Slow-Cooked Beef Pot Roast Soup with Roasted Vegetables and Lemon Crema

Cooking:

1. Cut beef Blade Chuck Roast into 12 equal pieces; season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add half beef; brown evenly, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer beef to slow cooker; repeat with 1 tablespoon oil and remaining beef.

2. Add wine to skillet; cook 1 to 2 minutes until browned bits attached to skillet are dissolved. Pour wine mixture over beef in slow cooker. Top with chopped onions, potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, garlic, oregano and thyme. Add stock to slow cooker. Cover and cook HIGH for 6 hours or LOW FOR 8 HOURS or until beef is fork -tender.

   Cook's Tip: Roasted Beef Stock:
   
   Preheat oven to 475°F. Place 6 to 8 pounds beef bones, 2 cups diced yellow onions, 1 cup sliced carrots and 1/2 cup sliced celery in roasting pan. Roast in 475°F oven 45 minutes or until browned, turning once. Spread 2 tablespoons tomato paste over bones; roast 15 minutes. Remove from oven; drain fat.
   
   Place bones and vegetables in large stock pot. Scrape bottom of roasting pan to loosen any brown bits; add to stock pot. Add 1 gallon water; bring to boil. Add 10 black peppercorns, 3 to 4 sprigs fresh parsley, 2 cloves garlic, 2 sprigs fresh thyme and 2 bay leaves. Simmer stock 8 to 10 hours, occasionally skimming off and discarding impurities.
   
   Remove stock pot from heat; cool 15 minutes. Strain stock through cheesecloth-lined colander into large bowl.

3. Preheat oven to 400°F 30 minutes before roast is finished cooking. Add broccoli and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to medium bowl; toss gently to coat. Place broccoli on shallow-rimmed baking sheet. Roast in 400°F oven 10 to 15 minutes or until broccoli tips begin to brown and become crispy. Remove from oven; set aside to cool.

4. Melt butter in small nonstick skillet over medium heat; stir in flour. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until mixture develops nutty or browned butter aroma, stirring often. Set aside.

5. Combine sour cream and lemon juice in small bowl, mix well to prepare lemon crema. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

   Cut green part of onions into 3-inch pieces. Cut each piece lengthwise into 1/8-inch strips. Place green onion strips into medium bowl with ice water. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or until onion strips curl.

6. When roast is fork-tender, remove roast from slow cooker; keep warm. Whisk butter mixture into slow cooker until blended. Cook and stir until thickened. Add broccoli to slow cooker; cook until heated through. Season soup with salt and pepper, as desired.

7. Drain green onions from water. Ladle soup into wide-mouthed bowl. Place 2 pieces of beef into each bowl. Top beef with mushrooms and fried onions. Drizzle with lemon crema and top with green onions, as desired.

Alternate Cooking Method:

1. This recipe can be made in a 6-quart electric pressure cooker. Cut beef Blade Chuck Roast into 12 equal pieces; season with salt and pepper. In pressure cooker, sear beef on sauté setting in 2 to 3 batches using 1 tablespoon oil per batch. Add wine, onions potatoes, tomatoes, bell pepper, carrot, garlic, oregano, thyme and stock. Close and lock pressure cooker lid. Use meat or high-pressure setting on pressure cooker; program 90 minutes on pressure cooker timer. Use quick-release feature to release pressure; carefully remove lid. Continue as directed in step 3. (This recipe variation was tested in an electric pressure cooker at high altitude. Cooking at an altitude of less than 3000 feet may require slightly less cooking time. Refer to the manufacturer’s instructions.)