Ragout of a Breast of Veal

History

"Ragout of a Breast of Veal" is a recipe from Mary Randolph's The Virginia House-Wife, first published in 1824 and generally considered the first regional American cookbook. As printed, the recipe directs the cook to "Separate the joints of the brisket, and saw off the sharp ends of the ribs, trim it neatly, and half roast it; put it in a stew pan with a quart of good gravy seasoned with wine, walnut and mushroom catsup, a tea-spoonful of curry powder, and a few cloves of garlic; stew it till tender, thicken the gravy, and garnish with sweatbreads nicely broiled". The word "ragout" is French: it comes from ragoûter, "to revive the taste," and denotes a seasoned stew served as a main dish. The recipe's curry powder is worth noting. The Virginia House-Wife included six curry recipes — the first curry recipes published in the United States — which suggests curry was already a familiar seasoning in the region; this dish calls for "a tea-spoonful of curry powder" and cross-references the book's own receipt for curry powder. Beyond the recipe text itself and the book's publication history, the historical record consulted here does not document who first cooked this specific dish, any social or class meaning attached to it, or a lineage of particular people or places behind it.

Ingredients

• 1 breast of veal (brisket)
• 1 quart good gravy
• 1 teaspoonful curry powder
• a few cloves garlic
• sweatbreads

Instructions

1. Separate the joints of the veal brisket and saw off the sharp ends of the ribs. Trim it neatly and half roast it. Transfer the half-roasted veal to a stew pan with a quart of good gravy seasoned with wine, walnut and mushroom catsup, curry powder, and a few cloves of garlic. Stew until tender. Thicken the gravy and garnish with broiled sweatbreads.