channeling your inner grandmother

Today I ate the first roast I have ever made. I was tempted like a Shameless Jezebel by Fatted Calf, my local {undisguised} devils, because they listed a roast stuffed with bone marrow and rosemary. I love cow bone marrow. On toasted levain, still inside hot and blackened bones, or melting over a piece of mid-rare steak. I heart pure fat.

I'm on the opposite diet of most everyone in the world. I want to gain weight.

I met Guy {of Meathenge} at the Berkeley farmer's market after a few emails about this Golden Apple of Eternal Desire that I had never cooked. Mr. Meat Himself gave me some soothing hints & suggestions. He is the biggest man but put even the smallest fellow like myself at ease. Dr. Biggles just wants the world to eat meat deliciously and his Word is infectious.

{click here to see how Guy made his...}

Not having all the traditional ingredients on hand and finding out Berkeley Bowl would be closed on Monday, this is how I did it.

1. I washed the glistening meat with cold water and towel dried it gently. I smiled seeing it was wrapped in proper red and white bakery twine.

2. I heated up my enamel cast iron Dutch Oven, and then poured in a generous amount of Stonehouse Olive Oil. Acting like a crane, I carefully lowered the meat in, fat side down.

3. While searing I brought to boil about 4 cups of salt-less chicken stock. On a whim I gave this liquid a splash of Sherry vinegar and perhaps a third of a cup of home-made, feet crushed cherry vinegar (which smelled like red wine).

4. I added liquid to seared roast and lowered lidded pot into my wickedly handsome Wedgewood stove preheated to 325F.

5. After hour one I added 5 washed leek bottoms and a few peeled thick carrot coins. After hour two I moved the lid back an inch or two.

6. On the fourth hour I turned the stove off and went to a Goat Roast in East Oakland. (Not the kind where one black and one white rooster are beheaded.)

7. At about 1 am the roast was at room temperature and I placed the whole she- bang in my largess of a refrigerator.

8. This morning I removed the roast, skimmed most of the fat, peeled away the string, sliced the meat and brought the liquid back up to boil slowly with the tender marbled beef. As per Guy's suggestion, I boiled some German Butterballs on the side and had me about three bowls worth.

Although this roast is not Flanken, it reminds me of my grandmother. Soft and tender slow braised meat, simply seasoned with basic vegs. And as she would say,

"Oy vey. You shouldt eat it in good healtt."

Comments

[Dr. Biggles]

Alright, she shoots she scores. Excellent, now I suppose I need to get mines up! I did mine on Sunday and warmed it up for Monday's supper. Mama said it was one of the best ever, she was right.

Biggles

[Lindy]

I find it a bit strange that we are both being our own grandmothers at the moment.
This sounds excellent. Do we get to see the stove?

[Melissa]

WOW, that looks so good!
Love all the photos.
I don't get to see meat like that too often.....beautiful!

[Anne]

We gotta see the stove.

Speaking of flanken, if you ever need any good recipes for brisket, I have many straight out of Brooklyn.

Anne

[Dr. Biggles]

Hey Anne,

Brisket? Please send a few this way!

Biggles

[cookiecrumb]

How dreamy. You didn't even eat it until the next day... :)

(Quick weight-gain tip: Milk. Drink glasses of milk, or buttermilk, for snacks. The dairy industry wants you to think it will help you lose weight, but milk makes me gain weight.)

I wanna see the stove too!

[Kudzu]

I find it so touching that you cooked that beef roast in your new kitchen and that it connected you to your grandmother, a sort of blessing.

I've never cooked (or eaten) beef stuffed with marrow but it sounds like a capital idea.

Between your weight-gain eating and Sam's weight loss diary, I sit here bemused.

[Anne]

Hey Biggles,

It'll be my pleasure to send you some brisket recipes later today.

Anne

[mc hungry hippo]

Shuna--

that is a formidable piece of meat! I've been hankering for some braised meat myself. Thanks to your tasty photos, I think I'll have start a-braisin' to ward off the NY winter.

[chronicler]

Oh you always know how to remind of things long past. Sitting at a meal with my Britain born grandfather eating marrows bones. He said it was a way of meetin gheaven on earth. I haven't seen them since he passed to the next life in 1968. [I was so young back then.;-)]

[keiko]

This MUST be delicious!