ANOTHER GREAT RECIPE USING HERBS FROM MY MEDITERANNEAN HERB GARDEN©
 (Read 250+ times)
By Arlene Wright Correll
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We don’t eat a lot of meat around our home any more. Old age, being smarter, less family to cook for, no longer living on the dairy farms where meat was required at all 3 daily meals and a general change of eating habits is the reason why, at least for us.
So when we do decide to eat meat, I usually cook it when we have special company in to dine. When that time comes I want to do something dazzling and I want to use the dried herbs from my Mediterranean herb garden so I pull out my old standby of Herbed Beef in a Salt Crust.
First I make a marinade of 1/3 cup good olive oil, ¼ cup of grated fresh onion, 1 tsp. of dried basil leaves, 1 tsp. garlic salt, ½ tsp. dried thyme leaves, ½ tsp. of dried marjoram leaves and ¼ tsp. of black pepper. To make things quicker I put all these into a large zip lock plastic bag. I next add 1 eye of the round roast of beef which is usually between 2 & ½ to 3 pounds and will nicely serve 6 to 8 guests. Zipping up the zip lock I put it into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but I prefer it to be overnight thus letting all my herbs and olive oil “marry” well and penetrate the meat.
When I am ready to cook the roast I remove it from the marinade, pat dry and let it sit on a paper towel while I line my roasting pan with a good heavy aluminum foil.
Next I take a 3 pound box of course kosher salt and pour it into a large bowl and I gradually add1 cup of water to make a thick paste. If I need to add more water I do, but never more than a total of 1 & ¼ cups of water.
Now I take 1 cup of the paste and pat it into my foil lined roasting pan to about ½ inch thick. Again I pat my roast with paper towels just to make sure it is dry all around and I lay it on top of the salt paste in the bottom of my roasting pan.
At this point you may insert your meat thermometer in the event you use one. Since I have been doing this for so long I fore go this part of the recipe.
Now pack I the remaining salt paste around the meat to cover and seal it well.
I put this into my preheated oven which is set at 350° and I bake it until my thermometer registers 140° which is my over is for about 80 minutes as we like it medium rare. Carl or any other guests gets the ends which are usually well done.
If your salt crust is cracked don’t worry because it is usually caused by steam escaping during the roasting period.
Remove the roast from the oven and let it stand 10 minutes. NO LESS! Remove and discard salt crust, place your roast on your favorite serving platter. I like to slice about half of it up in slices first on my wooden cutting board and arrange them and the remaining whole roast on my favorite platter which I then surround with either roasted organically grown potatoes, which I added to the oven in a separate pan during the last 40 minutes of the time for roasting the meat and/or some quickly blanched, hot, al dente fresh organic green beans which I cooked while the roast was resting.
Since my guests can see my cooking island from the dining table in the great room, they get to witness all the “theater” which comes with removing the roast, letting it sit, cracking the crust, slicing and serving while they enjoy a nice glass of good red wine with the cook!
“Tread the Earth Lightly” and in the meantime… May your day be filled with…
Peace, Light and Love,
Arlene Wright-Correll
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Author Bio Box: Arlene Wright Correll
 For more gardening or cooking information click http://www.learn-america.com/
To see Arlene’s Gardens and to read her gardening diaries and to take a walk through her pictorial garden or click on Arlene’s Books where you can download or buy her gardening & cook books, including her new book, “The ABC’s of Wine and Beer Making”. Many of her articles written for Greenthumbarticles have paintings she has created of the subject and they can be seen at her “How to Do It” site. Remember to check out her artwork, especially of her fruits and vegetables. Many of her paintings are sold internationally and many of her works of art have been reproduced on note cards, post cards and other functional items and you can get Giclee prints of her artwork starting as low as $11.89 Arlene says, “All my royalties from the sale of my books, art, etc. go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and I thank you for visiting my sites.”
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