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.

Simmered Sirloin Tip Steak with a Mushroom Gravy

Sirloin Tip steaks are a somewhat more inexpensive cut of steak that can be prepared straight-up (if done right) but that also lend themselves to marinading or simmering/slow-cooking.



Today we are going to look at a way to make this cut in a Dutch Oven or large saucepan, that not only produces a steak that is incredibly moist but that also cooks in what becomes its mushroom gravy.

First, you need to take out your steaks and season them on both sides with salt and black pepper to taste. I like to season very liberally. Then sprinkle some flour over the steaks on both sides as well. Let the seasoned steaks stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In the bottom of your Dutch Oven or a large saucepan heat some olive oil over medium-high heat on the stove-top and brown the steaks for 2-4 minutes a side. Remove the steaks and set aside leaving all the juices and oil in the bottom of the Dutch Oven. 

Add more olive oil if required and then add around 2 lbs. of sliced mushrooms and one medium chopped onion, season to taste with salt and pepper, and saute for around 5-7 minutes or until done to your liking. 

When the mushrooms and onion are done, add the steaks back to the Dutch Oven and add enough beef stock to just cover them. To this add 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce. 

Bring to a boil and then  reduce heat and let them simmer for around 1 1/2 hours or until the steaks are moist. When ready they will be easy to cut with a fork! They will be that tender. This should be done covered, but with the lid slightly off at one corner or edge. 

When  the steaks are ready, remove them from the liquid and let them rest on a platter. To the liquid add about 1 tablespoon of flour and whisk it in until there is no clumping and the liquid has thickened. 

Top the steaks with the gravy and mushrooms and serve. These go perfectly with mashed or "smashed" potatoes, rice, a rustic bread and, of course, red wine!

Enjoy. 

See also: Sauteed Garlic Pepper Steak with Provencal Mushrooms and Onions

See also: Beef Shank Potato Carrot Dutch Oven Casserole -- Revisiting an 80's Leftover Roast Beef Recipe

Sauteed Seasoned Chicken Breasts in a Garlic Mushroom Sauce

Today I want to take a look at one of my favourite ways to make chicken breast.

While this recipe works equally well with boneless skinless chicken thighs, it is designed for boneless skinless chicken breast.


While Italian seasoning can be used -- or oregano, salt and pepper -- this dish also benefits greatly from the use of a Herbs-de-Provence seasoning blend.

The first step is to take about 2 cups

of sliced fresh mushrooms, season them liberally with the Herbs-de-Provence seasoning and salt and pepper to taste, and saute them in extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in a large saucepan over medium high heat for about 5 minutes until tender and golden brown.


Remove the mushrooms from the saucepan and set aside. Do not drain or clean the pan.

Now take 4-6 chicken breasts and also season liberally with the herb blend and salt and pepper to taste. Add some more EVOO to the pan and then brown the chicken breasts 5 minutes a side over medium-high heat.

When fully browned, set aside the breasts on a platter and add 3-4 minced cloves of garlic to the pan. Saute the garlic for around 2 minutes over medium heat taking care not to burn it, add the breasts back to the pan atop the sauteed garlic, top the breasts with the sauteed mushrooms and then cover the breasts and the mushrooms with cream of mushroom soup.

You will need 2-3 medium sized (541 ml.) cans of ready made cream of mushroom soup so as to fully cover the breasts. If you do not have ready made, simply use condensed and blend with the required amount of milk prior to adding to the pan.

Season again over top with the herb blend, cover, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and simmer for 15 minutes more until fully cooked. (If unsure chicken breasts are fully cooked when they have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees at the thickest point).

Serve covered with the garlic mushroom sauce.

This delicious dish goes perfectly with rice or egg noodles, pairs well with white or red wine and is great with a rustic style country bread or baguette.

Enjoy!

Standing Prime Rib Roast done two ways: On the BBQ or in the oven with mushroom gravy

There is something truly special about a standing Bone-In Prime Rib Roast, despite the costs associated with them. But, if you can either get them on sale or use them as a terrific substitute for the equally expensive and often far less tasty holiday turkeys or hams, they are well worth the investment.

Though only, we should note from the start, if they are cooked to a proper rare to medium rare. There is simply no point in cooking a Prime Rib Roast if you intend to cook it beyond this point of "doneness". 

Previously I blogged about how to do more "inferior" roasts using the Hi-Low heat method. This method is, in my opinion, also the perfect way to cook the royalty of roasts. Follow these instructions exactly to oven cook a Prime Rib roast with two exceptions. 

First, a Prime Rib Roast does not need the olive oil. Its delightful fat layering and marbling will take care of the moistening that the olive oil is a substitute for.

Also, it is called a "standing" rib roast for a reason. Being bone-in, the roast will come with a curved bone rack on the underside. You want to stand the roast up while cooking, bone side down, fat side up. For smaller roasts, 4 pounds or less, you might find that they fall over at some point during the cooking, but that is OK. Whether the roast falls over or not, you must never, under any circumstances, open the oven. 

When the roast is done, and has been allowed to sit as outlined, I am always partial to cutting the slices a little on the thicker side. The photo at the start shows both the size and doneness that I think makes for a perfect Prime Rib Roast. This will have a great and contrasting texture,  will be incredibly moist, and will be full of flavour.

If you want a gravy, and why wouldn't you, take the tray that you cooked the Prime Rib in and leave all the drippings in it. Add some mushrooms, place it on a medium-low burner and stir to brown them. Add salt and pepper to taste as you go. After a few minutes, add a cup of beef stock and, if you want, a little red wine, and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer, adding a tablespoon or two of flour to let it thicken to taste, stirring this in to ensure that it fully dissolves. Simmer and blend down to your desired thickness.

Different people like very different gravies. You will find yours!  

If you want to try for something a little different, and truly spectacular, you can do the Prime Rib Roast over charcoal on the BBQ using the indirect method. This always sounds daunting, but is, in fact, rather easy once you get the hang of it (though you should not let family or friends know that!). 



This method only really works for roasts that are 3-4 lbs or less, so if you are having a few folks over, you will have to do at least two.

First, after following the instructions for starting up the charcoal grill that I laid out in a previous post, instead of dumping all the charcoal in the centre, you must instead divide the hot coals into two separate piles along the side of the BBQ drum, leaving the centre without coals. This can be done with a cheap accessory fitted side tray for charcoal made by Weber and other companies, or by simply piling it!

When BBQing prime rib I suggest using a Montreal Style steak spice as you would on any steak. Coat the roast liberally on all sides with it, other than the bone-in side. As always, leave the roast to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.

After you have the separated coals glowing a red or white hot, take the Prime Rib and put it directly over one of the piles for 5 minutes a side. You want to get grill marks and that lovely searing.



Once you have done this, put the roast in the centre of the grill, with no coals underneath. If it will stand, fine, but usually you are better off to simply rest it one side down and flip it half-way through.

You need to cook the roast a further 15 minutes per lb., again making sure to evenly spread the time out in terms of what side is cooking, to get a medium-rare. You should do this "lid on" for the most part, keeping the flue open, and taking the top off every few minutes to allow the coals to get hotter again. You will get the hang of it. 

 If you do not like the timed method, simply check the roast for "give" as you would a steak.

After done, let the roast sit for only 5 minutes, uncovered,  as opposed to the 15 for an oven roast. Again, I suggest slightly thicker slicing.

The BBQ method is incredibly flavorful and worth the effort. The Prime Rib will come out wonderfully juicy and moist, but also with a distinctive smokey charcoal grilled  taste that is impossible to acheive any other way. It is truly delicious.

Enjoy!