My sister and I went halves on a pot roast in the grocery store yesterday. The cost of the whole roasts was outrageous and they had no small ones, so we just asked the butcher guy to cut one in half for us. It was still $9 each, but a lot better than $18.
I had had my eye on this recipe for a Mississippi Pot Roast that I had seen over on How to Feed a Loon for several months now. In fact I think I bought a jar of pepperoncini peppers back in November of last year with the idea in mind that I was going to make it.
And that is exactly what I did today and I have to tell you, this was one of the most fabulous tasting pot roasts I have ever cooked or eaten. I kid you not!
I did make a few major changes from their recipe, but I will let you know all about them!
If you are looking for a great supper that is not only delicious but very easy to make, read on! This one is destined to become a family favorite!
The original recipe made enough to serve 8 people so I cut the recipe in half to make only four servings, or to serve two people with leftovers. I don't know about you, but I enjoy pot roast leftovers. They come in really handy for pot pies, hash, etc.
I also cooked mine in an oven rather than a slow cooker, which meant that it was done sooner. You can certainly cook this in a slow cooker/crockpot however. It will take roughly 8-10 hours on low or 3 to 5 hours on high.
I did it in the oven for 3 hours at 350*F/180*C.
You are probably wondering what Pepperoncini are. They are a type of Italian hot pepper, packed in a pickle brine.
They are green, and not as spicy as a jalapeno pepper. I find them to be quite pleasant. I bought mine on Amazon, but I think in American they will be available in the grocery stores.
Sweet and hot they are not as hot and spicy as some other peppers and they work very well in dishes such as this one. I suppose you could use some hot sauce in their place and some ordinary pickle brine, if you can't find them.
You could also use jalapeno peppers, seeded and skinned, but do expect that they will be a lot hotter, and you will have to substitute the brine with something else. Again, I suggest regular pickle brine.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST
Only seven basic ingredients, that's all!
- 2 pound pot roast (chuck, brisket, bottom round, etc. a braising roast)
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix
- 1 packet dry ranch dressing mix
- 6 pickled pepperoncini peppers
- 1/4 cup (60ml) brine from the pepper jar
- 1/4 up (60ml) apple juice
- 4 TBS butter, cubed
The roast I used was a large bottom round roast that had been cut into two smaller roasts. It was just large enough to serve four people comfortably or two with plenty of leftovers.
Dry onion soup mix is readily available in the shops. When I was was in the UK, I used to buy it online via Amazon. I think the brand was Knorr. Here in North America it is Lipton.
Also the dry ranch dressing mix, in the UK you can buy it online. Here in Canada I used Club House brand which I bought on Amazon. You can also make your own from scratch. There are a great many recipes for doing so to be found online.
The apple juice was my own addition and not included in the original recipe. It is something I always use in my regular pot roast recipe and I knew it would work well with the other ingredients.
It also helps to tenderize the roast and makes for a very flavorful mix to toss the shredded roasted meat in at the end.
The butter adds a lovely richness. Altogether all of these flavors work beautifully and there is no need for any additional seasoning whatsoever.
HOW TO MAKE MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST
One thing which I really loved about this roast was its easy of preparation. Whether you choose to use a crock pot or to cook it in a casserole dish as I did, nothing could really be easier.
I did not bother to brown the roast as they did in the original recipe. It worked perfectly fine without doing so and was very flavorful regardless.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4.
Pat the meat dry and place into a heavy casserole dish (with a tight fitting lid). Sprinkle the onion soup mix and dry ranch dressing mix over top of and around the roast in the pan.
Place the pepperoncini around the roast. Add the cubes of butter, making sure some are on top of the roast.
Mix together the pepperoncini brine and the apple juice. Pour around the roast. Cover tightly.
Roast for 2 /2 to 3 hours, turning the roast around in the pan juices occasionally.
Remove from the oven and shred the meat in the casserole with two forks, stirring to incorporate the juice. Serve warm.
The juices from this roast are beautifully flavored and the meat is fork tender. Mixed together they were both incredibly delicious.
Added into the mix those slightly spiced peppers, and then with the melted butter . . . . heavenly bliss indeed!!
You can serve this with rice or whatever you want, but ideally a nice mound of beautifully mashed potatoes goes very well. My recipe for Perfect Creamy Mashed Potatoes is an excellent choice and what I enjoyed with it today.
You can enjoy whatever vegetables you like on the side, but today I had buttered carrots and swede. Altogether this was a really wonderful meal. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and am really looking forward to the leftovers!!!
Mississippi Pot Roast
Yield: 4
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 3 HourTotal time: 3 H & 10 M
This fabulously delicious pot roast is probably one of the easiest pot roasts you can make. With only a few ingredients, it is sure to become a family favorite.
Ingredients
- 2 pound pot roast (chuck, brisket, bottom round, etc. a braising roast)
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix
- 1 packet dry ranch dressing mix
- 6 pickled pepperoncini peppers
- 1/4 cup (60ml) brine from the pepper jar
- 1/4 up (60ml) apple juice
- 4 TBS butter, cubed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4.
- Pat the meat dry and place into a heavy casserole dish (with a tight fitting lid).
- Sprinkle the onion soup mix and dry ranch dressing mix over top of and around the roast in the pan.
- Place the pepperoncini around the roast. Add the cubes of butter, making sure some are on top of the roast.
- Mix together the pepperoncini brine and the apple juice. Pour around the roast. Cover tightly.
- Roast for 2 /2 to 3 hours, turning the roast around in the pan juices occasionally.
- Remove from the oven and shred the meat in the casserole with two forks, stirring to incorporate the juice.
- Serve warm.
Thank you for visiting! Do come again!
One of my all time favorite things to bake is Lemon Loaf. I have been baking lemon loaves since I was a very young cook. In fact I think one of the first things I remember baking is a lemon loaf and I remember my mother baking lemon loaves for tea parties she was either hosting or attending.
I have baked many many lemon loaves throughout the years, and used a lot of different recipes.
One lemon loaf is one which I bake uses lemon curd. Lemon Curd Drizzle Cake is one of my all time favorites. It is a recipe I adapted from a cookbook The Good Granny Cookbook, put out a number of years ago by Jane Fearnly Whittingstall (Hugh's mother.)
It has a beautiful flavor. Its moist and delicious and incredibly lemony. I had to leave my copy of this book in the UK and have not been able to replace it. Sigh . . .
Today I am sharing with you my old standby when it comes to lemon loaf. This is a recipe which I got from my old Purity Cookbook. I have had this book for about 45 years. The first time I saw it was at my ex sister in laws house.
Her's had a coupon at the back that you could send away to get another copy of copies of. She generously gave me a coupon and I sent away for one for myself. As you can see it is well loved, and dog earred.
One way of telling how good a recipe book is by seeing how splattered the pages are. You can tell this is a popular recipe in my kitchen as the pages are indeed very splattered and stained from years and years of baking.
Some people might not like having something like this in their cookbook library, but for me, this is a true treasure. I would not part with it for any amount of money, and this Glazed Lemon Loaf recipe is one of the reasons why!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thank you for visiting! Do come again!
Follow me on Bloglovin
One of the reasons I love this lemon loaf recipe so much is that it is quick and easy to make. A child could make it. Also it is very moist and delicious with a beautiful crumb.
It is a bread you really cannot improve upon. I have added a few things to the technique of making it through the years which I have adapted from other bakers, such as rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar for the recipe.
This is something I learned from Dorie Greenspan. It helps to release all of the oils from the lemon zest and yields even more lemon flavor!
I used to belong to a baking group called Tuesdays with Dorie and this is one of the things/techniques I learned from being in that group.
Every Tuesday we baked a different recipe from Dorie's baking book, Baking, From My Home to Yours. It was a great way to connect with other baking bloggers and make new friends. If you have never joined a baking group, I highly recommend doing so!
HOW TO CHOOSE LEMONS FOR BAKING
I know you shouldn't really squeeze fruit that you are looking to buy, but in the case of lemons and limes, squeezing lightly goes a long way towards picking out the best fruits.
First of all you should pick lemons which have a bright and blemish free skin. They should not appear withered in any way, and most especially at the stem end of the fruit. If it is wrinkled or dry looking here, don't choose it. Old fruit. Dry fruit.
A good lemon will also feel quite heavy in your hand. This means that the lemon has a higher juice content. If a lemon feels really light, it is probably quite dry. This applies to any citrus fruit.
Give them a light squeeze. Just gently press with your thumb. If it gives a little, then this is a juicy fruit. If there is no give, then it is probably (once more) a dry fruit.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE GLAZED LEMON LOAF
Simple baking ingredients. These things are always found in my kitchen.
- 1 1/2 cups (210g) all purpose plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (45g) chopped toasted walnuts (optional)
- 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large free range eggs
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
To glaze and finish:
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
- Icing sugar to dust on top when serving
The finishing glaze is entirely optional of course, but it really does add a lovely lemon flavor to the loaf. I also like to pretty it up with a light dusting of icing sugar.
HOW TO MAKE GLAZED LEMON LOAF
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter your loaf tin and then line it with a strip of paper leaving an overhang on two sides for each of lifting out.
Rub the sugar and lemon zest together in a bowl until very fragrant. Add the butter and cream the two together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until thoroughly combined.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add to the creamed mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk, making three dry and two wet additions. Combine lightly after each.
Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth the top over.
Bake in the preheated oven for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Leave to cool for five minutes and then if glazing, whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth and drizzle over top.
Leave to cool in the pan lifting out to remove.
Dust with icing sugar and cut into slices to serve.
Note: If you are using the toasted walnuts, stir them in last, prior to spreading the batter in the prepared tin.
I really enjoy this cut into thin slices (about 1/3 inch thick) and lightly spread with softened butter. Loaves such as this slice much easier if left overnight before slicing.
This is the perfect lemon loaf recipe. There are no bells or whistles. Simplicity speaks for itself with the end result being a lush lemon loaf with pure lemon flavor. This always goes well with a hot cup or tea or coffee!
Glazed Lemon Loaf
Yield: 1 (9X5X3) loaf cake
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 H & 10 MTotal time: 1 H & 20 M
This sugar glazed quick bread loaf is beautiful served with a nice hot cuppa tea or coffee. Adapted from a recipe in the old Purity Cookbook.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (210g) all purpose plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (45g) chopped toasted walnuts (optional)
- 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large free range eggs
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
To glaze: (optional)
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
- Icing sugar to dust on top when serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter your loaf tin and then line it with a strip of paper leaving an overhang on two sides for each of lifting out.
- Rub the sugar and lemon zest together in a bowl until very fragrant. Add the butter and cream the two together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly combined.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add to the creamed mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk, making three dry and two wet additions. Combine lightly after each.
- Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth the top over.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Leave to cool for five minutes and then if glazing, whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth and drizzle over top.
- Leave to cool in the pan lifting out to remove.
- Dust with icing sugar and cut into slices to serve.
I make no secret of the fact that my favorite vegetable is the humble potato. I think if I had to spend the rest of my life eating only one thing it would be potatoes. I could live without meat, but don't take away my potatoes.
They are such an incredibly versatile vegetables. Aside from being a great source of fiber, you can enjoy them baked, mashed, fried, boiled, and in a multitude of dishes.
I can remember watching my mother peel potatoes when I was a child and begging my mother for a piece of the raw potato. She would never let me have any.
She said eating raw potato would give me worms. I don't think that's actually true, but its still not a wise thing to do, eating raw potatoes. They contain a toxic compound named solanine which can make you very ill.
If I had to pick a favorite way of preparing and eating potatoes I could not pick one. Each has their own benefits and beautiful properties.
Baby boiled potatoes, rolled in butter, salt pepper and herbs. Fabulously tasty. Even larger boiled potatoes, boiled in the skins and then dabbed with butter, parsley, salt and pepper. So delicious.
A big pile of fluffy mash . . . with butter and milk, salt and pepper. Is there anything more comforting. Sour cream or cream cheese are also great additions. Mom always used to add some finely grated onion. Delicious!
What would a steak be without a wonderful, crisp skinned baked jacket potato on the side. In the UK they have restaurants that serve nothing but jacket potatoes and you can get them topped with everything from beans, to tuna mayonnaise to baked beans.
Remove the insides, mash with a few bits, stuff them back in and re-bake and you have another incredibly delicious option!!!
Fried potatoes are another favorite. Either cut into chips and deep fat fried in oil, or grated, shaped into patties and fried in butter as potato pancakes.
Hash brown patties. Crispy roasted potatoes. Potato Chips/crisps. There is no end to the enjoyment.
And then there is potato salad. Mixed with mayonnaise, or sour cream or both, or with an herb vinaigrette, they all go down a real treat with me.
One of my very favorite ways to enjoy them is as pan fries. You can use leftover cold potatoes and those are excellent, or you can boil them and then cook them the way I am sharing today.
Peeled and chunked potatoes are parboiled in some salted water and then fried to golden brown in a pan with some garlic and sage.
Excellent served as a side dish with just about anything. Add a couple of eggs, frying them in the pan with the potatoes, and you have a complete meal!
Quite simply delicious. Tear the yolk open and dip the potatoes into it. Oh my, my, my . . . what a delicious option.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CRISPY FRIED POTATOES
Simple ingredients, simply prepared.
- 1 lb. 2 oz (500g) potatoes, peeled and cut into approximately 1 inch chunks
- 2 TBS olive oil
- A large knob of butter (about 20g)
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole and smashed
- 3 sage sprigs
- salt and black pepper to taste
- parsley to scatter over top
Just about any kind of potato will work prepared this way. Today I used red potatoes. They were small to medium in size. The smaller ones I cut in half and the larger ones I quartered.
Its not always possible to get fresh sage leaves. In that case you can use about 1/2 tsp of crumbled dried sage.
HOW TO MAKE CRISPY FRIED POTATOES
If you follow my instructions exactly you will be rewarded with perfectly cooked, crispy edged, golden brown potatoes which are beautifully flavored with sage and garlic.
Boil the potato chunks in salted boiling water until just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain very well then throw immediately into a 12 inch non-stick skillet that you have been heating the butter, oil, garlic and sage in.
I put this pan on just when the potatoes are about ready and heat it until the butter starts to foam and sizzle.
Start them off on high heat and cook until they start to look golden brown, then lower the heat slightly and continue to cook them until they get really crusty, tossing them about carefully from time to time.
This will take about 10 to 15 minutes depending. Try not to rush the process.
Be very careful not to mush them, although mushing them a little bit is good as it gives you more crispy edges and bits to enjoy.
Try not to let the garlic or the sage burn. If it looks as if they are getting too done, lift them onto the top of the potatoes.
Sprinkle with a bit of salt, some pepper, the parsley flakes and serve immediately.
If you like you can actually turn this simple dish into a whole meal by adding a couple of eggs. The potatoes are fabulous dipped into the yolks.
Once you have the potatoes all golden and crispy, move the potatoes over in the pan , making two big spaces for the eggs. Drop another bit of butter into the empty spot and crack in two eggs.
Sprinkle a bit of sea salt over all and continue to cook over medium low heat, until the egg whites set and the yolk is as done as you like it.
These are really delicious. I could eat them every day, but restrain myself from doing so. I leave them as a rare treat, and enjoy them even more for doing so!!
Crispy Fried Potatoes
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
Simple and satisfying. Crisp edged, golden brown, filled with flavor. Its the simple things in life which bring us the most pleasure.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. 2 oz (500g) potatoes, peeled and cut into approximately 1 inch chunks
- 2 TBS olive oil
- A large knob of butter (about 20g)
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole and smashed
- 3 sage sprigs
- salt and black pepper to taste
- parsley to scatter over top
Instructions
- Boil the potato chunks in salted boiling water until just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain very well then throw immediately into a 12 inch non-stick skillet that you have been heating the butter, oil, garlic and sage in. (I put this pan on just when the potatoes are about ready and heat it until the butter starts to foam and sizzle.)
- Start them off on high heat and cook until they start to look golden brown, then lower the heat slightly and continue to cook them until they get really crusty, tossing them about carefully from time to time.
- Be very careful not to mush them, although mushing them a little bit is good as it gives you more crispy edges and bits to enjoy. Try not to let the garlic or the sage burn. If it looks as if they are getting too done, lift them onto the top of the potatoes.
- Sprinkle with a bit of salt, some pepper, the parsley flakes and serve immediately.
Notes
Optionally you can cook two eggs with the potatoes. Once you have the potatoes all golden and crispy, move the potatoes over in the pan , making two big spaces for the eggs. Drop another bit of butter into the empty spot and crack in two eggs. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt over all and continue to cook over medium low heat, until the egg whites set and the yolk is as done as you like it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons