GERALDINE’S POT ROAST (for eight)

 

one 4 to 5 pound brisket or rump roast

salt and freshly ground black pepper

all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cups red wine

1-1/2 cups beef stock

1 cup green olives, pitted and chopped

1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons tomato paste

 

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1. Season the roast with salt and pepper and dust it with flour. In a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven with a tight lid, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat. Add the roast and brown it on all sides. Transfer the meat to a plate.

2. Add the remaining tablespoon oil to the pot and reduce the heat to medium low. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, red wine and stock and bring to a boil.

3. Return the meat to the pot, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Stir in the olives, mustard and tomato paste and simmer for an additional hour, until the meat is very tender.

4. Transfer the meat to a platter. If the sauce in the pot seems too watery, simmer, uncovered, until it thickens slightly. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and pour over the meat. Serve immediately.

 

from The New York Times Magazine, March 1, 1998