If I was asked to mention the first idea that comes to mind in association with the words meat, laughs and wine, Purim wouldn’t be it. I would probably stray to an image of some disagreeable Roman decadent scene. Yet, surprisingly, the trio is closely related to a holiday considered by some to be one of the holiest and most spiritual celebrations of the Jewish year: Purim.

Tradition has it that Purim is such a special day spiritually that it is actually higher than Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur, a believer connects to the divine through fear and asking for forgiveness, whereas on Purim it’s all about celebrating how wonderful God is. To demonstrate this point, Yom Kippurim, in Hebrew, can be read as “ke-Purim,” which translates to “like Purim,” suggesting that Yom Kippur only resembles Purim, making Purim the higher benchmark.

The idea behind this is that on Purim, we have the power to get in touch with the divine that’s intrinsic in all materialistic things, especially good food and wine. This is why one of the mitzvot of Purim is to have a festive meal after reading the Megillah in the morning. According to the Halachah, the feast should be celebrated with a bounty of meat and wine. This means that Purim is a great time to celebrate the lavishly wonderful combination of good meat and good wine, and do a mitzvah while you’re at it.

For the sauce
2 cups full bodied red wine
2 shallots or one small purple onion, diced finely
1 medium Portobello or 3 champignon mushrooms, diced finely
4 small sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. whole pepper corns
2 cups beef stock, room temperature or cool
4 tsp. corn starch
1 tbsp. kosher port wine (If you don’t have it, Marsala is another option)
salt

Place the wine, shallots or onion, mushrooms, thyme, bay leaf and pepper in a heavy sauce pan, and reduce to about a quarter of the original volume or 1/2 cup of liquid.

Add 11/2 cups of the stock and bring back to a boil. Strain through a chinois (or other fine sieve) into a clean saucepan. Gently press the solids while straining to release trapped liquids. Bring back to a boil.

Make a smooth slurry by thoroughly mixing the cornstarch with the remaining 1/2 cup of stock. Add the slurry and the port to the sauce and whisk well. The sauce should thicken within 2-3 minutes. Season carefully with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

For the rib eye
3 lb. ribeye, trimmed
4 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked
2 cloves garlic
3 tbs. olive oil
freshly ground pepper

A day ahead of time, bash all the seasoning ingredients in a pestle and mortar, blitz in a food processor or mince with a chef’s knife. Gently spread the seasoning paste onto the meat, and let it marinate under refrigeration for 24 hours. Rub off most of the marinade (but do not wash) before cooking.

If grilling: Create a very hot spot on your grill and another moderately hot one. Sear the ribeye for 2 minutes on all sides over intense heat, and then move it over to the moderately hot area to finish cooking to the preferred doneness.

If roasting: preheat oven to 450. Place the cut on the wire rack in the middle of the oven with a parchment paper-lined roasting pan under it to catch the juices. For medium-well, roast for 20 minutes, and then reduce the oven to 350 and roast for 20 minutes more.

Let the meat rest for 15 minutes, loosely covered in aluminum foil, then slice it thinly and serve with the warm sauce. Serves 8 as a main course