Recipe - Robust Italian Stew: Wine-Braised Beef Over C

ITALIAN STEW
3 tablespoon Olive Oil: Extra Virgin
7 pound Beef Chuck Roast: 1" Cubes
Large Onion: Minced
One fourth cup Fresh Italian Parsley: Chop
3 x Garlic Cloves: Chopped
2 x Bay Leaves
One fourth teaspoon Cloves: Ground
One fourth teaspoon Cinnamon: Ground
One fourth teaspoon Allspice: Ground
1 cup Red Wine: Dry
2 One fourth cup Beef Stock or Canned Broth
32 ounce Whole Italian Plum Tomatoes
One half cup Nicoise Olives: Pitted
4 teaspoon Rosemary: Chopped
2 x Red Bell Peppers, 1/4" Strip

POLENTA
9 cup Water
1 One half teaspoon Salt
2 cup Cornmeal

Italian Stew:

Heat oil in heavy Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1/5 of beef and brown on
on all sides, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer beef to bowl
using slotted spoon. Repeat with remaining beef in 4 more batches. Reduce
heat to medium.

Add onion and Italian parsley to Dutch oven and cook until onion is golden
brown, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Stir in chopped garlic, bay
leaves, cloves, cinnamon and allspice.

Return beef to Dutch oven and stir to coat with onion and spice mixture.
Add red wine and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer
mixture 15 minutes. Add beef stock and simmer 10 minutes. Add tomatoes with
their juices, breaking up tomatoes with back of spoon. Mix in olives and
rosemary. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until beef is tender,
stirring occasionally, about 1 One half hours. Add bell peppers, cover and cook
until just tender, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

(Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Polenta:

Bring water and salt to boil in heavy large saucepan. Gradually whisk in
cornmeal. Continue whisking until mixture boils and thickens, about 2
minutes. Reduce heat to low. Cook cornmeal until thick and thoroughly
cooked, whisking occasionally, about 30 minutes.

(Can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead. Transfer polenta to metal bowl.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Set bowl over large saucepan of
barelysimmering water. Stir occasionally.)

Serving:

Bring beef to simmer, stirring occasionally. spoon polenta into shallow
soup bowls. Spoon beef over.

Source: Bon Appetite, November 1992

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini