Recipe#5747

Title: Beef Stew 10

From: Judi Mae Phelps jphelps@slip.net 
 Newsgroups: alt.creative-cooking,alt.creative-cook 
 Subject: R-Beef with Olives, Peppers and Peas 
 Date: 20 Jan 1997 03:56:54 GMT 
 Message-ID: <5buqe6$g7h$1@news1.slip.net> 

Yield: 6 Servings
 2 lb Lean chuck; cut into 1x1x2-inch pieces
 1 ts Coarse salt
 1/4 ts Ground black pepper
 1/4 ts Nutmeg
 1/4 ts Cloves
 1/4 ts Allspice
 3 T  All-purpose flour
 6 T  Olive oil
 2 lg Leeks; white parts only, slit, well washed, and coarsely chopped
 2    Cloves garlic; crushed
 2    Ribs celery; coarsely chopped
 10 sm White mushrooms; wiped clean and cut into 1/4-inch slices
 1 1/2 c  Dry white wine
 2 c  Unsalted beef stock
 1    Bouquet garni*
 2 lg Green bell peppers; cut into 1/2-inch strips
 12    Black Italian olives; pitted and coarsely chopped
 10 oz Pkg. frozen peas; thawed
 8 oz Can tomato sauce
 3 T  Flat-leaf parsley; chopped
 1 T  Yellow cornmeal or
 Semolina flour
 Salt
 1 c  Fontina cheese; coarsely grated
 * Bouquet garni: 2 bay leaves, 12 fresh rosemary leaves, and one
 2-inch piece orange peel.  Wrap in cheesecloth and tie with string.
 Sprinkle the coarse salt over the pieces of meat.  Mix the ground
 spices, and flour together and work the mixture into the beef pieces.
 Gently heat the oil in a Dutch oven and slow brown the meat well, in
 batches.  Remove the pieces as they finish browning and set them
 aside.
 Add the leeks, garlic, celery, and mushrooms.  Saute them for about 5
 minutes, tossing them frequently, until they are limp but not
 browned. Add the wine and deglaze the bottom of the kettle.  Add the
 browned beef, stock, and the bouquet garni.  Cover tightly and simmer
 over the lowest possible heat for 1-1/2 hours or until the beef is
 fork tender.  Add the bell pepper, olive, peas, tomato sauce, and
 parsley.  Sprinkle the cornmeal over the surface of the stew and
 whisk it in  well to avoid lumps. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
 Discard the bouquet garni.  Salt to taste.  Serve hot sprinkled
 with the grated Fontina.
 Note:  The author suggests the stew be served in a nest of polenta,
 gnocchi, or plain boiled rice.  It can be sprinkled with the Fontina
 and slipped under the broiler on an appropriate dish until the cheese
 melts and begins to take on color.