Cheap, Clear Gravy Soup Gravy Soup is a traditional British recipe, based on Eliza Acton's recipe of 1845, for a classic clear soup base of shin or leg of beef stewed slowly in water with vegetables and spices where the beef can be served as the main course and the stock, flavoured with soy sauce and Harvey's sauce before being served as a soup. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Cheap, Clear Gravy Soup Gravy Soup.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Eliza Acton's 1845 volume Modern Cookery, the first classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
CHEAP, CLEAR. GRAYY SOUP.
The shin or leg of beef, if not large or coarse, will answer extremely well for this soup, and afford at the same time a highly economical
dish of boiled meat, which will be found very tender, and very palatable
also, if it be served with a sauce of some piquancy. From about ten pounds of the meat let the butcher cut evenly off five or six from
the thick fleshy part, and again divide the knuckle, that the whole may lie compactly in the vessel in which it is to be stewed. Pour in three quarts of cold water, and when it has been brought slowly to boil, and been well skimmed, as directed for bouillon (Page 8), throw
in an ounce and a half of salt, half a large teaspoonful of peppercorns, eight cloves, two blades of mace, a faggot of savoury herbs, a couple of small carrots, and the heart of a root of celery; to these add
a mild onion or not, at choice. When the whole has stewed very
softly for four hours, probe the larger bit of beef and if quite tender, lift it out for table; let the soup be simmered from two to three hours
longer, and then strain it through a fine sieve, into a clean pan.
When it is perfectly cold, clear off every particle of fat; heat a couple of quarts, stir in, when it boils, half an ounce of sugar, a small tablespoonful of good soy, and twice as much of Harvey's sauce, or instead of this, of clear and fine mushroom catsup. If carefully made, the
soup will be perfectly transparent and of good colour and flavour. A thick slice of lean ham will improve it, and a pound or so of the neck of beef with and additional pint of water, will likewise enrich its quality. A small quantity of good broth may be made of the fragments of the while boiled down with a few fresh vegetables.
Brown caper, or hot horse-radish sauce, or sauce Robert, or sauce piquante, made with the liquor in which it is boiled, may be served
with the portion of the meat which is sent to table.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 shin or leg of beef (about 2.25kg from the thick end, with the knuckle bone divided in half)
3l cold water
45g salt
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
8 cloves
2 blades of mace
1 bunch of savory herbs, securely tide together
2 small carrots
1 celeriac heart
1 mild onion (eg Spanish onion)
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Harvey's sauce (or clear mushroom catsup)
Method:
Arrange the meat and bones in the base of a large stewpan then pour over the water. Place half over the hob on the lowest possible setting and bring very slowly to a simmer. Skim off any scum as it rises and as soon as the liquid has come to a simmer add the salt. Continue skimming the surface then add the salt, vegetables, peppercorns, mace, cloves and savoury herbs.
Bring back to a simmer then reduce to the lowest possible simmer, cover with a lid and continue stewing very gently for about 4 hours. At this point, test the meat. If it is tender, remove from the pot and set aside. Bring the stock back to a simmer and cook for 3 hours more to reduce.
At this point, strain through a fine-meshed sieve into a clean pan. Set aside until completely cold then skim and blot every piece of fat from the surface.
For a soup, heat about 2l of the stock in a pan, season to taste with salt then stir in the soy sauce and Harvey's sauce to flavour. Serve immediately.
The beef can be served as a main dish, accompanied by brown caper sauce, horseradish sauce, Sauce Robert or sauce piquante (which should be made with the boiling stock as a base).
