I’ve been in a bit of a brawl with my minute roast lately.   Perhaps it’s the name.   It’s a misnomer really, grossly playing on every home cook’s dream of turning out a luscious roast in nearly a minute…the name just plays with our expectations, don’t you think?   The minute roast, a common cut in kosher meat cookery, both because of its great flavor as well as its modest price, is quite versatile.   When split, the minute roast is the source of the much loved London Broil or can be sliced for minute steaks.   Making the most of your minute roast requires a bit of consideration, though.  Coming from the shoulder joint area of the animal, which gets a fair bit of exercise, there is a lot of muscular tissue and sinews, which make for a tougher piece of meat.   A grilled or broiled London Broil is excellent right off the grill or out of the broiler, but wait two hours to eat it and you might as well chew on a riding saddle.  So the choice of how to prepare this cut greatly depends on the needs of the cook: does it need to be prepared right before serving time or can it be done in advance…and will that taste good?  A tough cut such as this can become fall-apart tender when slow-roasted a brilliant solution that can be done in advance.   It may not have the same delectable crusty exterior of a flame-charred roast, but the warming mellow flavors resulting from a long slow cook have a special quality all their own.  In addition, slow roasting has the added benefit of more even cooking and less shrinkage, so your meat will stretch further.

Slow-roasting is best done between the temperatures of 200-250°F.  When roasting conventionally, I usually give my roasts a preliminary sear on a high temperature (like 450°F) for about 20-30 minutes.  In the case of slow roasting though, browning the roast for a minute or two on each side is sufficient to caramelize the exterior of the meat and enhance the flavor, preventing the outer layers of meat from being overcooked. 

When slow-roasting, you can expect very tender results, whether you like it rare, medium or well done.  I’ve even slow cooked a minute roast overnight until all the connective tissue melted away – granted, it was no longer a sliceable roast, but it sure made great sandwich fixings!  

The following recipe for Slow-Roasted BBQ Minute Roast is a great weeknight choice, as it can be started earlier in the day and cook until dinner time…it may take more than a minute, but it’s worth it!

Slow-Roasted BBQ Minute Roast

A flavorful homemade BBQ sauce glazes this tender roast, adding a boost of flavor.  Baste every hour or so.  As it reduces during the long cooking time, it will become deliciously concentrated.

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
• 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
• ¾ cup red wine vinegar
• 1½ cups ketchup
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/3 cup water
• ½ cup bourbon
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper (scant)
• ¾ tsp. dried thyme
• 3-4 lb. minute roast
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place 1 Tbsp. oil in a large, heavy saucepan and heat over medium-high heat.   Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 6 minutes.  Add vinegar, ketchup, molasses, water, bourbon, salt, pepper and thyme.  Stir to blend and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes to blend flavors.  (Sauce can be prepared one day ahead.  Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place 1-2 tsp. oil in a large skillet on high heat.   Place minute roast in skillet and brown each side for about 1 minute per side.  Transfer roast to a rack and place in a roasting pan.  Rub remaining oil all over the roast and season with freshly ground black pepper.  Pour sauce over roast and cook uncovered for 4-5 hours (or longer if you like it well-done), basting about once per hour.  For best results, test for doneness with a meat thermometer: 145°F= rare, 160°F =medium, 170°F =well.

Remove from oven and tent foil over roast, allowing roast to rest for 15-20 minutes.  Slice roast and serve with remaining sauce from the roasting pan.

Serves 6-8.

By Naomi Ross
 

Brrrr…it sure is cold outside.  Though it may have taken its time to arrive, winter is certainly upon us now.  There is something downright debilitating about the cold weather.  When it is biting outside, the cold seems to go right through your body.  It chills your bones, numbs your senses.  And so, beyond hibernation, when the thermometer drops I delight not only in big bushy woolen sweaters, but in hearty soups and stews bound to warm the soul.

“Marak” – Hebrew for “soup”- is derived from the word “mareik,” which means to cleanse.  When a soup is being cooked, the ingredients are cleansed, and the impurities are released.  Think of your chicken soup – the scum rises to the top and is then skimmed off.  Take it a step further.   Perhaps consuming soup cleanses a person’s ailments.  Chicken soup, the classic home remedy goes back way further than one could imagine.  The Talmud mentions Rabbi Abba, who was said to have consumed fowl that was soaked in hot water as a remedy (Shabbos 145b).  Maimonides prescribed chicken soup as a cure for individuals suffering from hemorrhoids (Treatise on Hemorrhoids).  And to this day, what nurses the common cold better than a bowl of mom’s chicken soup?

Hot and satisfying, a good soup can restore your health and mood on the coldest of days, arming you with renewed strength and energy.  The following recipe is one of my favorite winter soups and is certainly hearty enough to be considered a meal all by itself.   It features “flanken”, a Yiddish term referring to a small, juicy and tender rib.  The best soups are made with the best ingredients, so look for the freshest vegetables and the leanest flanken you can find, and don’t forget to freeze a container to warm up a cold night to come.

Meaty Mushroom and Barley Soup

White mushrooms can be used exclusively in this soup, but a combination of mushroom varieties will add more depth of flavor.  Cremini and/or baby bella mushrooms are wonderful choices in addition to the white mushrooms.

1. 1/3 cup dried porcini or wild mushrooms
2. 1 ½- 2 lbs. beef flanken, cut into 6-8 pieces
3. 3 quarts (12 cups) water
4. 2 medium onions, chopped
5. 2 large celery stalks, sliced
6. 2 large or 3 small carrots, peeled and sliced
7. 3 large garlic cloves, minced
8. 2 lbs. fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped
9. 1 cup pearl barley
10. 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
11. Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12. ¼ cup chopped parsley, for garnishing

Soak the dried mushrooms in enough hot water to cover for 20-30 minutes.  Strain the mushrooms in a sieve, reserving the water.  Coarsely chop the dried mushrooms.

Place 3 quarts water (not the mushroom water) and flanken in a large soup pot (at least 8-quart) over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer and skim off the foam that rises to the surface.  After all the impurities have been removed, add all of the remaining ingredients, including the chopped dried mushrooms and the reserved mushroom water.  Stir and raise heat until soup is boiling.  Reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer for one hour.  Season to taste with plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper.   If the soup is too thick, add some additional water.

Ladle soup into bowls, giving each serving a generous portion of the flanken.  Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

Serves 12.

By Naomi Ross

Gift bags, cellophane, tissue paper and sweets are starting to fill Jewish homes everywhere…it’s beginning to look a lot like Purim!  The giving of mishloach manot (gifts of food) may be the impetus for much excitement and imagination on Purim – all gussied up with themes and pretty ribbons – but decorated baskets and colorful costumes aren’t the only outlets for creativity on Purim.  Eating a lavish feast, one of the important obligations of the day, affords us every bit as much opportunity to “go crazy” in honor of the holiday.

In our home, each year we spice up our festive meal by choosing an international cuisine around which we plan the entire menu.  It’s been great fun having a “Down Home Purim”, and a “Purim Fiesta!”  This year, though, we decided to let one of the themes of the Purim story, namely, hester panim, be the theme of our meal.  Hester Panim means “hidden face,” referring to the notion that G-d watches and assists us even though we don’t see Him.  This is a key theme in the story of Purim, where the Jews were miraculously saved, even though no seas were split and no walls mysteriously crumbled.  In fact, that is the reason we wear costumes on Purim!  With that in mind, our guests will be discovering all kinds of hidden treats during the course of the meal this year.   From the mysteriously stuffed oven-roasted tomatoes to the beggar’s purses for dessert, we’ll keep ‘em guessing from start to finish!

An elegant choice for a “hidden” main entrée is the following recipe for a Veal Roulade stuffed with Butternut Squash.  A roulade is a French term for a thin slice of meat rolled around a filling.  It sounds complicated, involving all kinds of fancy techniques like “searing” and “deglazing”, but you’ll be surprised at how simple it is if you just follow the steps carefully.  Beautiful to the eye, this dish is well suited for a tender cut of meat such as a boneless breast of veal (a.k.a. “veal brisket”), but would also work well with a butterflied boneless turkey breast (be sure to type “butterflied” in the special instructions field when ordering online).   Once sliced, your guests will discover the flavorful stuffing hiding within.

Have a happy and tasty Purim!

Veal Roulade with Butternut Squash Stuffing and Maple-Wine Glaze

This elegant entrée can easily be doubled to serve a larger crowd.  For a 5 lb. brisket, cooking time after searing should be extended to 1½ hours at 350 degrees.

Serves 4-6.

Stuffing:

1. 3 Tbsp. olive oil
2. 1 cup (1 medium) onion, chopped
3. 1 garlic clove, minced
4. 2 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
5. 1 ½ tsp. fresh chopped thyme
6. 1 cup baby bella or crimini mushrooms, coarsely chopped
7. ¼ cup coarse fresh bread crumbs or panko bread crumbs
8. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add chopped onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until just translucent.  Add garlic and butternut squash, stirring to coat with oil.  Sauté for another 6 -7 minutes, or until squash starts to become tender.  Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Add thyme and mushrooms.  Stir to blend and sauté another 4-5 minutes, or until mushrooms begin to wilt. Turn heat off, and add bread crumbs to the pan, stirring to distribute.  Set mixture aside.

Roulade:

1. 2 Tbsp. olive oil
2. 1 tsp. paprika
3. ½ tsp. black pepper
4. 2 ¼ lbs. veal brisket
5. 10 pieces kitchen twine, approximately 16-18” long (for tying the roulade)
6. ½ cup dry white wine, divided
7. ¼ cup pure maple syrup
8. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine olive oil, paprika and black pepper in a small bowl.  Mix to blend and set aside. 

Lay brisket out flat on a large cutting board or work space.  Season the brisket with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Spread the stuffing mixture all over the brisket, leaving a 1 inch border all around.  Starting from one end, roll the brisket up, being careful that the stuffing doesn’t slide out.  Tie the roulade closed with kitchen twine at 1-2 inch intervals (if you are having trouble tying the roulade without it falling apart, secure with a few toothpicks and then remove them after you have finished tying it up).   Place the tied roulade in a heavy roasting pan and rub spice mixture all over the exterior. 

Place roulade in oven and sear for 15-20 minutes (exterior will be browned).  Pour ¼ cup white wine into the bottom of the roasting pan and cover with foil.   Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for approximately 45 minutes. 

Remove from oven and allow roulade to rest for 15 minutes.  Transfer roulade to a cutting board, reserving pan juices in the roasting pan.  Place roasting pan on stove over medium heat, scraping up browned bits with a spatula*.  Add maple syrup and remaining ¼ cup wine.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until sauce is thickened and slightly syrupy.  Remove from heat.  Skim off excess fat if necessary, and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

When ready to serve, snip pieces of twine and discard.  Slice roulade into 1” rounds, and carefully place on a serving platter.  Drizzle glaze over roulade slices.  Serve and enjoy.

* If your roasting pan is not suited for stovetop cooking, simply pour the pan juices and any scraped bits into a small saucepan and continue with directions.  If your pan is non-stick, be sure not to use a metal spatula!

   By Naomi Ross