Anonymous Tue May 23 19:33:55 2006

5 pounds trimmed beef stew meat

salt pepper

2 sticks cinnamon

garlic cloves

2 ancho chilies

2 pounds dried northern beans, cooked

3 pounds Italian sausage; hot or mild

2 or 3 onions, finely diced

4 carrots, peeled

6 celery stalks

1 large can tomatoes

2 ancho chilies

chicken stock

1. Oven roast 5 lbs. of trimmed beef stew meat. Season with salt and pepper, 2 cinnamon

sticks, a handful of garlic cloves and 2 ancho chilies soaked in warm water (use the water

too). Roast at 375F, 2-3 hours, until the meat is tender. Cool and refrigerate; then remove

the fat that has congealed on the top. 2. Soak and cook 2 lbs. dried northern beans, adding

salt after the beans are tender. Cool the beans by surrounding the pot with an ice-water

bath in the sink or transferring the hot beans into shallow plastic containers. Beans are

easily soured, so it is important to not put them in the refrigerator hot. It will take too long for

the middle of the pot to cool. 3. Sausage: 3 lbs. hot or mild Italian sausage or a

combination of the two. Prick the sausage with a fork on both sides. Roast 25 minutes at

375F. Cool the sausage and cut into three-inch chunks. 4. Finely dice 2-3 onions, 4 peeled

carrots, and 6 celery stalks. Saut?until onions are clear. In a large ovenproof roasting pa

n, combine the defatted beef, the beans, sausage and the vegetables. Add 1 large can of

tomatoes, 2 more ancho chilies that have been soaked in warm water, and enough

chicken stock to make the whole mixture very wet. Do not combine until right before you

bake or the beans will absorb the moisture and the dish will be dry. Top the mixture with

toasted bread crumbs and bake at 350F until the sides are bubbling, the crumbs have

browned and formed a crust, and the middle of the casserole is hot. Notes: