Sunday, May 6, 2012

Sunday Suppers: The Savvy Cook's Strategy

 
Back in the day, Sunday was a day when families would gather around the table for a large meal, usually after church, or in the mid-afternoon.  Whether it was Mom's glistening roast chicken with crackly skin, that almost shattered when touched with a knife, a roast beef, or Mom's Sunday Sauce,  Sunday suppers were a smart cooks' way of planning the meals for the rest of the week, or at least a few of them.
Today I'm roasting a sirloin roast in the oven, my house smells amazing, and I'll serve this roast with traditional accompaniments:  mashed potatoes and a mushroom sauce, and tiny haricot verte beans.

Tomorrow night I'll either make beef fajitas, or I'll make Philly cheese steaks.


Depending on how many leftovers I have, and with just Dr. C. and I here, I think there will be a lot, I'll probably make a slow cooker beef and farro soup,




and possibly a bit of stroganoff with leftover gravy and the beef. 

 or even a Thai beef salad


 All this from one Sunday Supper.  A bit of planning, and you can have some great leftovers to make into great dinners later in the week.  Try this technique using roast chicken, whole fish, or as I mentioned before, Mom's Sunday Sauce, that bubbling cauldron of meats, sausages, meatballs, and tomato sauce that simmers all day.

To make the Roast Beef
 Serves 6 to 8

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
One 4 pound sirloin roast, tied

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Heat an ovenproof pan over medium high heat.  
In a small bowl, combine the garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil.  Rub the mixture into the beef. 

Brown the meat on all sides, and transfer to the oven. 


Roast the meat until an instant read meat thermometer registers 135 degrees. 



Remove the meat from the oven, and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving.    

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