Fennel Braised Chuck Roast

Now that I'm done with dinner, I regret not taking the plate to a better lit room and taking a better picture. But before dinner, the smells were driving me insane and I had to eat it ASAP. My methodology was adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, but I put my own flavor twists on a classic pot roast. The best part of all this was the fennel, which made the entire apartment fragrant beyond belief. Cooked fennel smells like roasted onions and sweet corn. If you've been put off by it because it smells like licorice, give it a try! The flavor really changes when cooked.

For dinner for two and plenty for lunch:

• 2 lb chuck roast
• 1 bulb fennel
• 1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• salt
• pepper
• bay leaves

Grind the bay leaves, and mix with a few teaspoons of kosher salt and a teaspoon of pepper. Rub the roast all over with this mix. Bring a dutch oven or shallow pot with lid to high heat with one tablespoon of oil in it, then sear the roast on all sides.

Meanwhile, dice the vegetables into small pieces. When you're done searing the roast, set it aside and immediately put the fennel and onions into the pan. Toss, and add a splash of water, wine, or beer to release the solids left by the roast. Scrape the bottom of the pan and coat the vegetables, then add the carrots and celery. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about ten minutes, until fairly cooked through and a little brown. Add a scant cup of liquid of choice, bring to a simmer, then put the roast back in and bring the heat down as low as you can while maintaining a simmer.

Flip the roast every half hour for about two hours, making sure it's not getting too dry. Add a little water if you need to, but you shouldn't have to if your pot has a heavy lid. After the first two hours, check the roast every fifteen minutes until you're able to shred it with two forks. If your roast is very uneven, you can remove the parts that become fork tender first to a separate plate while the rest cooks. When the roast is close to being done, remove the lid and bring up the heat slightly. Using two forks, shred the roast into large bites, and simmer the liquid down until it's thicker than a stew but not dry. You know, something you'd want to eat poured over rice. I garnished the dish with a few slivers of raw fennel and shaved fennel frond for a little flavor brightness and crunch.

I used Trader Joe's jasmine brown rice today and was very happy with it. It's very fragrant, and cooked up soft and fluffy with very easy package instructions even without using butter. J and I both thought this was one of the best home cooked meals we've had in awhile.