_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.