1 pound stew meat 4 cans French green beans 3 pounds potatoes 1 teaspoon salt 1 beef bouillon cubes -- optional summer savory salt ground black pepper some vinegar to season -- optional Drain beans and use the liquid to boil the meat for about 2 hours at low heat. Add about 1-2 teaspoon of salt (to taste!). You get a better stock when you put the meat in the cold liquid, heat to boil and then continue cooking slowly. Peel potatoes and boil until done. You needn't add salt because the beef broth will be salty enough. Reserve the water as well; you may need it to add to the stew when it turns out to thick. Take the meat out of the broth after two hours and cut it apart. You should add the lean parts to the stew. Now add the drained beans. Mash the potatoes and add them as well. When you are lazy you might use instant potato puree, but that's not quite as good as the real thing. Heat the stew while stirring well. If you consider it too thick add a bit of the reserved potato water. (BTW, the right consistency *is* rather thick!) Season to taste with savory, pepper and salt. Optionally you can add a cube of beef stock, although that isn't really necessary (my Mom does, my Granny doesn't...). I like to season the bean stew with vinegar, but this is also a matter of taste. Just try and experiment a bit!
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