Onion Braised Beef Roast

* We linked this post at the Hearth and Soul Hop at A Moderate Life and Simple Lives Thursday at GNOWFGLINS *

This is one of the simplest recipes I've made in months.  It has only 5 ingredients, but the flavor achieved by the long, slow braise in nothing but onion juice is really incredible.  This one came from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.  I added 50% more onion that it called for, and used a larger rump roast (the original calls for a 2 lb roast, I think mine was closer to 4).

There is no liquid added to this recipe -- just the onions.  As they cook down they caramelize into a delicious sweet and savory sauce.  Turning the roast frequently in the oven bastes it with this sauce, infusing the meat with a rich onion flavor reminiscent of French onion soup.  If you use a good cut of meat (one with some fat and connective tissue) it will come out fall-apart tender and nice and moist. The best part is that if you're quick with a knife, you can have this recipe in the oven in 10 minutes flat!

Menu for 3/8/11 -- Boeuf Bourguignon and Caramelized Endives with Poached Pears

Tonight was a quick meal kind of night here at the Dude2 household, so I decided to use some of my leftover Boeuf Bourguignon, accompanied by a recipe for caramelized endives out of Seven Fires.  We also had some extra D'Anjou pears laying around begging for attention, so I decided on a whim to make some poached pears with red wine syrup for dessert (that's the picture above).  I'd never made them like that before, and I have to say it was really good.  And very easy.  Here are the recipes:

Grilling Steaks, Dude2 style

I just returned to Missouri from a quick trip to New Mexico, where I had the opportunity to demonstrate the way I grill grass fed meat for Dude1. I can't really claim credit for the method, as I learned it from The Farmer and The Grill (another good cookbook), but I did have to adapt my style a little for different equipment.

I generally grill exclusively on hardwood lump charcoal, but Dude1 doesn't have such a grill yet. He does have a fancy gas grill though, so we did a little experiment to recreate the smoky, fiery atmosphere that my steaks usually cook in on his gas grill.

Menu for 2/17/2011 - French Onion Soup (Dude2)

Tonight, I made French onion soup, gratineed with a whole wheat sourdough crouton and Swedish Fontina cheese. Vegetables arrived in the form of a simple side salad with Ume Plum vinaigrette. I modded the French onion soup recipe according to my own tastes, and the result was awesome if you ask me.