Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Pasta Sauce (or in the Instant Pot)

This recipe is based on one by Jamie Oliver. I cooked it as he wrote it more than once but the last time I made this sauce I didn't have the correct amount of everything or as much time as I would have needed to slow cook it. It was better with the changes in ingredients and the Instant Pot worked well to speed the prep time up. The last time I made this sauce I served it over spätzle and it was a great combination. The sauce is also very good with pappardelle.

4 lb chuck roast cut into roughly 2" chunks
Extra virgin olive oil
1 handful each fresh rosemary and fresh thyme.
1 large red onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1/2 of a 750 cc bottle of wine
1 12 or 14 oz can of organic Marzano tomatoes
2 tbs pearl barley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
7 tbs unsalted butter, cut in chunks
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving.

Dutch Oven Version: Salt the meat and brown it in olive oil in a Dutch oven. Add the vegetables except for the tomatoes, turn the heat down, and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it has mostly cooked away. Add the tomatoes, herbs, pearl barley, and enough water to cover the meat by 1/2 inch. Cover the pot and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, until the meat shreds easily. When meat is cooked, remove it from the pan and shred it. Return the meat to the pan and add the butter and Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste and your sauce is ready to use.

Instant Pot Version:  If you will be using an Instant Pot, brown the meat in a frying pan and once it is browned move it to the Instant Pot. Put the vegetables in the frying pan with more olive oil if needed and cook until they are softened. Add the wine and simmer until it is mostly cooked away. Transfer the vegetable and wine mixture to the Instant Pot with the beef. Add the tomatoes, herbs, pearl barley, and enough water to cover the meat by 1/2 inch. Lock the lid in place and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. Remove the meat and shred it. Return the meat to the pan and add the butter and Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste and the sauce is ready to use.