Praising Trinity Sunday

Happy Trinity Sunday! The Holy Trinity is central to our Catholic Faith. Pope John XXII established this feast day for the whole of the Church in the early 1300s. It has remained a Solemnity Feast ever since. Yet few understand its significance.

Think about this for a moment – if God were not a Trinity, then Jesus is not God, and God did not come down from heaven to save us from our own sinful ways. If God is not a Trinity, then the Holy Spirit is not a part of God that remains with us, that speaks to us, that guides us. The Trinity affirms both the oneness and the threeness of the Lord; One God, Three Persons. It can be argued that we are not to understand, to contemplate nor ponder the existence of the Trinity. We are to accept the teachings blindly. I don’t believe we should. I believe some things are beyond our full comprehension – the existence of Three Persons; One God is a great example of this. But it does not mean we shouldn’t try to understand. It is through knowledge of God that our relationship with Him becomes more intimate and personal. The truth is, that is why God created each and every one of us – so that we might grown in our personal relationship with Him. This comes with a price. To recognize God as the one true god, we must be willing to submit to obedience. It is not enough to be baptized. That alone will not earn salvation. When we submit to the teachings of Jesus, when we heed the voice of the Holy Spirit, when we acknowledge God the Father, then we are saved.

While the term Trinity is not found in scripture, an understanding of God in Three Persons is. God the Father is true from the very beginning. John 1:1 tells us that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. This establishes the First Person – God. It doesn’t matter if you read the New International Version of the Bible, King James, or even a Latin Bible, John 10:30 is equally clear. I and the Father are one. This establishes the Second Person in the Trinity – Christ is God. They are one and the same. Which brings us to Matthew 28:19. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. It does not get any clearer.

God the Father is the intellectual being. God the Son in Christ is the physical being. And God the Holy Spirit is the spiritual being. We are created in the image of God – with an intellectual aspect, a physical body and a spiritual existence. Today we are reminded, through the Solemnity of the Holy Mass on Trinity Sunday, that we are His children – mind, body and soul.

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Sundays should be about three things – spending time with God, spending time with family and recharging our spirits to face whatever lay ahead. Faith and family are fundamentally important in this endeavor. Once you have faith, you are surrounded by family. Everyone is a brother or sister. While families have their differences, the love never dies.

To celebrate this Sunday’s Feast I thought I’d create a recipe we discovered while on a recent family vacation. You cannot travel anywhere within a 100 miles of Yellowstone and not find Bison on the menu in one form or another. There are your typical Bison Burgers, and Bison Tacos or Nachos or even Burritos and Quesadillas. None compared to the meatloaf served at Pahaska Tepee.

Pahaska Tepee is a restaurant, a gift shop and cabins just outside the east gate to the park. Originally the site of Buffalo Bills hunting lodge, it’s a great stopping point. The people are friendly and the food, for the most part, is delicious. While you can find spicy food on the West end of the Park, the food on the East side tends to be tamer. They rely more on the gamey taste of true Bison to win you over.

To bring my own touches to this meatloaf supper, and round out the Holy Trinity Theme, I thought Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Carrots would make this meal even more memoriable. Enjoy!

Holy Trinity Supper
Bison Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy
Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes
Steamed Carrots with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette

Bison Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy
Bison Meatloaf
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 medium Carrot, peeled and diced
1 rib Celery, trimmed and diced
1/2 medium Yellow Onion, diced
1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Butter
2 lbs Ground Bison
1/2 lb Ground Pork
1 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 large Eggs
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
1 cup plain Breadcrumbs

Peel and mince garlic, set aside. Peel and finely dice carrot, set aside. Trim ends from the celery rib. Split rip in half lengthwise, then finely dice and set aside. Cut onion in half from root to tip. Reserve half for another purpose. Peel and finely dice remaining half, set aside.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and butter to the skillet. Sauté carrots for about 2 minutes. Add onions and continue to cook another minute or so, until onions begin to appear translucent. Add celery, sauté for a minute or two longer. Finally add garlic, sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside. Let vegetable medley cool to room temperature.

Heat oven to 325-degrees. Lightly grease the bottom of a shallow roasting pan with a few drops of olive oil. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix bison, pork, the vegetables, Worcestershire Sauce and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Mix together with your hands without over mixing, about a minute to get things started. Add breadcrumbs and gently mix again.

Wash hands with warm soapy water until clean. Dry, then wet hands again with cold water. Empty meat mixture onto the prepared pan; shape into a loaf about 6 inches wide and 3 inches tall. Wet hands again, smooth the surface of the loaf to seal any visible cracks that might cause a loss of moisture.

Bake in the heated oven for 30 minutes. While the meatloaf bakes, make the glaze.

Glaze
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
3 tablespoons Ketchup
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

In a small bowl combine brown sugar, ketchup and Dijon Mustard create a glaze. Set aside until ready to use.

Once the meatloaf has baked for 30 minutes, remove from the oven. Spread glaze evenly over the top of the loaf with a spoon. It’s okay if some of the glaze drips down the sides, but most should remain on top.

Continue to bake meatloaf until cooked through, another 35 minutes or so. Remove from oven, tent and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing. While the meatloaf rests, make the gravy.

Mushroom Gravy with Red Wine
1 cup Button Mushrooms
6 tablespoons Butter, divided
1/4 cup Flour
1-1/2 cups Beef Stock
1/4 cup Red Wine or more to taste
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

In a high-sided skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Sauté mushrooms until the juices are released. Remove mushrooms from the skillet and set aside.

Melt remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in the skillet over medium-low heat. Once the butter begins to foam, add flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture takes on the color of coffee with cream, about 3 or 4 minutes. Slowly add beef stock, then wine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a full boil, then lower heat to a simmer.

Return mushrooms to the gravy, continue to simmer until desired consistency is reached. Pour into a gravy boat.

Slice meatloaf, top with gravy and serve.

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Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes
2 large White Onions
3 tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
Kosher Salt as needed
2 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes,
4 Garlic Cloves
White Pepper to taste

Peel and finely chop the onions; set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onions, season with salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized, 35 to 40 minutes.Keep warm.

Peel potatoes, cut into quarters and place in a saucepan with enough water to cover potatoes by 1 inch. Peel garlic, grate over the potatoes. Stir to blend. Bring pot to a boil, the add Kosher Salt to taste. Cover; reduce heat and summer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes or so.Place a colander in a large metal mixing bowl. Drain potatoes into the colander. Lift from the bowl, let drain completely. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid, discard the rest.

Return potatoes speckled with garlic to pan. Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and white pepper. Mash until smooth, adding reserved liquid as needed. Stir in onions, taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve immediately.

While these potatoes are amazing on their own; you could serve with the Mushroom Gravy.

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Steamed Carrots with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette
1 medium Lemon, Zest and juice
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon Honey
1/3 cup Olive Oil
3 tablespoons fresh Dill, chopped
Kosher Salt to taste
3 lbs Carrots with Green Tops

Zest the lemon and set zest aside until needed. Chop the fresh dill, set aside. Cut lemon in half, squeeze the juice into a medium mixing bowl. Whisk in the Dijon mustard, vinegar and honey. Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking constantly, until the vinaigrette is smooth and thickened. Stir in the chopped dill, lemon zest and salt. Set aside.

Fill a medium wide-mouthed pot with 2 inches of water. Set a collapsible steamer basket insert into the pot, then bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

While the water comes to a simmer, wash carrots and trim green tops to 1-inch. Set aside until ready to cook.

Put the carrots in the steamer basket and cook, covered, until tender when pierced with a knife, about 8 minutes. Gently toss the warm carrots with the dressing in a large shallow serving dish. Allow the dressing to absorb into the carrots for 5 minutes before serving.

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Glory and Praise to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One God for ever and ever