Lazy Day Sirloin Roast w. Shallots and Mushrooms

Today's recipe is inspired by all the recipes I have seen over the years in various vintage community cookbooks that had names like "Easy Sunday Supper" or "Workday Quick Family Feast", etc. These were generally hearty meals that were relatively simple to make but very tasty and used a "cheat" of some kind or another such as canned soup.

Here we are going to make a slow cooker pot roast that is perfect for a lazy fall or winter day. It cooks in its gravy for 8 hours and will make your house or apartment feel extra warm and cozy with its wonderful aromas.

For this recipe you want to use a 3-5 lb. pot roast style beef roast such as a Sirloin Tip or Blade.

To begin, prior to starting cooking take out your roast and season it all over liberally with sea salt, black pepper and mustard powder. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature and then brown on all four sides in a large frying pan using olive oil. It will generally will take 60-90 seconds a side. 

Place your browned beef roast in your slow cooker. Add approximately 1 lb. of chopped cremini mushrooms. Then add 2 large or 3 medium sized sliced shallots and 2 to 3 cloves of minced garlic.

Once you have done this pour in enough beef stock to just cover the roast completely. Then add one full packet of a beef roast gravy mix. Use whichever one is your favourite but I used McCormick Gourmet Roast Gravy mix. Finally add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.

Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 8 hours. It will come out fall apart moist when you start to carve.

Let sit on a platter for ten minutes before carving. Once carved top with lots of the gravy liquid as well as the onions and mushrooms. It pairs very nicely with all the traditional beef roast sides like mashed potatoes.

One option is, instead of doing traditional slices, to shred some or all of the roast with two forks and serve it by putting it all back in the gravy in the slow cooker for serving. You can even do this as a sandwich on kaisers or rolls. 

Either way, a lazy day treat.

Enjoy.

Top Sirloin Roast in a Red Wine Garlic Jus

Today we are going to take a look at doing a top sirloin beef roast in the oven with a red wine jus where you brown the roast in olive oil prior to roasting.

This method provides a terrific balance of texture and flavour, especially if cooked to an ideal rare-medium or medium-rare. It is perfect for a 3-4 pound roast.

To begin, take out the roast and season liberally with sea salt and black pepper and then sprinkle with a tablespoon of mustard powder. Let sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.

In a large saucepan heat some olive oil to medium-high and then brown the roast on all sides for at least 5 minutes a side to get a good texture.

Set your roast in a roasting pan.

Add 1 1/2 to 2 cups of red wine to the pan. You want to use a hearty wine that pairs well with beef. I used Bulls Blood Merlot-Keikfrankos from Hungary. Then sprinkle six minced cloves of garlic over the roast and into the wine in the pan. Pour two tablespoons of  Worcestershire sauce over the roast and then, finally, sprinkle the roast with about a tablespoon of dried basil leaves.

Place the roast in an oven preheated to 350. Roast for approximately 20 minutes a pound to get medium rare. If you want to test doneness by temperature you can use this handy chart. 

Let the roast rest for 10 minutes prior to carving.

Carve onto a large platter and then spoon some of the red wine jus from the pan over the beef slices just prior to serving.

Be sure to reserve some of the jus for people to spoon over their own servings. Pairs well with rice, a crusty French-style bread and, of course, more red wine.

Enjoy.

See also: Beef Roast with an Onion Jus

See also: Simmered Beef in Gravy

A Taste of London in Food and in Pictures w. Potted Cheese, Yorkshire Pudding, Chelsea Buns and more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: A Taste of London in Food and in Pictures, Theodora Fitzgibbon


Publication Details: Pan, 1976

A Taste of London in Food and in Pictures is as much a social history and vintage photography collection as it is a cookbook. This should, I suspect, make it rather appealing to many readers of The Left Chapter and it is well worth seeking out a used copy.

The book gives a variety of classic and traditional British recipes each of which is accompanied by a photo and text that either details the photo or provides background about the dish in question. Altogether it is fascinating culinary portrait of a London past. A London almost of fable as this is the London, good and bad, of Dickens and Sherlock Holmes.

There is much I had to leave out here, such as recipes for Bubble and Squeak, Crumpets, and Pigeon Pie. It was hard to pare it down but I chose some for their historic resonance such as Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding, and others for their novelty such as Stuffed Roast Veal with Anchovy Sauce.

You can look forward to some adaptations of lamb and beef recipes from this cookbook that we are not including here but will be sharing shortly.

(Click on images to enlarge)

 See also: The Pauper's Cookbook: A Cookbook for the People from the 1970's U.K.

See also: Mary Poppins in the Kitchen w. Dundee Cake, Welsh Rarebit, Yorkshire Pudding & more! -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Beef Roast with an Onion Jus

Today we are going to take a look at a method of making a beef roast that is then served "au jus" with a light onion gravy.

This recipe is ideal to use with the more inexpensive rump, round or blade roasts. It should be between 3-6 pounds.

To begin, take out your roast and season it all over very liberally with salt and black pepper. Then season the roast as well with 1 tablespoon of dry mustard powder and 1 tablespoon of garlic powder.

Let the roast sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat your oven to 500 degrees.

Place the roast in a shallow roasting pan and pour into the bottom of the pan around 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups of beef broth (depending on the size of the roast) and half to 3/4 of a large packet of onion soup mix.

Place the roast in the broth into the oven and sear at 500 degrees for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes reduce the heat to 275 and roast for 15-20 minutes per pound for rare to medium rare.

If you need to you can reference a handy "doneness" chart with internal temperatures for roasts here.

When done, remove the roast to a platter and let sit 10 minutes before carving.

After you have carved the roast pour or spoon the liquid from the pan over the roast and serve.

While very simple, this is an absolutely delicious way to prepare and serve a roast.

Enjoy.

See also: Beef Chuck Chili with Jalapeno Cornbread

See also: Boneless Slow Roasted Pork Loin Roast

1923's Purity Flour Cook Book w. Lemon Meringue Pie, Roast Chicken, Homemade Bread & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: Purity Flour Cook Book 

Publication Details: Western Canada Flour Mills Co. 1923

The Purity Flour cookbooks are an amazing series that spanned decades and that featured dozens of classic recipes that, of course, featured flour as one of their key ingredients.

Most often this is as old-school and home-style North American as one gets, especially with the earlier editions.

But they really do stand the test-of-time and the cookbooks are a delight for bakers, with sections replete with cookies, rolls, breads and cakes. But there are also plenty of mains, gravies and sides.

In fact, a Purity Flour cookbook is, in my opinion, a truly wonderful addition to a cookbook collection as pleasing to browse and peruse as a Joy of Cooking or any of the other standards.

The edition we are featuring today is from 1923.  It is densely packed with nearly 200 pages of recipes, most pages with 5-6 in two columns. I am especially fond of its simple full colour illustrations. The recipe for roast chicken is a stand-out as are any of the baking ones.

One of the recipes, you will note, comes highly recommended by a previous owner!

And, of course, lest it need be said, you can use any flour in place of where a recipe calls for the once grand brand.

(click on images to enlarge)