Pot Roast Italiano (Marinata di Carne in Zuppetta) and The Obvious Solution

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While I'm getting all the kinks worked out, here's an updated recipe for an old standby, pot roast. I admit the recipe is a bit fussy, but the result is worth it. When I served this everyone loved the layers and combination of flavors. Enjoy...


Pot Roast Italiano (Marinata di Carne in Zuppetta)
from La Cucina Italiana, June 2008, re-written to be usable by CrabbyC.

1 2lb. chuck roast
1 bottle (750ml) red wine
Salt & Pepper
7 TBSP Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth (plus 14 oz. can in reserve)
1 cup dry white wine
4 fresh oregano sprigs
2 bay leaves
3 TBSP chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 pound Tuscan Kale (hard to find) or dinosaur kale, savoy cabbage or Swiss chard
1 TBSP unsalted Butter
1 1/4 pounds fresh Porcini mushrooms (good luck finding those - I used dried)
1 small onion sliced
1 TBSP finely chopped fresh mint
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
4 - 6 slices country-style bread, lightly toasted


Place roast in a large bowl, add red wine. Cover and chill at least 8 hours and preferably overnight.

Thirty minutes before cooking, remove pot roast from refrigerator and pat dry.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl combine 4 TBSP olive oil with the parsley, 1 tsp of the chopped garlic and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

In a large saucepan combine the broth, white wine, 2 oregano sprigs and bay leaves. Bring to a rolling simmer.

While liquids are warming, heat 1 TBSP of olive oil in a Dutch Oven (Le Creuset) over medium high heat. When oil is hot, brown roast on all sides,(this should take approximately 10 - 12 minutes total). When browned, remove roast from dutch oven and drain off excess fat.

Return roast to dutch oven, pour the simmering liquids over the roast, cover and place in oven. Braise roast until tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Turn roast over halfway through cooking time.

While roast is braising, clean and prep kale. Remove the center ribs and stems and chop leaves into thirds. This is a time consuming process, (unless you're using Savoy cabbage, but the kale adds a slightly bitter bite to the meal that the cabbage won't provide). Set aside kale and wait for the roast to finish.

After 2 1/2 hours, transfer dutch oven to the stove top. Remove the roast from the dutch oven and cover with aluminum foil. Bring the broth/juices mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the kale and cook until just tender, 4- 5 minutes. Remove kale while retaining as much broth as possible.

WARNING: You may need to add the reserved can of vegetable broth after cooking the kale. When I prepped this meal there just wasn't enough broth left for proper presentation.

In a large saute pan, heat 1 TBSP olive oil and 1 TBSP butter. Add 1/2 tsp of garlic and quickly saute, add the kale and cook for 3 - 5 minutes. Transfer kale to a large plate.

Remove the leaves from the remaining 2 sprigs of oregano and roughly chop. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, add the garlic, oregano, mushrooms, onion, mint and thyme, stir and cook for 5 minutes. (If you are using fresh porcini, add the garlic to the oil, then add the sliced mushrooms and onion, cooking until the mushrooms have given up all their liquid then add the herbs). Add the cooked mushroom mixture to the broth.


Place a slice of the toasted bread in the bottom of a soup bowl. Add some of the sauteed kale. Top with a portion of the pot roast. Drizzle with the garlic-parsley olive oil. Pour in a ladle of the mushroom-broth mixture. Serve.

Crabby Tip: Prep all the bowls up to the point of the broth and transfer the plates to the table. Bring a pot with the mushroom-broth mixture to the table and ladle there. This serves two purposes. One, there's a certain wow! factor to ladling table side. Two, if you ladle in the kitchen, the toast rounds will suck up all the broth before you get to the table, thus eliminating any chance of wow! factor.


OK, I know, a lot of little steps, which drives me nuts. It's not your grandma's pot roast, but it tastes great and adds a little something to an often overlooked meal. You can do this crablings, it's fussy, a little involved, but it's also cheap; remember, you can do it, you can cook.