A Simple Stewed Steak

Source: Anonymous, 1846

History

This recipe, titled "A Simple Stewed Steak," is printed in The Jewish Manual; or, Practical Information in Jewish and Modern Cookery, published in London in 1846. That book is generally described as the first English-language (Anglo-Jewish) Jewish cookbook. It was issued anonymously, its title page crediting only "a Lady"; it is traditionally attributed to Lady Judith Montefiore, but that attribution is not certain — reference works describe her as its "author, or coauthor". As printed, the dish is a fine steak stewed in a stewpan with clarified suet or fat and sliced onions, then covered with gravy (or water), and simmered with button onions or a sliced Spanish onion, a little lemon peel, pepper, salt, and allspice; the gravy is skimmed and finished with a little browning and a spoonful of mushroom ketchup, and thickened with flour if needed.

Beyond its appearance in this book, the historical record consulted does not document who cooked or ate this particular dish, where it originated, or that it carried any social, class, or status significance. Earlier claims tracing it to French "estouffade" and "daube" traditions and to the "urban middle class" are not supported by any source consulted and have been removed.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Put a fine steak in a stewpan with a large piece of clarified suet or fat and a couple of onions sliced.
  2. Let the steak fry for a few minutes, turning it several times.
  3. Then cover the steak with gravy, or even water will answer the purpose, with a tea-cup full of button onions, or a Spanish onion sliced, a little lemon peel, pepper, salt, and a little allspice.
  4. Simmer till the steak is done, then remove the steak and skim the gravy carefully.
  5. Add to the gravy a little browning and a spoonful of mushroom ketchup.
  6. The steak must be kept on a hot stove or returned to the stewpan to warm up.
  7. If the gravy is not thick enough, stir in a little flour.

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