Grand Finale Stew

Today my sister Mary took Rita and me to the opera.  We saw the dress rehearsal of Il Trovatore, from Verdi.  From the very first scene, I was disappointed with the lack of volume from the lead singer.  I hope the sound people can adjust for opening night, which is tomorrow.  The next scene was repetitious, repeating the same thing over and over, with slight differences each time.  I gave my inner self a pep talk about being cultured, to relax and enjoy the music.  “Hey you know, in the olden days this was the highest form of entertainment.  Drink it in and appreciate what you are hearing.”  I started fidgeting and my bottom started hurting from sitting too long.  Next my upper thighs started to ache.  Yawns kept sneaking out and my eye lids started to feel like the shop keeper was closing up for the night.  Before the end of the opera, my sister and I were encouraging the main characters to die quickly.  Unfortunately, they did not.  I began to wonder how I could tie in opera with the stew that I made for dinner.  The only way I thought of is this:  even as the opera seemed to go on without ending, but sent heavenly strains of music upward, my stew seems like it’s never going to be done, but sends heavenly strains of fragrant scents upward.  Also, before it is over, the body is restless; at the opera for walking, at home for eating.  Some endings are worth waiting for, while others, not so much.

            Grand Finale Stew

            2 lbs stew meat cut into small pieces and put into a bowl.  Pour ¼ flour, salt and pepper over the pieces and shake the bowl up and down covering each piece evenly.  Pour olive oil on the bottom of a large pot that can go in the oven, add meat and lightly brown.  Add 2 soup bones (make sure the marrow is still in the middle), fill pot half way with water, 2 bay leaves, 4 sliced carrots, 2 (American) celery, 4 cubed potatoes, 1 onion, heaping tablespoon full of Marjoram, salt, pepper, 1 can kidney beans, 1 can of green beans, 1 cup of frozen corn, 1 cup frozen peas, and 28 oz crushed tomato sauce. Mix all ingredients completely.  Place in a 375 oven for at least 3 hours.  The stew is done if the meat is tender.  After serving, feel free to add a tablespoon of sour cream to each bowl.  One might put on a Verdi CD for the meal, but the stew is closer to Hungarian Goulash; perhaps something with an accordion, instead?