Winging It

Thank you all so much for your supportive words on my last post! I think that with all your support, and of course the support of Adam and my family, I CAN DO THIS!!

So, in the spirit of going healthier, I knew that tonight’s dinner had to be a complete trifecta:

1. A good balance of protein and vegetables
2. Extremely delicious
3. Easy to prepare

I had no idea where I was going with the meal when I purchased a trimmed bottom round roast, tomato paste, onions, broccoli, sweet potatoes, and goat cheese at the grocery store. Ok, that’s not completely true. I had a tiny idea.

Let’s start with the end result, shall we?

Is it pretty? Absolutely not. Did it smell and taste amazing? Absolutely!

I ended up with a slightly spicy, slightly sweet, oniony and tomatoey kind of barbecue sauce that I really should jar and sell. Or at least save so I can eat it on chicken, steak, or a brillo pad.

Improv BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 medium yellow onions
• 1 large or 2 small shallots
• 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 1 Tb. olive oil
• 1 15-oz can tomato paste
• 2 Tb. dark molasses, divided
• 1 Tb. sriracha
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet (or other “gravy browning sauce”)
• 1/3 c. apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions

Peel the onions and shallots. Slice very thinly, preferably with a mandoline. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed pot. Add the crushed garlic and cook until aromatic and lightly browned. Add the sliced onions and shallots to the hot oil and garlic and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook the onions until lightly brown and very soft. Add 1 tablespoon molasses, stir well, and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir well, and cook until slightly browned, about one minute. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat until reduced by one quarter. Puree with a stick blender if desired.

I didn’t puree the sauce. Instead, I nestled my bottom round roast in the sauce, heated the oven to 375, and cooked the roast in the sauce in a covered pan for about 2 hours.

My improv dinner? Worked out just great!

I also made these:

But you’ll have to wait until next week for the recipe. And you may have to go somewhere else to find it! The ingredient list though is worth waiting for. I gave a few things away earlier in this post.

Yes, I’m a tease.

Sorry.

(not really!)

Tagged as: beef, braising, random, recipe, sauce, simple, simple recipe, vegetables, vegetarian