There was a time when, on Sundays, all of the family gathered around a hearty dinner and no one had to wonder what was on the menu. You can re-create the treasured ritual of Sunday pot roast with this highly spiced version (recipe follows). Consider pot roast a labor of love best shared with family and friends on a winter's night.
A deliciously seasoned boneless pork shoulder serves as the foundation for this version of pot roast, which includes a medley of root vegetables, including fennel. The pork shoulder is cooked slowly, which adds flavor to the zesty gravy and tenderizes the tough, fatty cut of meat.
Italian Pot Roast
Serves 6 to 8
2 tablespoons fennel seed, crushed
2 tablespoons dried Italian parsley, crushed
4 tablespoons dried oregano, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 3- to 4-lb. boneless pork shoulder roast
1 tablespoon cooking oil
5 carrots, quartered
6 small potatoes, peeled (about 1 1/2 lb.)
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into wedges
1/4 cup instant-type flour (such as Wondra)
1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Combine the fennel seed, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper; set aside.
2. Untie the pork roast and unroll the meat. Trim any fat off the meat. Rub the meat with the seasoning mixture. Retie the roast.
3. In a Dutch oven, heat the oil; brown the pork roast slowly on all sides. Drain off any fat that accumulates. Pour about 3/4 cup of water over the meat. Roast, covered, in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours.
4. Arrange the carrots, potatoes and fennel around the roast. Cover the Dutch oven and roast for about 50 to 60 minutes more or until the vegetables and the meat are tender. Add more water to the Dutch oven, if necessary.
5. Transfer the meat to the serving platter and cover with aluminum foil; let stand for about 15 minutes. Remove the strings from the meat and carve. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a serving bowl; keep warm.
6. For the gravy, skim the fat from the pan juices; strain the juices, if desired. Add water to the juices, if necessary, to make about 1 1/2 cups. Cook the pan juices in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat until bubbly.
7. Combine 1/2 cup cold water and the flour; stir until the mixture is smooth, then gradually add the mixture to the hot pan juices whisking until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. Cook and stir about 1 minute more. Serve with the pork roast.
MARROW SPOONS
During the later half of the eighteenth century, fine dining meant using special spoons, such as marrow spoons, as part of the formal place setting. Approximately nine inches long, marrow spoons incorporated a slender stem with a shallow bowl in a single utensil. Marrow spoons were designed to scoop out the contents from beef bones or veal shanks. If you like the look of the spoons but don't enjoy marrow, you can use them to stir a tall glass of lemonade or iced tea.
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