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A Beef Stew, with Vegetable Flavors

A historical recipe from Miss Beecher's Housekeeper and Healthkeeper Containing Five Hundred Receipes for Economical and Healthful Cooking, by Catharine Esther Beecher (1873).

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A historical recipe

Miss Beecher's Housekeeper and Healthkeeper Containing Five Hundred Receipes for Economical and Healthful Cooking; also, Many Directions for Securing Health and Happiness, by Catharine Esther Beecher (1873). Project Gutenberg eBook #55734.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.

Ingredients 5 ingredients

  1. four pounds of beef
  2. two quarts of water
  3. one sliced onion
  4. two sliced carrots
  5. four sliced tomatoes

Possible health benefits

General information, not medical advice.

  1. Carrot High in vitamin A · Source of vitamin K · Source of potassium

    High in vitamin A · 835 µg per 100 g, 104% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Vitamin A contributes to normal iron metabolism.
    • Vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal mucous membranes.
    • Vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal skin.
    3 more authorised claims
    • Vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal vision.
    • Vitamin A contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Vitamin A has a role in the process of cell specialisation.

    Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in many foods. Vitamin A is important for normal vision, the immune system, reproduction, and growth and development. NIH fact sheet

    Source of vitamin K · 13 µg per 100 g, 18% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Vitamin K contributes to normal blood clotting.
    • Vitamin K contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

    Vitamin K is a nutrient that the body needs to stay healthy. It’s important for blood clotting and healthy bones and also has other functions in the body. NIH fact sheet

    Source of potassium · 320 mg per 100 g, 16% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Potassium contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
    • Potassium contributes to normal muscle function.
    • Potassium contributes to the maintenance of normal blood pressure.

    Potassium is a mineral found in many foods. Your body needs potassium for almost everything it does, including proper kidney and heart function, muscle contraction, and nerve transmission. NIH fact sheet

    Nutrients per 100 g of “Carrots, raw”, USDA FoodData Central.

  2. Tomato High in protein · Source of vitamin C

    High in protein · 1.2 g per 100 g, 21% of the energy from protein

    • Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass.
    • Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass.
    • Protein contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

    Source of vitamin C · 23 mg per 100 g, 29% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of blood vessels.
    • Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of bones.
    • Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage.
    11 more authorised claims
    • Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of gums.
    • Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin.
    • Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of teeth.
    • Vitamin C contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Vitamin C contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
    • Vitamin C contributes to normal psychological function.
    • Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Vitamin C contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
    • Vitamin C contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
    • Vitamin C contributes to the regeneration of the reduced form of vitamin E.
    • Vitamin C increases iron absorption.

    Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble nutrient found in some foods. In the body, it acts as an antioxidant, helping to protect cells from the damage caused by free radicals. NIH fact sheet

    Nutrients per 100 g of “Tomatoes, green, raw”, USDA FoodData Central.

Claims: EU Register of health claims (Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, © European Union, CC BY 4.0), shown only where the ingredient meets the claim's conditions (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006). Nutrients: USDA FoodData Central (CC0). Facts: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (public domain).

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Oven and hot trays. Use dry oven gloves for trays and dishes: a hot tray looks just like a cold one. Open the oven door away from your face and let the first rush of heat out.
  • Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.

Method

  1. Cut up four pounds of beef into two-inch squares, and add two quarts of water.
  2. Let it stew one hour.
  3. Then add one sliced onion, two sliced turnips, two sliced carrots, four sliced tomatoes, four heaping tea-spoonfuls of salt, one small tea-spoonful of pepper, four tea-spoonfuls of sugar, and five cloves.
  4. Let it stew till there is only about a tea-cupful of gravy, and thicken this with a little flour.
  5. The above may be cooked without cutting up the meat, and it is good eaten cold.
  6. Pressing it under a weight improves it, and so does putting it in an oven for half an hour.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Chef's knife
  • Cutting board
Source Public domain in the USA
Credit

From Miss Beecher's Housekeeper and Healthkeeper Containing Five Hundred Receipes for Economical and Healthful Cooking, by Catharine Esther Beecher (1873). Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #55734 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55734). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.