Andalusian Pot Roast with Peas

Written by on in beef, crockpot, European, Middle Eastern

This is an adaptation of the recipe for Ternera con Guisantes from the amazing tome “A Mediterranean Feast” by Clifford Wright. Given that veal is all but impossible to find, I switched it to beef. We used a sirloin roast that was part of the quarter beef we bought, but I think it would also be good with a chuck roast. I made this version crockpot or Instapot friendly, which is more convenient for most. It yields a wonderfully spiced roast with not a ton of effort. We used a sirloin roast of some kind from the quarter of beef we bought, but I don’t know specifically which cut. I don’t think it matters much for a slow-cooked dish like this. We served it with risotto, which was a great combo. We devoured it too quickly to take a photo, though!

Ingredients

One 3 lb. beef roast, tied
One bag of frozen baby peas
Parsley to garnish

Sofrito

3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 good pinch saffron, crumbled
1/3 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Sauce

1+ c. beef broth (have some extra ready in case you need to thin the sauce)
1 c. dry white wine
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour

Instructions

Brown the roast on all sides in the olive oil in the frying pan. Add the meat and remaining oil into your slow cooker. Add the sofrito ingredients to the frying pan and cook for 3-5 minutes until the tomatoes soften, loosening any bits from the frying. Add the sofrito to the slow cooker. Obviously you can do this all in the Instapot if you have one.
Add the 1 c. beef broth and 1 c. dry white wine to the slow cooker. Set on LOW and cook 8-10 hours. 
When the meat is tender, remove it onto a serving platter and cut/pull apart into pieces, covering with tin foil to keep warm. Strain the sauce and set aside.
Make a roux with the butter and flower, then add the strained sauce. Whisk together until smooth. Adjust the seasoning, and add more broth if needed to thin. Add the peas to the sauce and simmer 3-5 minutes until they are cooked to your liking. 
Serve the beef and top with the pea sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley.