Hi Everyone,

I am so sorry I have not posted in a week but all you PC owners know well, how horrible it is when your computer crashes. Oh, the headache it can cause...you have to disconnect the tower, go and take in to Best Buy, have it diagnosed, copy files you don't want to lose because, inevitably, you have to do a QuickRestore which erases all you have ever put in.

On top of that, I lent out my cyber-cookbook and I haven't gotten it back because the person was ill. All my recipes are there, so I am lost. I have duplicates of course in little boxes, but it's terrible to have to type them all out.

Anyway, Mom got back from her visit to Miami and she came loaded with mangoes, lemons, mameys, nisperos, (Both of these are latin fruits), zucchini, and homemade honey from a friend's farm. All of these are wonderful ingredients for a meal so we put our heads together and came up with the following meal, very rustic in flavor.

We wanted to cook a rustic-style Italian pot roast on the stovetop in a "caldero". This is a medium size heavy metal pot fitted with a lid. Latins use it on the stovetop or in the oven to make arroz con pollo, beef stew, pork, beans and different types of beef. The calderos come in different sizes and once you cook in one, you will fall in love with it. They clean beautifully also. You will find these wonderful cooking vessels at any latin or Mexican bodega.

I imagine that in the old days, before the crockpot was invented, this is the way a pot roast was cooked in a village rustic home...it slowly braised with the aromatic spices and liquids as it tenderized the cut of beef. Later on, after the beef was tender, carrots and potatoes and peas were added to the pot. There would be vino on the table and home made bread with bowls of assorted vegetables, home grown, of course. Perhaps later, with cafe, the signora of the house would pass around a plate of her homemade lemon sponge cake for all to enjoy. A simple meal made all the more delicious because of the love put into it.

The underblade beef chuck is the cut of beef I recommend because of it's flavor and you will find it to be more tender, it will melt in your mouth. I like my pot roast to be robust and bursting with flavor thus the ingredients chosen truly make this a memorable dish. This is excellent served with mashed potatoes or rice as it makes a most delectable gravy. After the meat is done, take it out of the pot and simply puree the gravy in a blender. Do it in two batches so that it won't come out of the blender. This is a delicious pot roast!!

The menu for our rustic Sunday meal:

Italian Style Pot Roast w/Carrots & Potatoes
Mediterranean Salad
Baked Zucchini
Lemon Pudding Poppy Seed Cake w/Brandy Lemon Curd Glaze
Florida Hibiscus Tea Punch

The Recipes:

Italian Style Pot Roast
serves 6

2 1/2 - 3 lb. beef chuck underblade bonelss beef
1 Tbsp. steak seasoning
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium vidalia or texas sweet onion, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry red wine or Merlot
2 cups water
1 Tbsp. mild Avjar (Marco Polo brand)
1/2 cup mixed roasted red pepper and sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (Hannah brand from Costco)
1/2 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. Italian seasonings
pinch of brown sugar
2 potatoes, peeled and quartered
4-6 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup frozen peas

Sprinkle the steak seasoning all over the meat, rub it in. Sprinkle salt and pepper and rub it on also. Heat the olive oil in the pot and brown the meat very well on both sides. Takae the mat and place on a plate while you brown the onions. When the onions are limp and beginning to color, add the garlic and stir well. Add the red wine and scrape up all the little brown bits at the bottom of the pot. Add the Avjar and roasted red peppers with sun-dried tomatoes as well as the seasonings. Add the water and stir well. Taste and adjust seasonings...if it needs a bit more salt, add a sprinkle of the steak seasoning.

Add the meat, lower the heat to medium-low and every 30 minutes or so, turn the meat and baste it.

Cook for about 2 1/2 hours or more til meat is fork tender. When the meat is fork tender, add the potatoes and carrots and cook til fork tender. When the potatoes and carrots are done, add the peas and cook for another 5-8 minutes. Take meat and vegetables out, place on a plate and you may put all the gravy into the blender in small batches to puree and thicken. Just marvelous over mashed potatoes or rice or noodles.

Mediterranean Salad
serves 6

1 Tbsp. Italian Seasonings
1 fresh rosemary sprig
zest of one lemon, cut into strips
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 garlic clove, minced very fine
1 cup olive oil
sprinkle of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup green olives
1/2 cup black olives
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper
1 star anise
2 Tbsp. capers
1/2 lb. fresh shrimp
8 oz. feta cheese
assorted greens

1. Combine olives, rosemary, lemon peel and oil with Italian seasonings and star anise. Let marinate overnight.

2. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Toss with garlic and saute in 2 Tbsp. of the seasoned olive oil. Chill.

3. Whisk together 1/4 cup of seasoned oil with lemon juice. Drizzle over greens and shrimp, add drained olives, capers, strip rosemary off the sprig and toss. Sprinkle the feta over and toss lightly.

Baked Zucchini
serves 6

4 cups grated unpeeld zucchini
2 cups Bisquick
1 large onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced fine
4 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. dried oregano or 1 T. fresh, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
6 large eggs, beaten
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded monterrey cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup olive oil

Saute onion in 1/4 cup olive oil til limp and beginning to color. Add garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add grated zucchini and toss with all the seasonings.

In a large bowl, mix the cooked veggies with the eggs, cheeses, and 2 cups Bisquick mixed in with 1/2 cup olive oil to blend. Mix well and pour mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or til golden brown in a 350 oven. Cut into lage pieces as a side dish or small pieces to serve as an appetizer.

Lemon Pudding Poppy Seed Cake with Brandy Lemon Curd Glaze

4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 (3 oz.) pkg. lemon instant pudding
1 box lemon cake mix
5 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Oven at 350. Combine eggs, oil, 1 cup water, pudding mix, cake mix, seeds and extract in bowl and blend for 2 minutes. Pour into a greased bundt pan and bake 45-55 minutes. Cool, invert and glaze.

GLAZE:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup lemon curd
1/2 cup brandy
grated rind of 1 lemon

Mix all the ingredients together except the rind. Spread over the cooled cake and let it run down the sides. Sprinkle the grated lemon rind all over top.

Florida Hibiscus Tea Punch

8 hibiscus or Red Zinger tea bags
4 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups honey
1/2 tsp. orange water
1 bottle sparkling cider, chilled
lemon wedges
ice cubes

Place tea bags in a large gallon container. Add boiling water. Steep for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags add honey and stir. Chill until ready to serve. Add the cider and float the lemon wedges in each glass with ice.