Week #7: Connecticut - Yankee Pot Roast Pizza

State: Connecticut

I researched as much as I could about the state and most of the recipes are traditional to the New England area, but I already have ideas for MA, ME, and Vermont. I know that Connecticut is known for Yankee Pot Roast.  I have family in Hartford and I grew up eating my grandmother's pot roast, so this was a walk for me down memory lane.  I first had to make the pot roast and it calls for a lot of cooking time, so I had to alter the recipe.  This is not new to me, since I always alter and go off the recipe instructions.  I am a cooking rebel, so why start following recipes now?  :)

Here are some of the ingredients used to create the Yankee Pot Roast:

½ lb of Beef Chuck Roast (Preferably Organic – Whole Foods)

2 Shallots

2 cups of beef broth

1 tbsp of diced parsley

1 lb of Boston Beef butt roast – cut in stew size portions

¼ cup of olive oil

Flour for dredging (rice flour for gluten-free)

8 baby carrots cut into 1 inch pieces

2 ribs of celery (I forgot to buy the celery)

1 tsp of thyme or more to taste

2 tbsp butter

¼ cup of red wine – Cabernet or Merlot

1 Pizza dough (Naan is great to use if low on time or prep) or Udi’s Gluten-Free Pizza Crust if allergies

Salt and pepper to taste

Meat:

First sautéed the shallots to a golden color in the olive oil. Dredge the beef in the flour until all areas of the beef are covered.  Add the dredged beef to the shallot and olive oil mixture.  Cook the beef until all sides are browned.  

Sauce:

Add the carrots, celery, beef broth, wine, thyme, pepper, and salt to the beef.  I did not have the time to wait for 3 hours till the beef got really tender, so I let it simmer on low for 1 hour.  The beef was tender and tasted great.  Add the butter to the mixture and stir until it looks more like a gravy. 

Pizza:

With a ladle, I scoped the gravy and spread it out across the pizza to make the base.  I then added the beef and carrots around the pizza evenly. I sprinkled some mozzarella cheese and the parsley.  BAM, now you have a New England style Yankee Pot Roast Pizza, which is amazing by the way!!

Pairing:  For wine, definitely go with a red wine like a Merlot or Cabrenet since it is already in the pot roast.  If you want to do a light wine, I would recommend a Pinot Grigio since this is a rich and hardy dish.  For the craft beer, I would think a lighter style pale or blonde ale to balance out the richness of the pizza.  Since Connecticut does not have a lot of craft beer in Florida, I decided to go with a Samuel Adams Winter Ale.  With a nice warm hearty dish, winter ale was good.  You can also go with the Boston lager or Nobil Pills for this pizza.  Hopefully soon, breweries like New England Brewing Co and Thomas Hooker will export beers to the state of Florida. 

  

Learning Moments: 

This was my first ever Pot Roast, so it was exciting to make it.  I felt like I channeled my inner Julia Childs, or the male version of Julia.  This pizza was really good for the kind of chilly weather (50 degrees) we had here in Tampa that weekend.  This pizza has challenged me in my cooking and combining foods that normally would not go together go together.  I am looking forward to the next challenge.