A recipe: Summer Pot Roast Soup

Summer Pot Roast Soup:

bringing a winter comfort food into summer

I love pot roast. I love it so much. I make it with chuck and braise it for hours in a cast iron dutch oven and serve it over mashed potatoes. Despite its humble simplicity I love serving it at gatherings and when I host family. Everyone loves it. But, it is summer time and I am too busy to braise for hours. Plus, who wants to run their oven for hours when its a summer swamp outside? Not me. I made a quick instant pot version that satisfies my pot roast craving, but is less work and less hearty. This soup is lighter than a traditional beef stew due to the lack of thickener and is brothy like a soup, but still has all the comfort food trappings of a hearty pot roast. It is best served with crusty buttered bread from your favorite bakery, a glass of wine, and a summer salad. These instructions are written for an instant pot, but it can be adapted for a slow cooker, stockpot, or Dutch oven by cooking on low or simmering covered until beef is fall apart/fork tender.

Ingredients:

1.5-2 lbs. beef stew meat/cubes

1 tbsp. olive oil or ghee

2 tbsp. Worcester sauce

3 medium cloves of minced garlic 

1 medium onion chopped

3-4 large carrots cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces (.5 inches if not doing instant pot)

1 celery rib sliced into .25 inch (approx.) pieces

2 large potatoes cubed 

2.5 cups of beef broth (bone broth recommended-can sub chicken or pork broth)

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1 sprig of rosemary

.25 cup of red wine (optional)

Salt and Pepper to taste 

 Instructions:

1)   Salt and pepper your beef stew cubes and let them rest/get to room temp while you chop your vegetables

2)   Add oil/ghee to pot and heat then sauté the onions and carrots until edges are browned. 

3)   Add the beef and brown the pieces. Deglaze with red wine or splash of broth and scrape browned bits from side of pot and bottom. Mix in celery and potatoes.

4)   Add broth, bay leaf, tomato paste, Worcester sauce, garlic, and rosemary to pot and stir. 

5)   Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes, and allow the pressure to release for 10 minutes, then manually release. 

6)   Add salt and pepper to taste, serve, and enjoy!