A fall feast

While testing this recipe, I couldn’t wait to dig into this fragrant and meltingly tender pot roast. The flavors are mouthwatering. Caramelized onions, carrots, and celery with garlic. Lots and lots of garlic, slowly braised with red wine and a hint of cloves, put this dish over the top.

Straccato is a pot roast braised long and slow in scented wine. The addition of cloves, brought by Jewish spice traders, is a classic Roman flavor, called Garafalo. The flavors of the cloves mellow through the long cooking process, and lightly flavor and scent the dish- while making your home smell enticing and delicious.

I wrote these recipes for Sukkot, but this menu can carry you into winter and beyond. This menu would be delightful with latkes, so keep these recipes handy for December!

Cozy on up and serve your family and friends thick, wobbly slices- or, better yet, chunks- of this crowd-friendly, and mostly hands-off, feast.

Italian Pot Roast

The addition of cloves, orange zest, and balsamic give this dish an authentic Roman flavor. Romans have their own version of pot roast, which they call garofolato. The name comes from the exuberant use of cloves. Garofalo, in Roman dialect, means “to scent” the dish. The orange zest, and sweet and tangy balsamic, add complex flavors. The cloves mellow out during the long and slow braise, so don’t leave them out.

Serves 6+

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

4-pound chuck roast (or whole brisket- not first cut! This cozy dish cries out for a tender cut of meat!)

2 large Spanish onions, coarsely chopped

3 medium carrots, coarsely chopped

3 celery ribs, coarsely chopped

2 whole heads of garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup diced tomatoes, fresh or jarred

1 bottle fruity-dry red wine; Cabernet or Pinot Noir works well here

¼ cup good quality balsamic vinegar

1½ cups chicken stock (prefer homemade)

Bouquet garni of several sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary, parsley stems tied together (I tie mine to a celery rib for easy retrieval.)

Big fat strips of zest from 2 oranges (use a sharp vegetable peeler, and try not to get the bitter white pith)

Preheat oven to 325F.

1. Season roast with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven or casserole with tight fitting lid, lightly coated with olive oil, and brown the meat, taking the time to really make sure each side is deeply browned. (The payback here is deep flavor). Transfer meat to a plate or bowl.

2. Add onions, celery, and carrots to the same pan and brown, stirring occasionally.

3. Once the vegetables have browned, add garlic, and cook for another few minutes until garlic is fragrant and starting to sizzle.

4. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, wine, balsamic, stock, bouquet garni, and orange zest. Stir to combine.

5. Nestle roast in the vegetables and liquid, cover, and place in preheated oven. Braise for 2-2½ hours or until a fork can be easily inserted and removed with no resistance.

6. Gently remove roast and allow to cool before slicing.

7. Strain braising liquid and discard veggies and bouquet garni. Skim fat off the surface of liquid. Reduce braising liquid by about ½ or until it coats the back of a spoon.

8. Slice meat (I like it thick and luscious). Arrange on a platter. Drizzle with some reduced pan jus, dollop with sweet and sour raisin gremolata.

Sweet and Sour Raisin Gremolata

The perfect bite needs to be balanced. This tart and herb-y relish will cleanse the palate getting you ready for another delicious bite. I love the play of sweet and sour, with a little kicky heat from chili flakes.

For the raisins

½ cup vinegar

½ cup golden raisins

¼ cup sugar

Pinch of chili flakes

1.    Heat vinegar, sugar, and chili flakes until boiling.

2.    Add raisins, and turn off heat.

3.    Cool before storing, covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Gremolata

This herby, garlicky, sweet, and sour goodness is the perfect foil for rich meat dishes. It is delicious on grilled bread, roasted chicken, tossed in a salad or on latkes.

½ cup finely chopped parsley

Zest of 1 orange

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic (grated on microplane or box grater)

¼ cup coarsely chopped toasted almonds (optional)

½ cup pickled raisins (made at least 2 days before using), chopped

2 teaspoons sea salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Place parsley, zest, olive oil, garlic, almonds (if using), raisins, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir to combine.

2. Store leftover gremolata in fridge for up to 4 days. Delicious dolloped on toasted bread, roasted chicken, or tossed in a salad.

Roasted Garlic Polenta- Creamy

Making polenta in the oven, out of the line of fire of a sputtering pan of hot lava, is a game changer. All the scary parts of making polenta happen under cover (literally) and hands-free.

Serves 6+

1½ cups medium-grind cornmeal (polenta)

6 cups chicken stock or water, heated to a simmer

1 tablespoon sea salt + more if needed

2 heads garlic, not peeled

Good quality extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F.

1. Place polenta, stock or water, and salt in a large pot and stir together.

2. Cover and transfer to oven. Stir polenta every 20 minutes until creamy and cooked through, adding more liquid if necessary, about 1 hour.

3. While polenta is cooking, cut garlic in half across the middle. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil. Roast garlic for about 40 minutes until tender and lightly caramelized. Cool.

4. Squeeze garlic into polenta and generously drizzle polenta with olive oil. Adjust salt.

Note: Serve pot roast with creamy polenta.

Rosemary and Lemon Olive Oil Cake

This tender and fragrant cake is in the style of most European desserts and is not overly sweet. It is the perfect end to a great meal or great snack the next day. The rosemary adds a savory note that is delicious and complex.

1 cup best quality + 1 tablespoon best quality extra virgin olive oil, divided

4 teaspoons fresh (not dried) rosemary, finely minced

1 cup medium grind cornmeal (polenta)

1 1/3 cups sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

5 large eggs

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven 350F.

Grease a 10-cup Bundt pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Set aside.

1. Scatter 2 teaspoons of minced rosemary over the bottom of the pan. Dust pan with a tablespoon of polenta.

2. In a mixing bowl for a stand mixer, whip sugar, zest, eggs, and egg yolks at high speed until thick and at ribbon stage (about 5 minutes). Reduce speed and drizzle in olive oil slowly until a thick emulsion forms (like mayonnaise).

3. Gently fold in vanilla, salt, polenta, remaining rosemary, and flour.

4. Transfer batter to greased pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a cake tester can be inserted and comes out with moist crumbs attached.

5. Cool cake for about 30 minutes as it will be very tender, before running a knife around the edges and inverting on to a cake plate.

Laura Frankel is a noted kosher chef, a cookbook author, and Culinary Director for a media company. Currently, she serves as Product Development Specialist at The Spice House.