HealthNotes

Italian Pot Roast with Onion Sauce

• From: 12 Best Foods Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 (2-pound) piece top round

• 8 large onions, thinly sliced (about 12 cups)

• 1 carrot, finely chopped

• 1/2 rib celery, finely chopped

• 2 Tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley

• 1 tsp rubbed sage

• 1/4 tsp white peppercorns

• 1 cup dry white wine

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 tsp tomato paste

• 1 lb rigatoni pasta

• grated Parmesan cheese

This Neapolitan-style pot roast produces an intense, brown onion gravy that is the true goal of the recipe since the meat gives all its to flavor the sauce. Good enough to spoon from a bowl, it is the ultimate extravagance served on rigatoni.

Directions

• Place the meat in a large, deep saucepan or a small Dutch oven. Arrange the onions, carrot, and celery over the meat. Add the parsley, sage, and peppercorns. Pour in the wine. Add 8 cups cold water and the salt. Bring the liquid just to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer gently, uncovered, until strands of meat pull away when lifted with a fork, 3 to 3 1/2 hours. As the liquid evaporates, turn the meat every 20 minutes so it cooks evenly. Remove the meat and set it aside. Mix the tomato paste into the sauce that remains in the pot. (You will have about 4 cups of sauce.)
• Cook the pasta according to package directions. Divide it among 8 wide shallow bowls. Reheat the sauce if necessary and ladle it over the pasta. Serve accompanied by grated Parmesan cheese. Serve the pot roast, very thinly sliced, on the side.