The Fireless Cook Book / A Manual of the Construction and Use of Appliances for Cooking by Retained Heat, with 250 Recipes

by Margaret Johnes Mitchell

Beef Stew with Dumplings

• 2 cups cooked or raw beef
• 2 cups raw or cooked potatoes
• ²⁄₃ cup tomato
• 1 onion, cut in slices
• 4 tablespoons rendered fat or butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
• ¹⁄₃ cup flour
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1¹⁄₂ cups water, or more

If cooked meat and potatoes are used, cut them in three-quarter-inch dice, make a [brown sauce] of the fat, flour, seasoning, and water, add the vegetables and meat and enough water to just cover the stew. Place the [dumplings] on top, boil it for five minutes, and cook in a hay-box for one and one-quarter hours. If the meat is tough it will be better to treat it like raw beef. If raw beef is used, cut it in pieces, bring it to a boil with the water, and put it into the cooker for three or four hours before adding the other ingredients.