Medieval italian stew (pie in a pipkin)

1 Batch

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
3 pounds Stew beef; cut in 1/2\" cubes
2 mediums Onions; chopped
Cooking oil
½ cup Raisins
¼ teaspoon Each cloves and cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Each nutmeg, mace and pepper
1 tablespoon White vinegar; or to taste
Salt; to taste

Directions

Brown the beef in a skillet in a small quantity of oil. Place browned beef *and its juices* in a stewpot. Add more oil (if necessary) to the skillet; saute onions until tender and translucent. Add onions to stewpot. Add raisins and spices to the meat mixture, along with a small quantity of water (approximately ½ cup). There should be just enough water to prevent scorching and to help form the gravy.

Bring stew to a boil and reduce immediately to a simmer. Simmer, covered, until meat is tender (about 1-½ to 2 hours). Stir occasionally. Add water as necessary. When beef is cooked, add vinegar and salt. Cook a few minutes more.

Carroll-Mann wrote: "This is a recipe I adapted from a 16th century translation of a medieval Italian cookbook. The recipe is called "Pie in a Pipkin" which means (crustless) meat pie in a stewpot. It has a nice thick gravy and a sweet/tart flavor." From: Robin Carroll-Mann in rec.food.cooking. Electronic format by Cathy Harned.

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