Dib4 Bits8' (Mutton Stew)

Larry King shares with us his mother’s recipe for making mutton stew.

2 pounds lean dib4 bits8' or dib4 y1zh7 bits8'
6 n7masiitsoh
1 bunch ch22sht'ezhiitsoh
1 cup celery, sliced
1 t['ohchin, chopped (optional)
'1sh88h and 'azeed7ch'77' [ib1h7g77 to taste

Cut meat into cubes, trimming excess fat but leaving bones for flavor. Peel and cut up potatoes and carrots. Cover meat with water, add vegetables and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 hour (or more, depending on whether it’s lamb or mutton) until meat is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6.

If wild celery or wild carrots are available, use those. If a thicker stew is desired, grate half a potato into the pot. Because Navajo sheepherders are often many miles from stores, they don’t have access to fresh vegetables and spices. This stew may therefore seem bland to our taste.

From:
The Best from New Mexico Kitchens, by Sheila MacNiven Cameron (1978, New Mexico Magazine: Santa Fe, NM)

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