Meat!

Our ancestors, way, way back, were hunters...well the guys were anyway...not sure about the females. There is a whole movement these days called some variation of Paleo which asserts that what we really need as humans is meat. Makes some sense since that was likely a big part of our diet when times were flush in the old, old days. On the other hand there were likely many evenings when the meal had no meat at all and was probably berries, nuts and seeds, wild greens and maybe the odd tuber. When folks settled down there was also grains and other tubers and different vegetables and legumes than one could find in the wild...or at least more of them. I look at all this and see that a wide variety of foods is our heritage as humans. And yet, when we have been having too many fish or vegetarian dinners Sweetie will bring home a slab of beef or a pound of hamburger and dig in...he even says 'MEAT!' to let me know that we have strayed too far away from the Paleo for his taste.

A simple and hearty meat dish is pot roast. You can make it with a less expensive cut of meat since it simmers for quite a while, getting more tender all the time. I like it to have onions and carrots and corn and beans with it, plus some potato dish on the side. They add flavor to the dish and some veggies for those of us who are not as solidly carnivorous as Sweetie is. You can leave the veggies out for a meatier experience.

Pot Roast
3-4 lb beef chuck roast
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence or your favorite herb (I used chopped Italian parsley)
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2-3 carrots, washed and sliced into bite sized chunks
1 cup liquid...either beef broth, beer, or red wine for flavor or water if you prefer
1/2 teaspoon paprika

1-2 cups mixed vegetables...your choice

Pat the beef dry. Heat the oil in a large skillet (cast iron works really well) over medium-high heat. Brown the roast on all sides in the oil. Remove from pan and season to taste with salt, pepper and herbs. Set aside.
Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
Return the beef to the pan, placing it on top of the onions. Add the carrots and the liquid. Sprinkle with the paprika. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 1-2 hours or until meat is tender. During the last 20 minutes add the mixed vegetables, stirring them into the liquid in the pan. Optional: you can stir together a couple tablespoons of flour and add enough water to make a slurry, then stir that in to the liquid. Let cook another 3-5 minutes, stirring often, until sauce thickens. Serve sauce over sliced meat and serve veggies on the side.