Pot Roast in Tomato Sauce

Pot roast is a long-standing favorite for both our families and I make a few different variations. We generally prefer a brown gravy over a red sauce but both are delicious.  I prefer using the eye round cut over other roasts because it's very lean but very flavorful and becomes incredibly tender after a long slow braise. This, then, is the recipe for the tomato version of the recipe.

Ingredients
3-4 lb. Eye round or other pot or oven roast
1 Tablespoon olive or canola oil
3 Carrots, peeled and sliced
3 Stalks celery, sliced
2 Onions, peeled and diced
6 Cloves garlic, minced
2 Cups red wine
1 28 oz. Can whole plum tomatoes in puree
2 Cups chicken stock
Small handful of fresh thyme
2 Tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Pour the oil into a large pot, season the roast with salt and pepper and sear in the pot until browned on all sides.  Remove the roast to a large plate.  Add the carrots, onions, celery and garlic to the pot and sauté until tender.  Please the roast back into the pot, add the tomatoes, wine and enough chicken stock to nearly cover the meat.  Add the thyme, cover and cook in a 350 degree oven for 3 hours.

Allow the cooked roast to cool before slicing.  Strain as much of the vegetables from the pot as you like but this sauce is rustic and can be chunky.  Thicken the sauce with the flour, slice the meat and add the slices back into the pot to reheat.

Makes approximately 9 - 12 servings.