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. Place a fine steak in a stewpan with a large piece of clarified suet or fat and a couple of sliced onions. Fry the steak for a few minutes, turning it several times until browned.
  2. Cover the steak with gravy, or water if gravy is not available. Add a tea-cup full of button onions (or a Spanish onion sliced), a little lemon peel, pepper, salt, and a little allspice. Simmer until the steak is done.
  3. Remove the steak from the pan. Carefully skim the gravy, then add a little browning and a spoonful of mushroom ketchup to the liquid. Keep the steak on a hot stove or return it to the stewpan to warm it through.
  4. If the gravy is not thick enough, stir in a little flour before serving.

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