Crock Pot Roast Beef with Giardinera

I have been making this roast for over 20 years, everyone who eats it wants the recipe, my family loves it and it’s almost embarrassing how simple it is to put together! I usually make it one or two times a year, about as many times as I use my crock pot. It’s perfect for the fall weather and goes wonderful with either polenta, potato gnocchi or buttered egg noodles on the side.


The cut of meat you get is either a rump roast or a top round. Make slits in the roast with a knife and then stuff slivers of garlic all around. Generously salt and pepper the roast and sprinkle with dried oregano. How easy is that?

The star of this dish is a large bottle of giardinera. Giardinera is a delicious condiment with a mixture of usually carrots, celery, olives, cauliflower, onion, and of course hot or mild peppers, brined and covered with oil, without it it just wouldn’t be the same! I hope you could find it in your neck of the woods but here in Chicago I can get it everywhere. There are recipes on the web if you want to make your own.

The other two ingredients are optional, tiny pearl onions and just a bit of stock, less than a cup, but honestly a little water would do just fine!

Just get a nice sear on your roast before you stick it in the crock pot, then pour the whole bottle of drained giardinera on top and then add your water or broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until very tender, it will make plenty of flavorful juice, enough to spoon over your cut roast or to toss in with some buttered noodles. I’ve also made this in the oven, searing it first, same way but with tin foil laid on top for half the time at 350F, it all depends on what size roast you have.

I personally like to make it the day before we eat it, because when the meat is cold it slices perfectly plus all those flavors get to infuse altogether overnight.

It’s amazing how something so simple can tastes so good! Buon Appetito!

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Scenes from Chicago Gourmet 2011

Last sunday I attended Chicago Gourmet, an interactive epicurian event showcasing more
than 100 of Chicago’s finest restaurants and chefs as well as hundreds of renowned vitners, spirit makers and premium breweries from all over the world. The event was held in beautiful Millennium Park where guests enjoyed live cooking demos, seminars, gourmet tastings and book signings by popular chefs, master sommeliers and winemakers.

I was fortunate to get a front row seat to view the cooking demo between Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto, NYC and Mary Sue Milliken of Border Grill, both appeared as contestants on Top Chef Masters, and both said it was one of the hardest things they ever did. It was fun hearing about some of the behind the scene stuff that went on and all the late night partying!

Chef Milliken made quinoa fritters and dulce de leche churros while Chef Waxman was making homemade potato gnocchi that was pan fried and then tossed with diced eggplant, tomatoes, corn, basil and garlic, a recipe from his new book, Italian, My Way.

His tips for making light and airy gnocchi is never working the dough too long and treating it nice and gentle. He also likes to freeze them before they’re cooked. His favorite way of cooking them is pan fried straight from the freezer right into the pan with olive oil.

There were tastings from awesome Chicago restaurants, it was a little mind boggling at times because you would go from crab to meatballs, then to mussels, asian, steak, etc, etc.

Note to self, not good to mix foods!

I must say one of my favorite tastings was from Frontera Grill, I love shrimp tacos and this was bursting with flavor!

These beautiful platters weren’t too bad either situated near all the tasting tents for all the wineries and other spirits.

Apparently infused vodka and rum is the hot new thing with flavors like, apple, whipped, citrus, espresso, mango, melon, cotton candy, cake and butterscotch just to name a few!

There were lots of cocktails being shaken and poured all day long, I must say these were very popular tents!

Trays and trays of beautiful ruby red crab gazpacho and the most delicious spicy bloody marys with blue cheese stuffed olives, so good!

And of course dessert, there’s always room for dessert, especially when it’s some Illy coffee and a cannoli!

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Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Fettuccine in Foil

Lately we’ve been loving roasted red pepper sauce, a simple combination of homemade marinara blended with roasted red peppers creates a dynamic flavor combination, toss it in some pasta and it is hard to resist!

Every couple of weeks or so I make a huge pot of marinara, I buy a 6lb can of San Marzano tomatoes, saute 12 to 15 cloves of chopped garlic in 3/4 cup of olive oil, 5 teaspoons of salt, pepper and lots of basil, sometimes I might add a small onion but most times I don’t.

After it simmers for a good while I let it cool down, pour it into containers and stick it in the freezer for when ever I need it. In this case I held one out to make my roasted red pepper sauce.

I suggest roasting your own peppers, I personally don’t like the flavor of the jarred ones and besides, they’re too watery for this recipe. I put mine which were drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper under the broiler, keep watching them until they’re soft and slightly charred. Peel the skin off and whirl them in your food processor.

Look at that color isn’t it beautiful? Now all you have to do is spoon your already highly flavored marinara into the mix, as much as you want accordingly to your own taste, until you reach the perfect balance of pepper verses tomato. The more pepper flavor the better, that’s what you’re aiming for here.
My al’ dente cooked fettuccine was then tossed with that luscious roasted red pepper sauce, pre roasted eggplant, cherry tomatoes, zucchini and artichokes, I added in some olives, lots of basil and parsley.

For a rustic presentation I placed it into individual foil packets and top it with a few pieces of fresh mozzarella, seal it tight and put it in a 350F oven for 15 minutes until cheese gets gooey and heated through.
So Good!

Buon Appetito!
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