When Inflation Catches Up with You
Ah, inflation.
I recently was craving a pot roast and spotted a lovely fat chuck roast. Before I put it into my cart, I saw the price.
$31.
No.
I looked again.
Yup, $31 for a piece of meat that requires three to four hours of cooking before it has the perfect chew.
I left with a chicken.
The next day I tried another market. That piece was $23, still expensive, but at that point I was somewhat inured to the unfairness of it all. I bought it and made the recipe below.
I shared enough with my next-door neighbors and the next morning Sue told me she saw an advertisement for McQuade’s. $3.99 a pound. Quick like a bunny, I went to McQuade’s, bought three, and put them in my freezer.
Instead of my regular recipe, I tried a new one from Southern Living. My friend Meredith shares the magazines with me. In return, I give her my New York Times Sunday Magazine.
This recipe has exact amounts. But the bacon doesn’t have to be hickory-smoked, the chuck can be smaller or larger, and the veggies can vary. But I am in love with Better than Bouillon stock base, available on the shelves of most big supermarkets.
Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.
Creole Daube
From Southern Living, January, 2022
Yield: serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
3 thick-cut hickory-smoked bacon slices,
coarsely chopped
1 3 ½ pound boneless chuck roast, trimmed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 small yellow onions, chopped
(about 2 ¼ cups)
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
(about 1 cup)
1 large celery stalk, chopped (about ½ cup)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
(from 1 6-oumce can)
2 ½ tablespoons chopped garlic
(from 8 garlic cloves)
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups beef stock
5 fresh thyme sprigs
3 bay leaves
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
5 small carrots, sliced on an angle into
2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into
2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
4 tablespoons of flour stirred into 2 to 3 cups
cold water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until brown and fat rendered, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and reserve dripping to a skilled.
Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-heat. Add roast to Dutch oven and sear until browned on 2 sides, about 12 minutes. Carefully flip halfway through. Transfer to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium. Add onions, bell pepper, and celery to Dutch oven; cook, stirring often and scraping browned bits from bottom of Dutch oven, until onions soften, about 6 minutes. Add tomato paste and garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until paste turns a share darker, about 2 minutes. Add wine and bring to a simmer oven medium. Simmer stirring occasionally, until lit is slightly thickened and some of alcohol burns off, about 3 minutes. Stir in stock, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and clove. Nestle in the roast and bacon along with any juices that have accumulated; bring to a simmer over medium, then remove from heat.
Cover and transfer to oven, and braise about 2 hours. Remove from oven, uncover, and stir in carrots and turnips. Cover and return to oven; braise until meat and vegetables are tender, about another hour. Remove and let rest 15 minutes. Remove roast and shred into large pieces. I reduce liquid to 1/3, then add flour/cold water mixture and whisk into a gravy. Serve with fresh vegetables and roasted potatoes.