5 – 6 lb beef bladebone chuck roast
Flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 T salad oil
1/2 c chopped celery
1 c chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 c tomato juice
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
Rosemary
Basil
About a lb pared and chopped carrots, maybe 1/2 in long
Egg noodles

Coat roast in the following mixture:  1 /4 c flour, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper.  (We used a bit less salt for our test of this, and a bit more pepper.)  Brown the roast in a large skillet or wok, over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, and garlic, saute until golden.  Add tomato juice, 1/4 c water, Worcestershire, and other spices.  Bring to boiling, reduce heat, and simmer, covered and turning meat once, for 2 hours.  Add carrots, simmer 30 minutes longer, or until meat and carrots are tender.  While that last simmer is happening, cook your noodles as per their instructions.  Transfer roast and carrots to heated serving plate, Surround with noodles.  Keep warm.  Pour pan drippings into 2 c measure.  Skim off fat and discard.  Add enough water to make sure you have 1 1/2 cups.  Return to pan.  In small bowl or shakeable container, combine 2 T flour with 2 T water, mix until smooth.  Stir into pan juice.  Bring to boiling, stirring frequently, lower heat, and simmer until thickened.  Reseason, if desired.  Serve over roast.

Last night’s dinner.  Went over rather well, especially when my partner’s reaction to the picture of the dish was twitchy and involved commentary about how the “potato puffs” looked like fungal growths.

<strong>Beef Mix:</strong>

1 lb ground beef

1/2 c chopped onion (I used around a cup)

1/2 c chopped green pepper (I used a whole pepper, probably came out to around a cup)

1/2 c chopped celery

1 pkg frozen peas, partially thawed (The recipe called for 10 oz, the package I used was 14)

1 T flour

1 tsp chili powder (I used a tsp and a half)

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 c catsup

1 c tomato juice (since we get the small set for drinking cans, this ended up being 11 oz)

1 T Worcestershire sauce

<strong>Potato Puffs:</strong>

1 1/2 c mashed potatos

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp grated onion

1 T parsley flakes

1/3 c dry bread crumbs

1/4 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 375.

In large skillet, over medium heat, slowly brown beef, leaving it in large chunks.  Add onion, green pepper, and celery – cook, stirring until it is aptly cooked for your tastes.  Add peas.  Blend flour with chili powder, salt, and pepper – quickly stir into the meat mixture.  Add catsup, tomato juice, and W-sauce.  Cover, simmer five minutes, or until you have the potato puff mixture ready.

In medium bowl, combine all the puff ingredients, blend well.

Put the meat mixture in a 2 quart casserole (3 quart if you increased amount the way I did).  Drop tablespoons of puff mixture into the meat mixture.  Cover.  Bake 30 minutes.  You can also do everything up to actually putting it in the oven, and then hold off beginning cooking until close to mealtime.  However, if it cools down, add 15-30 minutes to the cooking time.

3 lb chuck pot roast

2 T oil

5 medium carrots, pared and cut in 2 inch lengths

5 medium onions, peeled and quartered

1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 T wine vinegar

6 juniper berries

1 tsp salt

2 lbs sauerkraut

Trim any fat from beef.  In hot oil in a 5 qt Dutch oven, brown beef, turning on all sides.  Add carrots, onions, thyme, 2 1/2 c water, vinegar, juniper berries, and salt.  Cover and cook over medium heat for 2 hours, turning once.  Wash and drain the sauerkraut, add to beef, cook covered for another half hour, stirring occasionally.   Serve.