Marathoners Are Crazy

     In 490 BC, the Greek soldier Pheidippides ran the the 26.2 miles from Marathon to Athens, to deliver a message after the Battle of Marathon.  Legend has it that after delivering his message, he dropped dead.  Today, the marathon is a popular recreational sporting event, and more than 500,000 people finish at least one marathon every year in the United States.  Today, is the Portland Marathon and among the 20,000 participants is our crazy Canadian aunt, Paula.  (There's a distinct possibility that all Marathoners are crazy)
     After I finished manning a water station near Mile 8, Dad and I came home and tried to find a Greek dish, with plenty of protein for Paula.  It was surprisingly easy.  By the time we started, we were done.  After peeling onions and chopping parsley, the most complicated things we had to do were find bay leaves (in the very back of the spice cabinet) and open a can of tomato paste.  Then it was into the oven for dinner.

The "Power Burner"

     After two-and-a-half hours, the beef stew is done, and Paula has yet to return from her marathon.  This has been a long but simple meal, and all that is left is the orzo to accompany the stew.  While it never hindered us, this is the first ever Sunday Dinner in which we have a fully functioning stove.  Our previous stove had had only three working burners since November 2009, only a few months before the first Sunday Dinner.  After that, the glass on the oven cracked, and the door wouldn't close all the way.  Finally, the heating element inside the oven broke.  We had to get a new stove, so we did.  In addition to actually working, it has a few interesting features, namely the "Power Burner".
     Dinner was amazing.  The meat fell apart on your tongue, and the walnuts added a crunch to every bite.  The orzo helped to soak up the juices and one down some of the sharper flavors.  I can not believe we didn't come across this recipe sooner.  Not only was the food amazing, we spent maybe 10 minutes actually cooking.  Page 450 of the green Gourmet cookbook, not the quickest, but one of the easiest and best meals ever.