In this blog we try to keep it easy going. For the most part we stay away from politics and other topics that raise folks’ blood pressure.
So of course today I’m going to talk about food and religion. Specifically the Portuguese kind and the Christian kind. “Holy Smokes”, you say. “She knows a bit about food, but nothing about religion.”
Let’s Start with Religion
I was baptized, as an infant, in the Episcopal Church. I spent many Sunday mornings in church school and learned some Bible stories, but not a lot stuck with me. (Remember, I’m a bluebird.)
My fascination and love of the Episcopal Church came through the actual service itself. We did the same thing every week. We genuflected, we knelt, we stood, we sang, we prayed, we hallelujah(ed), we had incense and real wine.
All of this was scripted by “The Book of Common Prayer”. I loved how the pastor’s robes (we didn’t use the word “pastor” years ago, but then we got woke.) and the altar linen changed to signify where we were in the church year. The episcopalchurch.org explains the liturgical color scheme this way:
- WHITE, the color of Jesus’ burial garments, for Christmas, Easter, and other ‘feasts’ or festival days, as well as marriages and funerals.
- PURPLE/VIOLET for Advent (or ROYAL BLUE) & Lent (or UNBLEACHED LINEN).
- RED is used in Holy Week, the Day of Pentecost, and at ordinations.
- GREEN is used during Epiphany and the ‘Ordinary Time’ after Pentecost
Like any kid I had my likes and my dislikes. That green I thought was just lame. When I found out it was used for ‘ordinary time’ I figured they had named it perfectly. But the red – that was my jam.
One More Bit of Context – What is Pentecost?
Pentecost, also called Whitsunday, [is a] major festival in the Christian church, celebrated on the Sunday that falls on the 50th day of Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other disciples following the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ (Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2), and it marks the beginning of the Christian church’s mission to the world.
britannica.com
OK, Let’s Get to the Food
One night, while I was looking at my “Authentic Portuguese Cooking”* cookbook, I discovered a dish with an intriguing name: “Holy Ghost Wine and Spice Braised Beef”.
The dish comes from the Azores archipelago, an autonomous region of Portugal in the North Atlantic, about 1,000 miles west of the mainland.
The Feast of the Holy Ghost
The dish is traditionally served on Pentecost Sunday (think red, my friend) to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Ghost. This is a traditional celebration that goes back to the 15th century. it is based on stories about Queen Isabel, the sixth queen of Portugal, who was a champion of the poor.
Image source: lisbon-a-love-affair.com
One version of the story goes like this:
Queen Isabel…loved the poor and pleaded with God to help her starving people. When two ships laden with cattle and grain miraculously appeared in a Portuguese harbor, the Queen served a banquet to the poor and continued the yearly ceremony as an expression of gratitude to God.
The Free Dictionary Encyclopedia
Although no longer celebrated in mainland Portugal the tradition has continued in other areas of the world where Portuguese have immigrated, including the US, Canada, , Brazil, and Cape Verde.
Throughout the ages, the celebration has changed – even the date has moved – but several things remain consistent. The focus remains on The Holy Ghost. A church service is held. The beef and bread are blessed. The poor, in a tradition of charity, are served first and then those who have attended the celebration are invited to eat. Queen Isabel is always present in the form of a local woman chosen to represent her.
The Recipe
So there is my version of Holy Ghost Wine and Spiced Beef. It’s not quite a soup, not quite a stew. And like so many traditional recipes, this one may vary from the historical original, but it honors the traditions of the past.
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Holy Ghost Wine and Spice Braised Beef
Ingredients
The Day Before
- 4 pounds beef chuck roast, bone-in (1818 grams)
- 1 1/2 cups red wine (355 ml)
- 4 ea garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 1 ea bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp crushed dried chile pepper
The Next Day
- 1 cup water (235 ml)
- 1 ea large Vidalia or yellow Spanish onion thickly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups tomatoes very ripe, peeled, finely chopped (270g)
- 1/4 cup ketchup (60 g)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (30 g)
- 1 ea cinnamon stick – 2 inches long (5 cm)
- 7 ea whole cloves
- 7 ea Jamaican allspice berries we substituted 1/2 tsp Allspice
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 ea bay leaf
- 1/2 tbsp coarse kosher salt – or to taste (9 g)
- 6 ea thick slices day-old Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Greek, or crusty artisan bread
- 6 to 12 ea mint leaves
Instructions
The Day Before
- Place the roast in a non-reactive 5-quart / 4.5-L pot with a tight-fitting lid such as a Dutch oven. Pour the wine over and toss in the garlic, bay leaf, and crushed dried chile pepper. Cover and marinate for several hours or overnight, turning the meat over occasionally.
The Next Day
- Add the water to the pot containing the roast and marinade. Toss in the onion slices. Mix the tomatoes and ketchup with the tomato paste and stir into the pot.
- Place the cinnamon stick, cloves, Jamaican allspice, cumin, and bay leaf in a square of cheesecloth. Tie it up with a piece of kitchen string and place in the pot. Sprinkle the salt over the roast.
- Make sure the liquid comes halfway up the sides of the roast. If not, add more wine and water in equal amounts.
- Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and turn the meat occasionally. Simmer slowly until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender, about 3 hours.
- To serve, remove the meat and pull it off the bone in pieces. Place a thick slice of crusty Portuguese orartisan bread in each soup plate, topped with a mint leaf or two. Ladle a generous amount of broth over the bread to soften. Serve the meat over or beside the moistened bread.
Notes
Our thanks to Paul Wilcox for pictures of the beef!
Wrapping Up
At a recent dinner party, we started with some appetizers and then enjoyed the Holy Ghost Wine and Spice Braised Beef. That was followed by a simple green salad, then a cheese course, and dessert of pastries from a local padaria. All in all, it was a very satisfying meal.
If you have a chance to make the Holy Ghost Beef on June 5th (Pentecost Sunday) and celebrate with family and friends, then go for it. If not, make it another time and, in the Portuguese tradition, share it with someone less fortunate.
What new food have you tried recently? Share your review in the comments below or with a note via the Contact Us form.
Have a great week / Tenha uma ótima semana
Mary
The Cook
* This link is direct to Amazon.com, but we do not receive any affiliate payment if you buy a copy. If that changes in the future, we’ll let you know. [Updated May, 2024]
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Hi,sis All I got to say is you got that dish from a way back corner of your mind Amanda would give Sam ,me for lunch a hamburger bun split an toasted loaded with BQ she called it Bumper BQ Enjoy
Oh, how I miss Amanda. I didn’t remember her as a cook. It sounds like a good memory for you. I’d like some Bumper BQ right now.
Your Sis – The Cook
Sounds fantastic! I’m going to send this along to my friends here in Washington State. I really appreciate hearing your stories and learning what it was to be a bluebird. Not fun to be in that group, but in the end, it adds a lot of color to your blogs! I would be in that category when it comes to all things church (I never paid attention), so I appreciate the education.
Haha. Thanks for sending this on to your friends. I am going to DM you on FB. I am so curious about your decision to move to Spain. I can’t wait to hear all the deets.
Yeah, being a Bluebird in first grade was the pitts, but I always liked who I was surrounded by.
Mary – The Cook
Looks delicious. I wonder if it could cook in a crack pot. Love to see all the pictures of food. You make everything so delicious looking. Is beef as expensive in Portugal as it is here now?
It was supposed to saw crock pot, not crack. Lol
You can put it in a crack pot, you can put it in a crock pot, you can eat it here or there you can eat it anywhere! Seriously, I kept it on extra low heat from 9:00am until dinner – we didn’t have any room in our small refrigerator, so I decided to just keep cooking it. It was fine. I think the crock pot would make it even better.
Beef has gone up in price here. I am not sure how it compares to the US.
As always, thank you for your comment.
Mary – The Cook
Thanks for sharing the recipes and your menu this week…what a great story too! Looks delicious and hope to try it some day. You know Eddie and his meat and potatoes! Love, Sue & Eddie
Thanks Sue. I bet you could throw in some potatoes and carrots towards the end and it wouldn’t hurt a thing.
Mary – The Cook
The recipe sounds wonderful! And I love the story behind it.
I also like all the changes you made – especially with the recipe as a PDF and the notice when someone replies. Very nice!
Hugs,
Nan
Thanks, Nan. It’s a great recipe. We enjoyed leftovers all week. Thanks for you comment about the changes. It’s definitely a work in process!
Have a great week,
Mike