Haricot Mutton II is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic stew of mutton (breast or scrag) that is fried and floured before being cooked with vegetables in a water-based stock flavoured with spices and herbs and sweetened with a little sugar. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Haricot Mutton II.
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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
HARICOT MUTTON.
II.
717. INGREDIENTS.—Breast or scrag of mutton, flour, pepper and salt to taste, 1 large onion, 3 cloves, a bunch of savoury herbs, 1 blade of mace, carrots and turnips, sugar.
Mode.—Cut the mutton into square pieces, and fry them a nice colour; then dredge over them a little flour and a seasoning of pepper and salt. Put all into a stewpan, and moisten with boiling water, adding the onion, stuck with 3 cloves, the mace, and herbs. Simmer gently till the meat is nearly done, skim off all the fat, and then add the carrots and turnips, which should previously be cut in dice and fried in a little sugar to colour them. Let the whole simmer again for 10 minutes; take out the onion and bunch of herbs, and serve.
Time.—About 3 hours to simmer.
Average cost, 6d. per lb.
Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons.
Seasonable at any time.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
breast of mutton or scrag of mutton
120g flour (about)
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1 large onion, finely sliced
3 cloves
1 bunch of savoury herbs
1 blade of mace
3 carrots, scraped and finely diced
3 turnips, peeled and finely diced
2 tbsp brown sugar
Method:
Trim off any bones and excess fat then cut the mutton into square pieces. Heat oil or the trimmed mutton fat in a pan, add the meat pieces and fry until golden brown all over. Remove the meat from the pan then dredge in the flour to coat before seasoning well with salt and black pepper.
Turn the meat into a large saucepan then stud the onion with the cloves and add this to the pan along with the herbs and mace. Cover with boiling water, bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for about 45 minutes, or until the meat is tender.
In the meantime, add a little oil to a frying pan. Stir in the diced vegetables and scatter the sugar over the top. Fry until the vegetables are nicely golden then take off the heat.
As soon as the meat is tender, skim any fat from the surface and add the caramelized vegetables. Return to a simmer and cook, uncovered for a further 10 minutes. Remove the onion and the bunch of herbs. Serve immediately.
