We don’t come to church, to be a church. We come to Christ, and then we are built up as a church. If we come to church just to be with one another, one another is all we’ll get. And it isn’t enough. Inevitably, our hearts will grow empty, and then angry. If we put community first, we will destroy community. But if we come to Christ first and submit ourselves to Him and draw life from Him, community gets traction.

C.S. Lewis

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Meats		Stews	8	Servings

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4	kg	Stewing beef into large pieces, each about 4 ounces
4		Carrots; peeled and cut
		Into rounds
3	md	Onions; coarsely chopped
2		Garlic cloves
1		Sprig of parsley
1		Celery rib; thickly sliced
3		Bay leaves
1	tb	Thyme; fresh OR
1	ts	Thyme; dried
6	cl	Marc de Provence or Cognac
7 1/2	dl	Red wine; sturdy, such as Cotes de Provence
1	tb	Olive oil; (1) extra virgine
6	cl	Olive oil; (2) extra virgine
1	ts	Peppercorns; whole black
3		Cloves; whole
3	tb	Butter; unsalted
500	g	Mushrooms
1	tb	Tomato paste
		Salt
		Pepper
1		Orange; grated zest and juice

INSTRUCTIONS

One day before serving the stew: In a large nonreactive bowl, combine the
meat with the carrots, onions, garlic, parsley, celery, bay leaves, thyme,
marc, red wine, and the olive oil (1). Tie the peppercorns and cloves in a
piece of cheesecloth; add to the bowl and toss well. Cover and refrigerate
for 24 hours, stirring once or twice. Let the meat and vegetables return to
room temperature. With a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the marinade.
Drain well; pat dry on paper towels. Set the vegetables aside. Transfer the
liquid and the cheesecloth bag to a nonreactive large heatproof casserole.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 5 minutes to reduce
slightly. Remove from the heat. In a large skillet, melt the butter in the
olive oil (2) over high heat. When the foam subsides, add half of the meat.
Saute, tossing, until browned all over, about 5 minutes. With a slotted
spoon, transfer the meat to the liquid in the casserole. Repeat with the
remaining meat. In the same skillet, saute the reserved vegetables until
browned, about 7 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to the casserole. Add the
mushrooms to the skillet. Saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes; set
aside. Stir the tomato paste into the casserole. Bring to a simmer over
medium-low heat. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer, skimming
occasionally, until the meat is very tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Stir in salt
and pepper to taste, the mushrooms, and the orange zest and juice. Discard
the cheesecloth bag of cloves and peppercorns. (The recipe can be prepated
2 to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Reheat before serving.) Serve with
potatoes, rice, or pasta, and with the same wine used in cooking, a sturdy
red wine.
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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