Pot Roast with Orange and Dates

Source: Bon Appetit, April, 2007

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. Boneless Beef Chuck Roasts, Each Approx 7x4x2″
• 4 teaspoons Sugar
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 lb. Onions, Thinly Sliced
• 6 Red Wine Vinegar
• ½ teaspoon Ground Allspice
• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 cup Orange Juice
• ½ cup Tomato Sauce
• 2 cups Pitted Dates
• ½ cup Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley

Method

Preheat oven to 350. Sprinkle roast on each side with salt, pepper, and 1 tsp sugar.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in heavy wide ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add roasts.

Cook until brown, about 8 minutes per side; transfer to plate.

Add 1 tbsp oil and onions to pot. Saute until dark brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Mix in vinegar and allspice; boil until reduced to glaze, scraping up browned bits.

Add broth, orange juice, and tomato sauce; bring to boil. Return roasts and accumulated juices to pot. Scatter dates around roasts; sprinkle with parsley.

Cover pot; place in oven. Braise roasts 1 hour. Turn roasts over, cover, and braise until tender, about 1 hour. Tilt pot; spoon off fat from top of sauce. Cool uncovered 1 hour.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Chill uncovered until cold; cover and keep chilled.

Preheat oven to 350. Transfer roasts to board, scraping sauce into pot. Cut crosswise into ½-inch thick slices; overlap slices in baking dish. Spoon sauce over. Cover; rewarm about 25 minutes.

(Good with spiced carrot and zucchini quinoa)