary. Cover and let simmer for 2 hours, add potatoes and leave lid off for an additional half hour.

Chef Chuck's Stuffed Pork Chops

Braciole di Maiale Farcito


A succulent pork chop with focaccia apple stuffing is a heart warming meal. Cooked to perfection this chop remains moist and tender. I brown the chop in butter and olive oil and transfer to a heated oven to finish the cooking.


Stuffed Pork Chops
2 pounds bone in pork chops
2 cups stuffing
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste


Wash and make a cut to form a pocket in the pork chop. Bring chop to room temperature about 1 hour. Make your stuffing and gently place in pocket of chop. Heat frying pan add oil and butter and brown both sides of pork chop. Continue cooking in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. The internal temperature should be 160, I remove from oven at 155 because it still cooks when out of the oven. Let rest a few minutes and serve with a green vegetable.

Chef Chuck's Roasted Lemon Sage Chicken

Pollo al Limone Salvia Arrosto


This succulent roasted lemon sage chicken, left an inviting aroma in our home. It was a gift from our neighbor, a free range organic plump chicken. We surrounded the chicken with potatoes, onions, artichokes, olives, olive oil and fresh lemon juice. This juicy choice chicken was a dinner to remember.


Roasted Lemon Sage Chicken
2-4 pound whole organic chicken
4 stems of fresh sage leaves, about 1/3 cup
4-5 red russet potatoes, quartered
4 small onions, halved
1/2 cup marinated artichokes, quartered
1/4 cup kalamati olives, halved
2 lemons
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper


Rub


2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
salt and pepper


Soak whole chicken in a salt bath for 30 minutes, rinse and place in roasting pan. Place 2 stems of sage inside chicken along with 1 lemon quartered and squeezed and half a lemon in opening. Arrange potatoes, onions, artichokes, olives, around the chicken, drizzle olive oil, juice of half a lemon, salt and pepper. Combine ingredients of the rub and rub all over the chicken. Bake at 400 degrees, uncovered for 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Chef Chuck's Roasted Vegetables

Verdure Arrosto


Roasted vegetables are a colorful dish packed with vitamins that are good for our bodies. Any variety of organic vegetables will do including eggplant, squash or asparagus. Use a quality olive oil and just a drizzle of balsamic vinegar to make these veggies a wonderful spring time dish.


Roasted Vegetables
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
1 white onion, quartered
4 red potatoes, sliced
2 zucchini's, sliced
12 baby bella mushrooms
8 grape tomatoes
1/2 cup broccoli, florets
1/2 cup baby carrots
5 garlic cloves
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper


Cut vegetables and arrange on a baking sheet generously add olive oil, drizzle balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Let marinate for 1 hour, preheat oven to 425 degrees and broil for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Chefs Chuck's Italian Roast Beef

Roastbeef all'Italiana

Roast beef is the ultimate dinner, so elegant and delicious. A great meal reserved for the weekends when you have time to cook this slow tender roast. Before cooking always allow roast to warm up to room temperature. After cooking let rest 15 minutes before carving. I use the round tip roast you could use a rump roast, or sirloin tip. Served with mashed potatoes, gravy and those sweet balsamic carrots with pine nuts. Tomorrow we will have great roast beef sandwiches on our picnic!

Italian Roast Beef
3 pound round tip roast

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

2 garlic cloves

4 sprigs fresh thyme

4 sprigs fresh oregano
3/4 cup red wine
1 cup water

1 cup beef broth

Bring roast to room temperature about 1 hour. Wash and pat dry rub with olive oil and generously add salt and pepper. In a large pan add olive oil and brown on all sides. Place roast on a rack in a roasting pan. De glaze pan with 1/2 cup wine then add 1 cup water, garlic, thyme, and oregano. Pour juice and herbs on top of roast and cook at 200 degrees. Cook 3 1/2 hours or till internal temperature is 130 degrees, which is rare. Let rest for 15 minutes, covered before slicing. De glaze pan with beef broth and 1/4 cup wine, add salt and pepper to taste reduce 1/3.