POT ROAST REVISITED

A cool spell over Labor Day made my wife hanker for some old-fashioned "roots" food, so she talked me into coming up with the kind of pot roast that our mothers used to make. Naturally this prompted the weather to warm up again.

Still, it was good.

Dredge a three-pound chunk of boneless chuck roast in flour, salt and pepper, and brown it with a whole garlic clove, sliced thin, in a little vegetable oil in a dutch oven. Peel and cut into bite-size chunks two or three carrots, two or three celery spears, two potatoes and a turnip, and throw them in around the meat. Add two cups of homemade beef broth (we keep a supply frozen), a bay leaf and a whole peeled onion. Cover tightly and braise for a couple of hours on the top of the stove or in a 350 oven. Turn the meat occasionally and check seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste. I gussied it up a little with fresh thyme and oregano from the garden, but otherwise it turned out pretty much like Mom used to make.

I think another time when it's cooler, I might try the same thing in the oven with a lot less liquid to see if the meat and veggies would crunch up a bit. But this version made lots of rich sauce to sop up with French petit pain rolls. (Can't do EVERYTHING '50s style!)

A modest California Cabernet Sauvignon made a nice match with the meat, which I also accompanied with horseradish and mustard.