beef stew (my grandmother's recipe)

in a dutch oven, brown:
1-1 1/2 pounds of stew beef
1 large onion, medium dice

add:
4 cups water
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 Tbs salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp each pepper and paprika
dash of allspice

while that's stewing, cut up:
4 large potatoes into 1" cubes
4 carrots into 1 1/2" pieces, then into "pillars" that are longer and thinner than they are wide
4 parsnips cut like carrots (see above)

add veggies to meat and onion. cook til done, adding more water to cover, if necessary.
when cooked, combine 2 Tbs cornstarch w/ 1 cup cold water. add to broth to thicken it.
remove both bay leaves. allow stew to cool sufficiently and serve.