Pot Roast #2 With Cauliflower Dumplings

Oh my, this one is very good. It's a bit of work to make the dumplings, but if you have any love of German food, you'll find this recipe a real treat. Of course, you can make either part of the recipe alone if you so desire, but they compliment each other very nicely.

3 or 4 lb chuck roast
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
pinch garlic powder
4 tbsp unenriched flour
3 cups beef broth
1/3 cup dry red wine (optional)
2 or 3 tbsp tomato paste (I use a brand that lists tomatoes as the only ingredient)
1 bay leaf
1/2 to 1 tsp thyme
MP safe vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Pat the roast dry and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Pour a little oil into a large oven proof pot and brown the meat on both sides, about 15 minutes total. Remove the meat to a plate and add the vegetables to the pot. Add a little oil so that you have about 3 or 4 tablespoons total. Let vegetables cook for a few minutes and then add the garlic powder. Be sure to scrape up any brown bits that are on the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir well to mix flour into oil. Let cook for a minute and then add the broth a little at a time, whisking well to prevent lumps. Stir in the tomato paste and wine. Add the bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper. Put the roast back in the pot. Adjust the amount of liquid so that it comes a little more than half way up the side of the roast. Simmer in a 325 degree oven for 2 or 3 hours until tender. You could also simmer this in a slow cooker on the low setting for 4 or 5 hours until tender.

This recipe makes lots of gravy. Put some on the meat and on the dumplings. Heaven!

Cauliflower Dumplings

This recipe is based on "Mock Potato Dumplings" from "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Cookbook" by Robert C. Atkins, M. Evans and Company, Inc., 1994.

1 16 oz package frozen cauliflower or one head of fresh cauliflower
6 tbsp liquid egg white ( a little more than half a cup)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried parsley
pinch nutmeg
8 tbsp unenriched flour (whole wheat pastry flour works well)
butter for frying

Cook the cauliflower until soft. Mash it with a potato masher or grind it in a food processor until it is ground up smaller than rice.

Put a large pot of water on to boil and add a tablespoon of salt.

In a large bowl mix together the cauliflower, egg white, Parmesan, salt, parsley, nutmeg and flour. Spray a plate with no stick spray. Spray your hands and form the dough into balls about a heaping tablespoon in size, putting them on the plate as you go. Do the best you can, the dough is a little messy.

Carefully lower 5 or 6 balls into the boiling water. Let them cook until they float to the surface and then remove them with a slotted spoon. Drain on a paper towel while you cooking the rest of the dumplings. Heat some butter in a nonstick skillet and fry the dumplings until they are nicely browned. These are good plain but they are even better drenched in gravy.

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