2 lb beef (inexpensive cut)
1 meaty soup bone
1 onion, peeled & quartered
1 carrot, quartered
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1 ; water to cover
1 tbsp mixed whole pickling spices - tied, in cheesecloth bag
1 can beef consomme or
1 rich beef stock
3 tbsp unflavored gelatin
Directions
The author writes: "Spread on hot buttered toast, this protein-rich
snack is ideal for chilled skiers or skaters. Blade steaks, blade
roast, cross rib roast and stewing beef are all suitable cuts."
Place beef (bones, fat and all) into a large, heavy stockpot with the
soup bone, onion, carrot, bay leaf and salt. Cover with cold water
and bring to the boil, uncovered. Skim off any foam and cook two
hours or more (until beef falls off the bone). Cover pot; let stand
in a cool place overnight to solidify fat. Next day, skim off and
discard fat, along with carrots, onions and bay leaf. Remove meat
from bones and discard bones. Shred beef with a knife. Return
shredded meat to stock in the pot; place over high heat. Add
pickling spices (tied in bag) and let come to a boil. Add consomme.
Once stock is boiling, add gelatin. Stir and let simmer another 1
minute.
Spoon stock plus beef into a large mold or ceramic bowl (or two
smaller ones) and let sit in refrigerator, several hours or overnight.
Good with hot mustard, salt and pepper. Keeps well, refrigerated, 1
week.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
From _Nancy Enright's Canadian Herb Cookbook_ by Nancy Enright.
Toronto: James Lorimer & Company, 1985. Pg. 14. ISBN 0-88862-788-2.
Posted by Cathy Harned.
Servings: 6 servings
Aunt Marg's Pressed Beef Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Beef; Meat
The History of Recipes
We can track the history of `recipes` back into antiquity, at least as far back as pharonic Egypt, and quite possibly further than that. Interesting though that is, sadly, these early cookbooks were just very basic hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing food.
In fact, the oldest recipe found, according to food historians are a few tablets in Sumerian which describe the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who drank it feel wonderful. Later on, in Roman times around 25BC a man called Apicius compiled a collection of scripts detailing recipes enjoyed by his fellow Romans. He recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into appetizers, main course and desserts, a very modern way of dining. Additionally, he describes how the ancient Romans used many different aromatic flavours, including some that we all recognise for example bay, mint and asafoetida. Later on, there are two recipe books which were published in the fourteenth century : a book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary titled `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are somewhat misleading tho`, these two books are unconnected to the indian curry that we all know today, but rather accounts of the types of meals prepared by the cooks of the rich and wealthy people of those days. Later on in the 1400s, the Crusaders brought back a variety of foods and spices from the Middle-East, including parsley, basil and rosemary. These new foods and tastes led to a torrent in books on cookery, most of which still exist in private libraries. By the advent of the twentieth century, cooking books were highly popular as a result of increased literacy, more leisure time and having more money to spend. The introduction of the TV brought us TV cooks and the demand for the accompanying recipe books. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting everyone to access thousands of recipes like those on sites such as the one you are reading now. |
We hope you enjoy this Aunt Marg's Pressed Beef recipe.
