Italian Beef

A Chicago speciality.

3 pounds beef roast
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes, *see Note
1 tablespoon coarsley ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons italian seasonings, *see Note
2 medium onions, sliced 1/4" thick
2 large bell peppers, sliced 1/3" thick
3 cans beef broth

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Mix the olive oil and spices together and rub all over the roast.

3. Place in roasting pan and cover. Cook until just rare, about 2 hours. (trust me on this)
Save any pan drippings and spices for the au jus, you can clean them out of the pan with a can of the beef broth.

4. Cool roast completely before slicing. You'll probably need to do the roasting the day before you want to serve this, or really early in the morning.

5. Slice as thin as possible. A meat slicer is a good thing, but if you don't have one use the sharpest knife in your arsenal.

6. Grill or saute onions and bell peppers in a small amount of olive oil.

7. In a large dutch oven mix the thinly sliced beef, broth and vegetables. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the beef is done. (see? I told you to trust me)

8. * Notes: Adjust to your taste, I usually use 4 tablespoons of the red pepper flakes if I'm not serving to wimps.

9. * Notes: You can use the pre-mixed Italian seasonings or mix your own.
To mix your own: 1 tablespoon each oregano, basil, rosemary and parsely.
You can add fennel seed as well, experiment to find your ideal mixture.

10. This is a sloppy dish, serve on a tough bread, it'll get soaked with the au jus. A po-boy type bread is best.