Principles of food preparation

Cut the meat into half-ounce pieces, put on in cold water, allow it to come rapidly to a boil, then reduce the temperature and simmer for two hours. Add vegetables, potatoes, turnips, cut in pieces as large as the meat, carrots in quarter-inch slices, onions sliced or finely minced, and bring the whole again to a boil. After this allow the stew to simmer for thirty minutes, then add the seasoning and thickening, and allow to boil for a minute or two. Lastly place the dumplings on the top of the meat and vegetables, and cook the stew, closely covered, for ten minutes longer. Stew can be served in a large, deep platter, with a border of small dumplings, and garnished with cress. Or a piled-up border of well-done, dry, flaky rice may be effectively used, or a border of well-seasoned mashed potato. If potato is used the platter may be set for a moment in the broiling oven of a gas range to brown the . border. To Thicken and Season Stew. Allow two tablespoonfuls of flour for every pint of water used in making the stew. Add to this one-half teaspoon of salt and one-fourth to one-half teaspoon of pepper. "Blend all with cold water to a thin paste, stir into this paste an equal volume of m O O w o "^ o m I— I o w o o o O O O the hot liquid from the stew, then pour the mixture into the stew pot, and stir until it boils. Dumplings Ingredients. Flour, water, shortening, baking powder, salt. Proportions. Three times as much flour as water. One-eighth as much shortening as flour, or less. Onequarter teaspoonful of salt to each cup of flour. Two teaspoonfuls of baking powder (where a cream of tartar baking powder is used) to one cup of flour. Method. Mix dry ingredients. Chop the shortening into the dry mixture, using the back of a fork. Stir in the liquid to the dry things, and mix very lightly to a soft dough. This should be spongy and full of holes. Note. One-quarter cup of flour will make two or three small dumplings. Dumplings are less apt to be soggy if they are cooked separately from the stew on a greased plate in a steamer. Brown Stew About one-half of the meat should be well browned on a hot pan before making the stew. The same process as for the plain meat stew is then followed. Variations on Methods. Using the same ingredients as before, make both kinds of stew by putting the meat directly into boiling water, and then reducing the temperature as already directed. Make a stew, using meat alone, allowing it to boil hard during the whole time of cooking. The water lost by evaporation must be replaced from time to time. Make stews, using meat alone, in soft (distilled) water and in hard water, proceeding as for plain meat stew. Compare flavor and consistency in each case. Frame, as a result of your work, some general rules for the making of stew. OTHER VARIETIES OF STEW Brunswick Stew. A brown stew containing pieces of chicken as well as one or two other kinds of meat. Chowder. A stew of fish or shellfish. Fricassee. A stew of meat that has been browned either before or after making the stew. Haggis. A stew made of sheep's hazlet, thickened with oatmeal, flavored highly with onion, and cooked in a bag, usually the stomach of the sheep. Haricot. A stew of any kind of meat, cut into pieces the size of a haricot bean.