Gaston Beef Stew

OK, so now I'm a vegetarian, but when I ate meat, this was one of my favorite recipes. It's from the old Joy Of Cooking.

6 servings

This one-dish meal seems to taste better when cooked a day ahead.
Cut into small pieces and, if very salty, parblanch, briefly:
1/2 lb. salt pork

Dry the pork and saute it slowly in a large skillet.

Cut into pieces suitable for stewing:
2 lbs. beef

Brown the beef in the hot drippings over high heat. Pour off most of the accumulated fat. Sprinkle the meat with:
Seasoned flour

Combine and heat until boiling:

1 1/2 chopped cloves garlic
1 large chopped onion
1 cup bouillon
1 cup canned tomato sauce
12 peppercorns
3 whole cloves
1/4 cup parsley
1/3 bay leaf

Place the meat in a heavy saucepan. Pour the above ingredients over it. Simmer closely covered for about 2 or 3 hours or until the meat can be easily pierced with a fork. During the last hour of cooking, add:
1/2 cup dry sherry or dry white wine

Cook separately until nearly tender:
6 medium-sized pared quartered potatoes
6 pared quartered carrots
1 stalk celery

Add these vegetables for the last 15 minutes of cooking.