This free-lance life

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Just when I thought everything was going to be okay, an e-mail arrives announcing that the project I'd hoped to be working on has fallen through. Ugh! I get tired of these set-backs but there isn't much I can do. It's part and parcel of this free-lance life and that's just the way it is. In the meantime, I did have a rush job over the weekend and it involved roast beef. Hadn't roasted a big piece of meat in a while and I must say, it's sort of rewarding. The sight, smell and taste is so primal. And there is nothing easier or more economical. Just rub the joint with a little oil, season with salt and pepper then pop it in the oven.....I seared the sirloin tip first but I'm not sure it was necessary. If I'd started it in a really hot oven then turned the heat down (from something like 500°F. reduced to 350°F.), the results would probably been the same. The editor wanted me to roast carrots and potatoes along side the beef. This provided an easy and simple side dish but it didn't allow for making a delicious sauce from the pan drippings. Also, the editor didn't want to use a tenderloin because it was deemed too expensive and if it's one thing I've learned about roasts over the years, you're almost always better off with a splurge if you want a really fine piece of roast beef. It's almost always best to either cook an inexpensive piece of beef very slowly for a long time or to cook an expensive cut rather quickly and efficiently. She wanted me to use either eye-of-round or sirloin tip and having picked the latter, I wasn't unhappy with the results but I know in my heart-of-hearts that a tenderloin would have been a much better choice. Anyway, it was good and it's nice to have leftovers. The next day I used a big chunk of the roast to make four individual portions of shepherd's pie which are tucked away in the freezer for future consumption. (I added some boned short rib beef that I had hanging around from another set of recipe testing I'd done earlier in the week --- waste not, want not!!). I kept a little piece of the leftover roast for sandwiches, too. So that's my adventure with roast beef. Of course it's not the greatest idea to have the stove on for three hours when it's hot and humid outside but come next fall, I'll do it again. Maybe by then my free-lance life will have picked up and I'll be able to enjoy that primal feeling of carnivorous well-being again. There is something reassuring about meat and while I often say I could live on fish alone, beef does appeal to an innate part of my soul. Try roasting a joint before the real heat of summer sets in and let me know how it goes...Happy cooking!!