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Mom never let anything go to waste even leftover coffee and this Sunday pot roast is a perfect example.
Sunday Dinner
Above all, Sunday dinners are when families gather.
I grew up in a very diverse neighborhood that included folks of Italian, Irish and Jewish descent. Each family has their own traditions, of course, but they all seemed to gather together for a Sunday meal.
Pot roast was popular with each of these ethnic groups, differing only with seasonings and cooking methods. My mom made pot roast a number of ways and I have to admit that several of them were not on my favorites list. This one, however, is one I’ve always enjoyed.
Since my mother grew up in the UK during the Great Depression and also came from a large family, food was at times scarce and you never wasted anything even coffee. That was a caveat that stayed with my mother until the day she died.
Yes, Coffee!
Neither my mom nor dad were big coffee drinkers. My mother drank more of it than my father which I always found curious since she was British and my dad was American.
Nonetheless, sometimes the pot she’d make often had leftover coffee. Being that she was into not wasting food, the leftover coffee would find a way into other stuff she’d make–mainly in baking where she’d use it in place of water in chocolate concoctions turning them into mocha concoctions.
One time it found it’s way into the braising liquid for this pot roast. It worked and was delicious so it became one of her main pot roast recipes.
Cut Of Beef
Mom used chuck for the majority of her pot roast recipes, but this one she’d insist on eye of round. Eye of round is lean and doesn’t add much fat to the resulting gravy. It also slices well with very little, if any, waste.
I recently felt like eating this so I had eye of round on the grocery list to be delivered. To be honest, I’d prefer to select my own meat but during this stay-at-home directive, it’s delivery or pick up since I really don’t want to chance going to the store.
Anyway, the shopper who did my order probably made a mistake and picked up top round instead since the recap didn’t state that it was substituted. So I worked with what I had so trust me when I say any cut will do, but if you can, make it eye of round.
The Recipe
Mom’s Sunday Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 1 tbs canola oil
- 3 lb eye round roast
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried rosemary crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 tsp beef bouillon granules
- 1 cup brewed coffee
- 3/4 cup water
Gravy:
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cold wate
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat; brown roast on all sides. Remove from pan. Mix garlic and seasonings; sprinkle over roast.
- Add onion to same pan; cook and stir over medium heat until tender; stir in bouillon, coffee and 3/4 cup water.
- Add roast; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until meat is tender, about 2-1/2 hours.
- Remove roast from pan, reserving cooking juices. Tent with foil; let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
- Mix flour and cold water until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Serve with roast.
