Take rough small pieces of beef or the rib ends and cut to one size, put them to stew in water. Choose small egg-plants, the seeds not very distinct, pare and cut up in pieces like apple quarters, and put them with the meat. Add a large onion and two or three tomatoes, salt and pepper. Let stew with a lid on until the meat is tender and the liquor is nearly all boiled out, and the remainder is thickened with the vegetables. It is a sort of gumbo, worth trying a few times.