750 g beef, cubed
2 cup beef stock
1/2 bunch leeks
1 small turnip
1 small carrot
6 small scrubbed potatoes
1 celery stick
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 sugar lump
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
2 tbsp plain flour
Directions
Roll cubed beef, with fat removed, in flour seasoned wtih salt and
pepper. Place in casserole with stock and after bringing to the boil,
simmer for 3/4 of an hour. Add the well washed white part of the
leeks thickly sliced. Peel and dice turnip and carrot and add to the
dish with sliced celery and well scrubbed potatoes. Add bay leaf,
thyme and sugar. Stew gently for approximately an hour and serve with
thick crusty bread. Serves 2 but his may be ahlved and one portion
frozen.
Servings: 2 servings
Beef & Bay Stew Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Beef; Beef Stew; Meat; Soup; Stew
The History of Recipes
It is actually possible to trace the history of written cooking instructions far back into history, at least as far back as ancient Egypt, and potentially, even further back. Interesting though that maybe, these, early cookbooks were just very basic hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for meal preparation.
The truth of the matter is, the oldest recipe discovered so far, according to historians is a series of stone tablets in ancient Sumerian describing the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made drinkers feel `blissful`. As we move into Roman times around 25BC a roman called Apicius wrote a few documents detailing recipes cooked by wealthy Romans. In his scrolls, Apicius tells us how the roman meals were split into hors d`oeuvres, main course and dessert, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. This early Roman chef recounts how the ancient chefs made use of many aromatic flavours, including a few that are still present in modern kitchens such as thyme, mint and dill. Moving on, we find two recipe books which appeared in the fourteenth century : one book called `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary entitled `Curye on Inglish`. Although the titles sound familiar, these books are not about the indian food that is served today, but instead descriptions of the types of food eaten by the rich and powerful of that time. Later, in the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought back many foods and herbs from middle-east cuisine, including spices like parsley, basil and rosemary. The introduction of these new herbs and spices caused a torrent in recipe publications, the majority of which are kept safe in academic collections. By the advent of the 1900s, cook books were in great demand, mostly as a result of higher levels of literacy, people having increased leisure time and having more money. The revolution that is television gave us TV cookery programs and the recipe books that accompanied them. Which brings us neatly up to date and the invention of the internet, permitting us all to search through thousands of recipes like the ones you can find on our site. |
We hope you enjoy this Beef & Bay Stew recipe.
