Beef and Carrots with Marrow Bones and A Pig's Foot

Serves 4.

Time requirements: 30-40 minutes to prep, 2 hours to cook, and another 30 minutes to complete the dish.

What you will need:

A 3-pound boneless chuck roast.

1½ teaspoon kosher salt.

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

2 tablespoons olive oil.

2 pounds of carrots peeled and sliced into one-inch thick pieces. (Weigh the carrots after you have peeled and trimmed them.)

1 package of frozen pearl onions thawed and set to dry on a towel. (That’s about 14 ounces by weight.)

A bouquet garni made of 2 bay leaves, 1 narrow celery stalk (8 inches long), 4 sage leaves, 3 sprigs of thyme, 6 sprigs of parsley. Tie all together with a string.

1 cup red wine.

1 cup beef broth (from the store is fine).

2 beef marrow bones.

1 pig’s foot, split in half so there are two pieces.

1 tablespoon tomato paste.

4 garlic cloves, peeled.

2 tablespoons butter.

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour.

Chopped parsley for a garnish

Preparation:

Pat dry the chuck roast and place it on a clean work surface. Using a paring knife, remove any large sections of fat. Sprinkle the meat with the salt and pepper and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

While the meat rests, prepare the carrots, onions, bouquet garni, and measure and set aside all the other ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a 5-6-quart Dutch oven (one that has a tight-fitting lid) over a high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, brown the meat. It will take about 3-5 minutes on each side (top and bottom) to brown the meat. The meat will release itself from the bottom of the pan when it is brown. When the meat is brown, remove it to a plate.

Add the onions to the pan. Swirl them in the pan with a wooden spoon for a minute. Then add the wine and beef broth to deglaze the pan. When the wine and stock come to the boil, add the split pig’s feet to the pan with the bouquet garni between them. Add the marrow bones, tomato paste, and garlic. Place the meat a top everything in the pan and then scatter the carrots around and over the meat. Cover the pan with foil. Then place the lid on the pan. Place the pan in the oven and turn the oven down to 290 degrees F. Allow the meat to cook undisturbed for 2 hours.

When the meat comes out of the oven allow it to rest for thirty minutes. Then remove it, and the marrow bones, from the pan and set aside on a plate, cover with foil. Remove the pig’s foot and bouquet garni; discard these.

Place serving bowls to warm in the turned off oven.

Make a roux of the flour and butter and cook it for 5-6 minutes to give it a little color and to cook the flour.

Now back to the Dutch oven…. On the stove top, bring contents of the pan to a simmer. Spoon off 4 cups of the simmer juices into a pitcher or similar container. Slowly pour these juices into the hot roux while whisking all the time. You will have a very thick gravy. Add this back to the Dutch oven, bring it to a simmer, return the meat and marrow bones to the pan. Cook for a few minutes to reheat the meat. Taste and adjust the sauce for salt. Then slice and serve the meat with carrots and sauce in warm bowls. Add a scoop of marrow to each serving and a sprinkling of chopped parsley as a garnish. Serve if forth.