Tomorrow would have been my mother’s 100th birthday. I find it hard to believe that she has been gone for over two and half years. Sunday dinner was a tradition in my family growing up. My mother, an exceptional cook, would prepare a feast with enough food to feed our entire neighborhood. All were welcome to join us for dinner. When I married and started my own family, I continued having large Sunday family dinners.

One of my mother’s famous Sunday meals was her Italian Pot Roast. She preferred an Eye Round Roast, but you can use a Shoulder or Brisket. I like to make this just like my mother on a stove, but it can be cooked in a slow cooker. After the meat is browned on the stove place all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook for eight hours.

Either cooking method produces a stick to your ribs, stew good, meal!

Italian Pot Roast

4 lb. Eye Roast

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped onions

1 finely chopped celery stalk

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves, crushed

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup tightly packed parsley leaves, chopped

3 tablespoons Cento tomato paste

3 cups red wine

1(28-ounce) can whole Cento San Marzano tomatoes, drained and chopped*

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup water

1 lb. penne pasta

Cut slits in eye roast and insert sliced garlic into slits. Season the beef with salt and pepper. In a large casserole, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until hot but not smoking. Brown beef on all sides. Transfer beef to a plate. Pour off browning fat.

Add carrots, onions, and celery, stirring until golden. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Stir in bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, cinnamon, nutmeg, parsley and tomato paste. Add the wine and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the beef and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook at a gentle simmer for 3 hours, until meat is tender. 

Remove beef, cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Mix two tablespoon flour with 1/4 cup water. Add to the sauce to thicken. Simmer on low heat stirring until sauce thickens about 3-5 minutes. While sauce is thickening cook pasta according to package directions. 

Place cooked pasta on a large plater, pour the sauce over pasta. Slice beef and arrange over pasta. Serve with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

*I used Cento certified San Marzano tomatoes.

Enjoy!