English practice 32
Roast Done Right
Just like being the artist1 sculpting the Venus de Milo or painting the Sistine Chapel, preparing a delicious meal is an art. Even the seemingly mundane pot roast can be a true masterpiece. Nothing can be more rewarding to a cook than the sign2 of a roast done right.
Cooking a delicious roast with vegetables require3 three things: the freshest ingredients, a slow-cooker, and good timing. My friend Eric goes to the butcher shop just after4 its 5 a.m. delivery to snatch up the best cuts of meat, then heads to the local farmer's market. He fills his canvas shopping bag with ripe red tomatoes, crisp yellow onions, and thick russet potatoes. The tastiest vegetables are the results of natural sunshine and of a farmer's5 careful tending.
With supplies in tote, Eric heads to the kitchen. While the beef marinates in garlic and spices, he chops the colorful array of fresh vegetables. Eric slowly places the vegetables6 around the meat in the slow-cooker's pot, he alternates7 rings of bright orange carrots and chunks of red potatoes. He sprinkles in sliced onions and herbs until the ingredients nearly spill over the top. Like with many8 cooks, Eric has a secret, final ingredient: a splash of red wine for flavor.
At this point,9 it's time to cram the lid onto the heaping potful of ingredients and turn on the cooker. The temperature inside the pot rises slowly as the contents stew10 in their natural juices. The roast will take six to eight hours to cook, but after an hour or two, the first spicy scents start wafting through the kitchen11. A few hours later, the rich, juicy smell of beef begins to escape. Every half hour, using a long, meat thermometer12 Eric reads the temperature of the roast and carefully examines the stewing contents. He doesn't want it overcooked or undercooked, but "just right." 
Lift the finished roast14 out of the pot to serve, the tender meat plops juicily onto our plates in generous servings. He tops it off with zesty, steaming vegetables. Eric is obviously proud to share his work of art, and his friends are more than willing to eat it, this masterpiece of his.15