The Perfect Roast Beef

Roast beef can be a daunting thing to some. But with the help of a few simple techniques, it is easily mastered. The trick is to cook the roast on top of a bed of aromatics and sear the outside of the meat.  Here is how I make my perfect roast, every time.

4-5lb Sirloin Tip Roast
2 Carrots (peeled)
2 stalks celery
1 Onion (peeled and quartered)
1 head garlic (cut in half horizontally)
10 or so sprigs/branches of a herb of your choice (I like rosemary because it stands up to the beef very well)
2-3 cups beef broth
1 cup red wine (never cook with a wine unless you would drink it)
a pound or two of your favorite potatoes

Prep the veggies and stack them in a bed in the center of a roasting pan. Place the herbs on top of the veggies. Scatter the potatoes around the pan.

Liberally sprinkle all sides of the roast with kosher salt and pepper. Kosher salt is larger than normal table salt and sticks to the beef better. It also has a mellower taste. Pat the salt and pepper into the meat. Place the roast on top of the veggie bed and drizzle some olive oil over the meat. This will help the outside get a nice crust.

Pour the beef stock (keep about 1 cup aside for late) and red wine into the bottom of the roasting pan. Put the roast into the oven at 500 degrees for the first 15 minutes. This will sear the outside of the roast, keeping the juices in and creating a nice crust. You can also do this step by searing the beef in a frying pan with a little bit of oil.  Reduce the heat to 325 degrees and roast for about 2 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees.

Take your roast out and cover it with tin foil. Let it rest for 20 minutes. This is called "tenting" and it is a MUST with every meat you cook. Tent steaks, chicken breasts and other smaller cuts as well for at least 5 minutes. Tenting helps the juices, that are going crazy inside the meat, to settle down and stay in there when you cut into your roast. This will give you juicier meat every time. 

Pan Sauce: Remove the veggies from the roasting pan and heat it on the stove top on med-high heat until it comes to a simmer. Pour the remaining cup or so of beef stock into the pan. You can also add another few sprigs of your favorite fresh herb here. Remember to take them out later. Take a wooden spoon and scrape the bottom of the pan to release the cooked bits into the broth. Simmer and let the sauce reduce by about 1/2. Add a small bit of butter to the sauce at the last second. This is called mounting the sauce and it will make it smoother and have a nice sheen. 

Cut you roast against the grain. This will make it more tender. Pour the sauce over the slices.....Magic!

Thai Green Curry Pork

1 - 14oz can coconut milk
2 tbl green Thai curry paste
1 cup vegetable stock
2 tbl brown sugar
1tsp fish sauce
1 lb pork (cut into stir-fry pieces)
1 stock lemon grass (trimmed and cut into 3 inch pieces)
3 dried kaffir lime leaves
1 cup onion (cut 1/2 inch thick pieces)
2 cups Chinese cabbage (cut into inch-wide, bite-size strips)
1 cup red pepper (cut into bite-size pieces)
Bunch of cilantro (rough chop)
1 green onion (chopped)
1 lime (cut into 1/4 slices)

Get your ingredients all cut up and ready and read through the directions before you start to cook. I arrange them on a large plate in order of when they go into the wok. This will save you time and make things easier because the veggies have different cook times. This plate is counter-clockwise starting with onion.

Heat a wok over medium heat and pour in 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Simmer it until it reduces by half, about 5 minutes. Add the green curry paste and whisk it together, cooking for another 2 minutes or so.

Add the stock, remaining coconut milk, and fish sauce. Bring it to a simmer over med-high heat.
Add your lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, onion and pork. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the chinese cabbage and red peppers. Simmer for another 3-4 minutes.

Check the veggies as they should not be cooked through. They should retain some of their crisp qualities. Stir in the cilantro (keep a bit aside to garnish with). Plate this curry over rice and garnish with chopped green onion, the remainder of the cilantro, and a lime wedge. Squeeze the lime over the curry right before eating.