Lamb or beef pie
24 portions, 2½ by 2¾ inches
3 pounds boneless lamb or beef cut in 1-inch pieces 1 quart water 1 tablespoon salt 1½ cups chopped celery 3 cups cubed potatoes 3½ cups quartered onions ½ cup peas, fresh or frozen ½ cup sifted all-purpose flour Pastry (see [p. 10] for recipe)
Brown the meat in its own fat. Add the water and one-half of the salt. Simmer until meat is tender. Add celery, potatoes, onions, peas, and remaining salt and cook until vegetables are almost tender.
Drain the broth from the meat and vegetables. Add water to the broth if needed to make 3½ cups. Add ½ cup cold water to the flour and stir until smooth. Slowly add the flour mixture to the rest of the broth and cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
Combine the thickened broth with the meat and vegetables.
To serve immediately. Pour stew for one meal into a greased baking dish. Top with a pastry crust. Bake at 400° F. (hot oven) for 30 minutes.
To freeze. Cool meat mixture quickly. Place in ovenproof baking dish and top with pastry. Wrap in freezer packaging material. Or package stew in freezer containers, leaving head space ([p. 4]). Seal and freeze.
To prepare for serving. Bake meat pies frozen with pastry topping at 400° F. (hot oven) about 4-5 minutes for pints, 1 hour for quarts, or until stew is piping hot and crust is golden brown.
If stew is frozen without pastry topping, transfer it to a greased baking dish and place in hot oven. After stew is almost heated through (about 30 minutes), top with pastry crust. Bake until crust is golden brown.
Menu suggestion. Your favorite fruit salad will add zest to the meal. For dessert try chocolate fudge cake or pistachio ice cream with chocolate sauce.