This an old family recipe. It is some thing different and taste good and very tender.
1 3 to 4 pound beef arm or blade pot roast (I use a chuck)
2 Tbsp. 1 each of olive oil & butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup finely chopped carrot
1/4 cup red Burgundy
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 11-oz. dried fruit
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
In a Dutch oven brown roast on all sides in the hot olive oil, butter. Add onion, carrot, wine, garlic, 1-1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
Pour 1-1/2 cups hot water over dried fruit, let stand for 1 hour. Drain, reserving liquid. Place fruit on top of roast. Cover and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour or till meat is tender. Remove meat and fruit to a warm platter. Pour juices and fat in a large measuring cup, skim off fat. Add reserved liquid to pan juices to make 1-1/2 cups. Return to Dutch oven. Blend together flour and 1/2 cup cold water, stir into pan juices. Cook and stir until gravy is thickened and bubbly.
This is good served with whipped potatoes and lemony French beans and home made clover leaf rolls.
This is a very old recipe before crock pots came along. If the roast was a blade or arm roast I cooked it 2-1/2 hours or until it was tender.
Now I cook it in the crock pot on low 8 to 9 hours on low.