So you want to offer your guests a delicious meat dish? Why not try the king of the entrées: the roast? Learn which cuts of meat to use and the traditional recipes.
Which meat to choose for the roast
Do you want to find out if your butcher loves you? Ask him for roast meat! When the festivities are approaching, it’s essential to have the right meat for the specific recipe. You can choose a prime cut of beef, turkey, or pork. Obviously which cuts depend on personal tastes and regional traditions. Another rule? Make sure to have many aromas at hand and a lot of patience. Preparing the roast is an art. Here are some recipes should know to delight your guests during the Christmas holidays.
Roast veal with orange sauce
Take 3 lbs of veal for 8 people. Mix oil and salt with chopped rosemary and thyme. Brush the meat, put it in the roast netting. Brown in a pan to form a crust. Add a glass of Cointreau, if you like, and let the alcohol cook out. Then remove from the heat and wrap in aluminum paper. Turn on the oven at 390°F. Bake the roast and cook for about an hour. Remove from the oven. Slice half an orange with the rind and set it aside to decorate the dish. Press the other half orange, adding it to the water of the meat collected in a saucepan and boil for a few minutes. Cut the roast and serve with the orange sauce. Together with the roast you can prepare some baked potatoes to serve as a side dish, a classic that everyone likes.
Arista pork roast with vegetables
Put the arista pork (about 3 lbs for 8 people) in a baking pan, cover it with rosemary and other spices and close it with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 20 minutes. Then uncover the pork and add to the pan a mixture of coarsely chopped celery, carrot and onion. Season the vegetables with salt and add a little oil. Cook a little longer. Remove from the oven and move the vegetables over the heat, stirring until the sauce has reached a syrupy consistency. When the arista is warm, cut and serve with the sauce and mixed vegetables.
Roast stuffed with mushrooms and bacon
What is more delicious than a stuffed roast? The filling can vary from north to south, depending on tastes, local traditions and homemade recipes handed down from grandmothers. Here we propose a filling of mushrooms and speck.
Take 5 oz of dried porcini mushrooms and soak them for 30 minutes. Drain the mushrooms and toss them in the pan with a clove of garlic and olive oil. Leave some mushrooms aside for decorating the dish. Put the other mushrooms in a bowl with salt, pepper, 4 oz of speck and 4 oz of ricotta. Chop the mixture and spread the filling inside the meat. Roll up the meat and tie it with string. Brown the roast meat in a pan for a few minutes, then transfer the meat to the oven at 340°F for 40 minutes. You can add a tablespoon of flour to the cooking juices to make the sauce thicker. Cut the roast when it’s warm. If necessary, heat up before serving and add the whole mushrooms.