Tomato Olive Braised Beef with Rustic Cauliflower Turnip Mash
It had been YEARS since I’d last bitten into a piece of delicious, slowly braised beef blade roast.
Oh, I almost cried… it was so good.
I had almost forgotten how moist and tender and juicy and flavorful that cut of meat truly is.
To me, that such an inexpensive piece of meat can lead one to achieve such great levels of culinary ecstasy is down right astonishing.
Oh, the moment of pure bliss that was brought to me with each and every bite that got carried to my lips.
I can’t even begin to explain!
And I am really sorry that, once again, my pictures simply do not do justice to a meal that, in my opinion, was truly worthy of the best recipe books ever published by some of the best chefs the world has to offer.
I might sound like I’m tooting my own horn here, and maybe it’s the long years of “deprivation” speaking, but I am telling you, this dish, I am certain of it, made the angels sing.
And if the angels didn’t actually sing, I can guarantee you that my tummy did.
And lucky for him, I made a HUGE batch and ate the whole thing by myself… save for one serving which I brought to one of my co-workers for him to sample.
Needless to say I was extremely nervous while I awaited his verdict… which took 2 long days to come!
Thank goodness, it came out positive! I think he liked it almost as much as I did.
One thing’s for sure, he wanted to get his hands on the recipe. That of the beef, as well as that of the side dish I had made.
So there you have it. Just for you, Pierre, I’m also including the recipe for the Rustic Cauliflower and Turnip Mash that I elected to serve along with the beef.
Quite frankly, I think it was the perfect choice of side to complement this dish.
The fluffiness of the mash as well as the slightly tangy flavor of the cauliflower and turnip go magically well with the bold and agreeably salty flavor of the beef and olives.
Oh, and whatever you do, don’t skip the little pearl onions. They add such an exquisite touch of sweetness to the whole experience, you wouldn’t want to miss on that!
I am telling you, this was the Best Braised Beef Blade Roast I have had in my entire life.
I am definitely adding this one back to my regular menu.
It will NOT be years before I get to enjoy it again, I can guarantee that!
Tomato and Olive Braised Beef
Ingredients
- 2 kg boneless blade roast, trimmed of all visible fat
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, smashed
- 454 g mushrooms, sliced or cut in half
- 24 large each kalamata and green olives, pitted and cut in half lenghtwise
- ¼ cup Pommery meaux mustard*
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 large can diced tomatoes
- 250 g frozen pearl onions
The Spice Mix
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp whole coriander seeds
- 1½ tsp Himalayan or fine salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground clove
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp dark cocoa powder
- 1½ tsp instant coffee powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Grind all the spices together in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.
- Rub spice mix all over your piece of meat, making sure to coat it well on all sides. Really “massage” the spices into the meat.
- Wrap the roast in a plastic film and leave it to rest while you prep your vegetables.
- Preheat about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat. When pan is sizzling hot, add the meat and do not move it until it has formed a nice dark crust, about 5 minutes. Flip the piece of meat and sear the other side until it too, forms a nice golden crust.
- Transfer meat to a large Dutch oven.
- Add mushrooms, onions, and garlic to the pan and cook for one or two minutes, just enough for the vegetables to grab a hold of all the delicious flavours that are attached to the bottom of the pan. Put that in the Dutch oven with the meat.
- Add water, mustard and cider vinegar to the cooking pan to finish deglazing it then pour that liquid over the reserved meat and veggies.
- Add the tomatoes and olives, put the lid on and place that in the oven for about 4 hours, or until the meat detaches very easily when pulled with a fork.
- You might want to check from time to time just to make sure you still have enough cooking liquid. If it appears to have gone down too much, add a little bit more water.
- When the meat is cooked, add the pearl onions and continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes, just to heat the onions through.
- Serve piping hot with a side of mashed cauliflower and turnip.
Notes
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
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Rustic Cauliflower Turnip Mash
Ingredients
- 600 g cauliflower, cut into florets
- 600 g turnip, peeled and cut into roughly 1” cubes
- ¼ tsp Himalayan or fine sea salt
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
Instructions
- Place the vegetables in a steaming basket, sprinkle with salt, cover and steam over a few cups of boiling water until fork tender.
- Transfer the veggies to the bowl of your food processor, add pepper and nutmeg and process until desired consistency is achieved.
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
You can also FOLLOW ME on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and TWITTER for more delicious, healthy recipes!
Make sure you remove all of this visible fat, then coat your piece of meat nice and good with the spice rub
Add veggies, olives and tomatoes
Cook for a very looooong time
It’s a food of love thing!
Serve with a side of Rustic Cauliflower and Turnip Mash
Come closer and smell this…
Can you see how nice and moist this is?
21 Comments on “Tomato Olive Braised Beef with Rustic Cauliflower Turnip Mash”
This looks stunning! I am literally drooling over this on my screen – if you’re saying the pictures don’t do this meal justice I can’t even begin to imagine how divine this must have looked in reality! *droooooool*
Aw, thank you so very much! That is incredibly nice of you to say! I am truly flattered 🙂
This looks DELICIOUS. Few things better in the world of meat than slow-cooked braising beef – I think I prefer it to a more expensive cut like fillet steak! Also I can only imagine how good the olives make it taste with their salty deliciousness…great recipe!
Thank you Elly! I think we’re on the same page with this one… LOOOOVE braised beef. Plus, as an added bonus, the entire house smells extremely good for hours after it’s done cooking. 🙂
It’s a seasonal thing, however. Ask me the same question in the middle of the summer, when it’s forty-eighteen degrees out, and I will definitely go for the grilled fillet on the barbie! 🙂
My stomach is growling after reading this post! I’m sure the saltiness of the olives (one of my favorite foods) takes this over the top.
I do have to admit that the olives play a big role in making this dish so tasty! But when you are as big a fan of olives as I am, they tend to make just about anything better! 🙂
Mmm, this looks melt-in-your-mouth good. I love the turnip mash. Yum!
Ok so if I was ever lucky enough to come across a title like this on a menu in a restaurant, I would jump all over it with glee! I love everything about this meal and can well imagine how fragrant and succulent your beef is (I am a self-professed olive addict and have been so – so I’m told – since about the age of 4 :)). Wonderful Sonia!
Haha! That makes two of us. I’ve always had an incredibly soft spot for olives and have always been know for making them all disappear at holidays and family gatherings… I’ve passed this down to my kids apparently, so people better get there early if they hope to get an olive or two before they’re all gone! 😉
And you know what? I think if I had a restaurant, I would have to put this one on the menu. Yeah. It was that good. 🙂
Can this be done on the stove instead of the oven?
Sonia, we have a problem! I was so EXCITED to try this recipe I went grocery shopping and bough a beautiful roast. So far so good. But the thing is, I didn’t realize this baby needed to be cooked in the oven. I don’t have a Dutch oven and I was planning on making this recipe in a regular pot, on the stovetop. Do you think it would still work? (please, please, tell me I’ll be fine!!)
You’ll be fine, my lovely! Just keep the temp real low and let it simmer for a very long time. 🙂
YAY! Alright, so I’ll make it today or tomorrow and I’ll let you know how it turned out! Thanks 🙂
Awesome! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts! 🙂
Sonia, it was SO GOOD!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us! The leftovers were delicious as well. Can’t wait to make it again!!
So, so happy to hear, Marie! Absolutely delighted to hear that you liked this recipe. Thanks a bunch for letting me know! 🙂
I’ve made it too and it is sooo yummy! I was getting a little anxious when after 2h the meat was still tough, but after 4h it became super tender. I skipped pearl onions[um, sorry, hard to find where i live:D] and added few carrots for sweetness instead.
I’m sure I’ll be making it again and try adding some other veg. What do you think about aubergine?
Oh, and the stove has worked just fine:)
I think aubergine would be great, John. I would only add it towards the end, tough, as it would get way too mushy otherwise. Carrots must’ve been very good also! 🙂
And thanks for letting me know that this produced good results on the stove as well. Glad you liked! 😀
I made this recipe last night and it turned out perfectly! In the past I’ve followed recipes for slow cooked- melting in your mouth meat but this recipe is the only one that has really worked for me. There was no need for a knife, it was that tender. The flavours were great too. This might be my new signature dish 😛
So happy to hear, Jovana. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such great feedback. You are totally awesome! 🙂
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