STEW
½ pound lean salt pork, cut into 1/8 tsp crumbled dried thyme
¼-inch dice 2 tsp salt
4 medium-sized onions, peeled and Freshly ground black pepper
cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices 2 medium-sized boiling potatoes,
(about 1½ cups) peeled and cut into ½-inch
2 pounds lean beef chuck, trimmed cubes (about 2 cups)
of excess fat and cut into 1-inch 12 medium-sized carrots, scraped
cubes and cut into ½-inch pieces
¼ c flour (about 2 cups)
6 c water 1 medium-sized white rutabaga,
4 sprigs fresh parsley and 1 small peeled and cut into ½-inch
bay leaf tied together with cubes (about 1 cup)
kitchen string
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In a heavy 12-inch skillet at least 3 inches deep, fry the salt pork dice
over moderate heat, turning them about frequently with a slotted spoon until
they are crisp and brown and have rendered all their fat. Remove the pork
bits and discard them.Add the onions to the fat in the skillet and, stirring frequently, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are soft and delicately brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to a bowl and set aside.
Pat the beef cubes completely dry with paper towels, roll them in ¼ cup of flour to coat them on all sides and shake off the excess flour. Brown 6 or 7 cubes at a time in the hot fat remaining in the skillet, turning them with a slotted spoon and regulating the heat so that they color evenly without burning. As they brown, add the cubes to the onions.
Pour 1 cup of water into the skillet and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly and scraping in the brown particles that cling to the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the onions and beef and the liquid that has accumulated around them to the skillet. Add the remaining 5 cups of water, the parsley and bay leaf, the thyme, salt and a liberal grinding of pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, cover tightly and simmer for 1 hour. Stir in the potatoes, carrots and rutabaga, cover again and simmer for 30 minutes longer.
Parsley Dumplings
2 c flour and softened
1 T double-acting baking powder 1 1/3 cups milk
½ tsp salt ¼ c finely chopped fresh
2 T butter, cut into ½-inch bits parsley
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Meanwhile, prepare the parsley dumplings in the following fashion:
Combine the 2 cups of flour, baking powder and ½ tsp of salt and sift them
into a deep bowl. Add the butter bits and, with your fingers, rub the flour
and fat together until they look like flakes of coarse meal. Add the milk
and chopped parsley and beat vigorously with a spoon until the dumpling
mixture is smooth.Remove the parsley and bay leaf from the simmering stew, and drop the dumpling mixture on top by the heaping tablespoon. Cover tightly and simmer undisturbed for about 10 minutes longer. The dumplings are donen when they are puffed and fluffy, and a cake tester inserted in the center of a dumpling comes out clean.
Remove the dumplings and transfer the stew to a preheated bowl or deep platter. Arrange the dumplings on top and serve at once. Serves 6.
