Gravy Soup is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic soup of shin of beef and knuckle of veal with onions and vegetables cooked to a gravy-like consistency and flavoured with soy sauce, ketchup or Leamington sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Gravy Soup.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
169. INGREDIENTS.—6 lbs. of shin of beef, a knuckle of veal weighing 5 lbs., a few pieces or trimmings, 2 slices of nicely-flavoured lean, ham; 1/4 lb. of butter, 2 onions, 2 carrots, 1 turnip, nearly a head of celery, 1 blade of mace, 6 cloves, a bunch of savoury herb with endive, seasoning of salt and pepper to taste, 3 lumps of sugar, 5 quarts of boiling soft water. It can be flavoured with ketchup, Leamington sauce (see SAUCES), Harvey's sauce, and a little soy.
Mode.—Slightly brown the meat and ham in the butter, but do not let them burn. When this is done, pour to it the water, and as the scum rises, take it off; when no more appears, add all the other ingredients, and let the soup simmer slowly by the fire for 6 hours without stirring it any more from the bottom; take it off, and let it settle; skim off all the fat you can, and pass it through a tammy. When perfectly cold, you can remove all the fat, and leave the sediment untouched, which serves very nicely for thick gravies, hashes, &c.
Time.—7 hours. Average cost, 1s. per quart.
Seasonable all the year.
Sufficient for 14 persons.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
2.7kg shin of beef
1 knuckle of veal (about 2.3kg)
a few pieces of meat trimmings
2 slices of well-flavoured lean ham
115g butter
2 onions
2 carrots
1 turnip
1 head of celery
1 blade of mace
6 cloves
1 bunch of savoury herbs (with endive)
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
3 tsp sugar
5l of boiling water
soy sauce, ketchup, Leamington sauce or Harvey's sauce to flavour
Method:
Melt the butter in a pan, add the beef and ham and fry until lightly browned. Add the water to a large stockpot then pour in the mean and butter mixture. As the scum rises to the surface of the water skim it off. When no more scum rises add all the remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer and cook the soup gently for about 6 hours, without stirring.
Take off the heat and allow to settle then skim off as much fat as you can before passing through a fine-meshed sieve. Set aside to cool. When the liquid is completely cold remove all the fat then ladle off the liquid (leave the sediment behind and use for thick gravies and hashes).
Pour the liquid into a pan, bring to a boil and serve immediately, ladled into warmed soup bowls. This liquid can also be used as a meat stock.
