Rich and Strange Aeons

When I was a child, my father would occasionally make a comfort food of his, which I learned from him. You boil some ground beef, then scoop the rubbery meat onto slices of bread, jazzing it up with salt, pepper, some water from the saucepan, and maybe a poached egg. My mother regarded it with horror, understandably. I found it edible, especially with egg and water, but my own top comfort food remained soft-boiled eggs over bread. I did think it was a bit perverse to boil the fat out of the meat, then add some back in.

I just realized that if you leave the meat in the water, maybe adding bread as thickener, you get the beginnings of stew, which is tasty and not horrific. You'd need more salt to get the same level of saltiness, but then you don't need as much saltiness if the fat and flavor are still there.

I'd always thought of my father's dish as a Great Depression dish, my father being from the right period, but I haven't found any corroboration online. And really, if you're having trouble affording food, why would you choose a cooking method that throws away calories?

I do find a lot of people talking about boiled hamburger, but as a way to de-fat cheap ground beef, and get a lean protein to later use in casseroles or sauces.