Slow braising beef gives you the opportunity to add so much flavor to the meat, not to mention the drippings that are perfect for a gravy/sauce base. This time of year, when comfort is king, the slow-braise cooking technique is used for many pulled meat dishes, short ribs, and of course hearty stews.

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The top round cut, sometimes labeled London Broil, goes through an interesting process where the meat can be grilled, or quickly seared on high heat to have a rare middle. The seared beef is usually thinly sliced and served. So when the same meat is cooked longer, it goes through a period of being very tough and then the tension loosens and the meat gets tender and falls apart. I will warn you, cooking it longer will result in really dry, tough meat. Finding the meat’s sweet spot isn’t hard, it just takes some careful attention for the last hour.

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This dish is an asian fusion of traditional comfort food. The rice noodles add a base for the meat to be topped, and
the dried porcini mushrooms come to life as if they were meant for the red wine, beef broth. I added sesame seeds and thinly sliced scallions to finish the dish. Here is the recipe…

 

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Red Wine-Braised Beef with Porcini Mushrooms over Rice Noodles
Ingredients:
1 3lb. top round roast (sometimes labeled london broil)
salt/pepper
3 tbsp. olive oil
salt/pepper
2 cups beef broth
1-1/2 cups dry red wine, I used a cabernet sauvignon
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 medium onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 cup dried porcini mushrooms
3 tbsp. cornstarch, for thickening sauce
14-16oz. dried rice noodles
sliced scallion
sesame seeds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat olive oil in a pan.
Salt/pepper the meat.
Sear on all sides at high heat until browned.
Deglaze with a splash of wine and scrape the bottom of the pan.
Add the rest of the wine, broth, tomato paste, onion, garlic, and cinnamon.
Cover and cook for 1-1/2-2 hours until the roast registers 180 degrees or is at the sweet spot.
Remove and drain liquid into a stock pot, thicken with cornstarch, water method.
Add mushrooms and cook for 20 minutes until rehydrated.
Place roast on a cutting board and slice, it will basically fall apart.
Add boiling water to the rice noodles, according to package.
Strain and serve on a plate, topped with the meat, sliced scallions, and sesame seeds.

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Enjoy! Ciao!