Roast dinner in 30 minutes.......
Yesterday I cut several pumpkin pieces, washed potatoes (leaving the skins on), peeled and cut carrot pieces as well as a lot of small onions. I put all these together into a large pot of salted water: after coming to the boil, reducing the heat to a simmer and when nearly cooked, I strained off the water before allowing them to cool slightly, then placed them onto a large flat plate, ensuring they were not touching, before putting them into the freezer. The large plastic bag of free-flowed vegetables will be come in very handy, later.
I came across a large beef bolar roast on special at Pakn'save for just $7.99kg: the $10.00 piece of meat, cut into five pieces provides for five meals. Some pot roasted, others casseroled.
Broccoli is well priced at the moment, mostly under a dollar, and lasts for several days in the fridge.
Now for the 30 minute roast..........
This small piece of bolar steak would be enough for one or two people. Start by heating a small piece of butter in a large saucepan, add the salted, floured piece of beef, and brown all sides. Add about a quarter of a cup of water or thereabouts, (enough to stop it burning to the bottom of the pot), cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes. I usually cut into the middle of the meat at this stage to check: if the meat is pink, it's ready. Otherwise, longer if you prefer.
While all this is going on, the vegetables will have finished roasting in the oven and should be crisp and brown. It would probably pay to thaw them a bit in the microwave beforehand.
I usually cover the broccoli with a lid before bringing it to the boil, then turn the element off and let it steam through. Some of the boiling stock can be added to the gravy mix; brown onion is my choice.
I am sure you will enjoy this delicious meal, which is effortless to put together, costs less than four dollars and gives you 30 minutes to unwind after a busy day.
Wow, great tips - sounds like it will be a fast to cook roast. Thanks for sharing. With vegetables in the freezer, how long do they keep and does it affect the texture? They sell frozen vegetables at the supermarket but they can be quite soggy for roast?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how long potatoes and pumpkin would last in the freezer, but I added some to the pot roast recently, and they were delicious.
ReplyDeleteHowever, because they cooked fairly quietly in a covered pot, they browned, but were not crisp. I am sure though that had they been under the grill and still frozen, they would soon crisp up, once all the moisture had evaporated.
Particularly, once salted, put in a plastic bag with a little bit of flour and shaken to cover them thoroughly. Please let me know how you get on. I will do this again later in the week when Craig comes up to stay for a day or two. Our meal was ready in 20 minutes. The meat; medium rare and well browned, as were the vegetables. Brown onion packet gravy mixed with stock from the brocolli, just finished it off......