What is braising? A classic method of cooking less-tender cuts of meat and vegetables, braising starts with a pan-sear so the food gains colour and flavour. It’s then cooked gently, covered, in barely bubbling liquid until exceedingly tender.

Slow-cooker Sunday sauce

Serves 10
Prep time: 40 minutes
Total time: 8 hours, 40 minutes

Ingredients:

2 kg beef roast, such as eye of round, blade or cross rib
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil
1 cup diced pancetta or 3 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 heaping cup)
1 celery stalk, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 carrot, peeled and diced (about 1/2 cup)
550 g sliced cremini mushrooms
3 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
156 ml tomato paste
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp hot, red chili flakes
1 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
796 ml whole tomatoes

 Method:

1. Pat meat very dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. Season with fresh pepper. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high. Add oil, then meat. Brown well on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a slow cooker insert.

2. Return pan to medium. Add pancetta. Cook, stirring often, until almost crisp, about 3 minutes. Add onion, celery, carrot, mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, sugar and chili flakes and cook for 2 minutes. Add wine and increase heat to medium-high. Add tomatoes and their juices. Boil for 1 minute, then transfer to slow cooker insert. Cover with lid and cook until fork-tender, 8 to 10 hours on low.

3. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to carefully transfer the meat to a cutting board. Cover with foil to keep warm. Skim off any fat from the liquid and discard. If the sauce is watery (depends on the cut of meat used), transfer to a large frying pan and boil for 15 minutes to thicken. If not, keep warm. When meat is cool enough to handle, slice and serve with sauce. Cut any remaining meat into strips or cubes and combine with remaining sauce. Toss with cooked rigatoni for another meal. Meat and sauce freeze well up to 2 weeks.

Per serving: 388 calories, 52 g protein, 15 g carbs, 13 g fat, 3 g fibre, 601 mg sodium. Excellent source of vitamin B6.

Courtesy Claire Tansey
Chatelaine.com
@tanseyclaire
@Chatelaine