It’s amazing how many children’s stories revolve around food. There was the story of “Stone Soup”, where a wandering soldier duped villagers into pitching in a potato here, a carrot there to add to his simple meal of rocks and water. There was Frances the bear, who would only eat bread and jam for dinner, until one day she discovered she actually liked eating veal cutlets along with all the grown-ups. Even Harry Potter has his Butterbeer and Everyflavor Beans.
When I was a kid, my favorite food-friendly fable was “Dragon Stew,” a now-out-of-print story my mother read to my sister and me. Years later, it’s hard to remember the details of the tale, but I do remember the twist: Dragon Stew was not, in fact, stew made from dragon meat, but rather stew cooked by a dragon chef. My mother would drag my sister and me into the kitchen, convincing us to help with mealtime by letting one of us “be the dragon” for the evening. Her cajoling paid off – now you have to drag me OUT of the kitchen.
Here’s the recipe for Dragon Stew, courtesy of my childhood.
Some people like their stew more potato-heavy than the recipe requires. Instead, I top mine with good, old Bisquick-box dumplings. It feels a bit like cheating, but hey, that