On the theme of meat, Himself and I went shopping in Kitchener yesterday and came home with a pot roast, among other things. Now, pot roast was never a favourite dish in my family, but Himself is a fan so I made up my mind to get good at it.

Step one, get a decent piece of beef, preferably a well-marbled blade roast. Then haul out the Dutch oven; having been blessed with a generous kin group, we possess a Le Creuset braising pot that does the job in style.

Brown the roast on every side in about a tablespoonful of canola oil (high smoke point). Salt and pepper it well on all sides while you're at it. Set the roast aside and wipe out the pot. Next, sauté a chopped onion, some minced garlic, and a couple of ribs' worth of finely chopped celery in olive oil, to which then add dried thyme and about three quarters of a cup of red plonk with a bit of salt and a good grind of pepper, followed by about half a cup of beef stock and a glug of brandy. (It need not be *good* brandy.) Let it all boil for a few minutes, then put the roast back in the pot. Put on the lid and turn the gas down as low as it will go, or put the pot in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Leave it alone for at least two hours.

When the roast is done (tender to an ordinary fork), fish it out of the pot and put it aside. Put the pot on the hob and turn up the gas. Reduce the pot liquor, stirring constantly, adding thickener if you like (I use beurre manié). Carve the roast, laying the slices (or collops, if you carve as clumsily as I do) on a warm platter. Ladle the gravy over all.

Serve with spuds, carrots, etc. I like to roast them in the oven with onion, garlic and slabs of fennel.

And that's what we had for dinner last night.

Tonight, something much less meat-arian, almost certainly involving chickpeas.