Weathering Frankenstorm Sandy

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By Lori Powell

I am hoping that all of our Special Fork audience is safe and sound and hunkered down, weathering the aftermath of this storm with good eats and good company!

As mentioned in prior blog posts, I keep a well-stocked larder and have an upright freezer that is usually at least halfway filled with edible gold. So, to insure the freezer stuff, I am one of the fortunate ones who owns a generator.

Funny thing is, as soon as you buy a generator (I bought mine several years ago), the occasion requiring you to turn it on never seems to happen…believe me, I am not complaining.

Then there’s always the gas grill, if need be, to finish a dish if the generator decides to be on the fritz. One year I had to finish a whole Thanksgiving dinner on the grill when the power went out halfway through cooking the meal. A gas grill is a lifesaver…so keep that tank filled, even in winter.

Whenever there is a big storm, I'm not the one picking up eggs and bread, but instead I'm grabbing the larger, cheaper cuts of meat that cook for hours and perfume the air all day. I figure that since I am going to have to stay inside all day, I can at least celebrate the bad with a good meal and share it with neighbors who are less fortunate.

So today, this is not a blog for One or Two bites, but maybe one for many bites! What I was able to find at the market that looked good was a smaller pork shoulder with skin and a very small boneless chuck steak. In my pantry were onions, garlic, olive oil, spices. In my fridge: stock, parsnips, turnips, (from my last post), and sliced carrots. From the freezer: pearl onions and green peas (love them). From my garden, which includes a rosemary tree and bay leaf tree, fresh herbs. Oh, and I always have a bottle or two of white and red wine.

My pot luck roast, cooked in my grandmother’s Griswold Cast-Iron Dutch Oven, to ward off the Hurricane Sandy blues, is below! Also along with it, I received lots of grateful thanks and praise by neighbors that were not as lucky.

Sorry for the vegetarians but if you are to make this recipe when the power is back up, omit the bacon and the roast and switch up the beef broth to veggie broth. Serve the delicious veggies over couscous or rigatoni with some shaved Parmesan. Oh, and don’t forget a bottle of some good red wine and share the leftovers!

Keep safe, warm and stay thoughtful to those in need.

To get the recipe and shopping list on your smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android device) or PC, click here.

Pot Roast with Red Wine and Veggies
Serves a few plus more

1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 bag (16 ounces) frozen peeled pearl onions
1 package (8 ounces) of small button mushrooms
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
2 turnips, peeled and cut into chunks
4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 cups dry red wine
2 cups beef broth
2 cups frozen peas
4 ounces pre-sliced carrots
12 ounces dried wide egg noodles, cooked (optional)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)

1. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil of the oil in a Dutch oven or 5-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat and brown beef on all sides, about 12 minutes. Transfer beef to plate.
2. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat and cook pearl onions, stirring, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring until golden, about 6 minutes. Transfer to bowl with spoon. Add 1 tablespoon more of oil and cook parsnips, and turnips, stirring until golden brown, about 7 minutes (adding garlic in last minute of cooking).
3. Return onions and mushrooms with bay leaves and rosemary to pot. Add wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add broth and nestle beef into mixture. Cover and cook on low at a low simmer, until fork tender, 2 ½ to 3 hours. Stir in peas and carrot and cook, covered, until peas and carrots are tender, about 5 minutes more. Discard bay leaves. Let beef stand, uncovered in sauce for 30 minutes before serving.
4. Serve beef broken into chunks with sauce that you have re-seasoned with salt and pepper to taste and accompany with vegetables. If desired serve over cooked egg noodles tossed with 2 tablespoons unsalted butter.

Tips: Sprinkle with fresh parsley or dill. Serve over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, couscous or pasta.

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2. Going Meatless with Eggplant Parm Stacks
3. Sandwich Dinners to the Rescue
4. Cooking with Kids
5. Shaved Raw Beet Salad