Cattail Stew

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds boned breast and shoulder of mutton
• 2 pounds cattail root
• 8 medium-sized wild onions
• 1 bunch fresh mint
• 3 cups water
• Salt and pepper

Cut mutton into small pieces and set aside. Wash the cattail root, remove the root hairs, and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Clean the wild onion and slice 1/4 inch thick.

Take a 3-quart saucepan and line the bottom with a layer of meat. season with salt and pepper. On top of the meat put a layer of sliced cattail root, and a layer of sliced onion on top of that.

Repeat the operation until all ingredients are used. Put a large bunch of mint in the middle.

Moisten with water, and cook gently over low heat for two hours. The cattail root serves a double purpose in this dish: to both give the stew flavor and thicken it.

Serve very hot. Serves Six.

Back to Cattail
Back to The Edible Wild