Lunch: Brasato al Barolo

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Cinnamon

Health benefits of Brasato al Barolo

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060).

Ingredients

One 4-pound boneless beef chuck roast
One 750-milliliter bottle Barolo wine
1 bay leaf
1 small cinnamon stick
1 branch fresh rosemary
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 large red onion, roughly chopped
About 2 cups vegetable stock
Torn fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

Tie the roast at 1-inch intervals with kitchen twine and place in a bowl. Cover with the wine and toss in the bay leaf, cinnamon stick and rosemary. Make sure the roast is completely submerged in the wine. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight, or if time is an issue, for at least 1 hour. Flip once or twice during marinating. Position an oven rack in the lower part of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F. Remove the roast from the liquid (do not discard the marinade!), pat very dry with paper towels and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is almost to the smoking point, add the roast and cook on all sides until golden brown (the color will be darker than usual from the wine); it should take 15 to 20 minutes to get a good sear on the beef. Remove to a plate. Add the garlic, celery, carrots and onions to the Dutch oven and saute until very tender, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add just 1/2 cup of the wine and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining wine with the rosemary, bay leaf and cinnamon stick and bring to a simmer. Add the roast and any juices on the plate, and then add enough vegetable stock to cover the roast at least halfway. Cover the lid of the Dutch oven with foil (it helps with clean up later) and cover the pot. Place in the oven and cook, turning once halfway through, until the beef is tender but not falling apart, about 3 hours. Remove to a cutting board to rest for 25 minutes (this makes the slicing much easier) while you make the sauce. Discard the cinnamon stick, rosemary branch and bay leaf. Reduce the braising liquid by bringing it up to a vigorous simmer for 15 minutes. Once reduced, blend all the ingredients together in a blender to create a sauce. Snip off the strings of the roast with kitchen shears or a knife, slice the beef into 1/2-inch slices and fan the slices out on a platter. Pour some of the sauce over the top of the beef and serve any remaining on the side. Garnish the platter with some torn parsley leaves.
NotesWhen blending hot liquids, first let cool for 5 minutes or so, then transfer to a blender, filling only halfway. Put the lid on, leaving one corner open; this will prevent the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters and pulse until smooth.