Stewed Shin of Beef is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic dish of a shin of beef that's stewed slowly with celery, vegetables and spices and where the pan juices are flavoured with mushroom ketchup and port wine before being thickened to serve as a sauce for the meat. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Stewed Shin of Beef.
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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
STEWED SHIN OF BEEF.
671. INGREDIENTS.—A shin of beef, 1 head of celery, 1 onion, a faggot of savoury herbs, 1/2 teaspoonful of allspice, 1/2 teaspoonful of whole black pepper, 4 carrots, 12 button onions, 2 turnips, thickening of butter and flour, 3 tablespoonfuls of mushroom ketchup, 2 tablespoonfuls of port wine; pepper and salt to taste.
Mode.—Have the bone sawn into 4 or 5 pieces, cover with hot water, bring it to a boil, and remove any scum that may rise to the surface. Put in the celery, onion, herbs, spice, and seasoning, and simmer very gently until the meat is tender. Peel the vegetables, cut them into any shape fancy may dictate, and boil them with the onions until tender; lift out the beef, put it on a dish, which keep hot, and thicken with butter and flour as much of the liquor as will be wanted for gravy; keep stirring till it boils, then strain and skim. Put the gravy back in the stewpan, add the seasoning, port wine, and ketchup, give one boil, and pour it over the beef; garnish with the boiled carrots, turnips, and onions.
Time.—The meat to be stewed about 4 hours. Average cost, 4d. per lb. with bone.
Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons.
Seasonable at any time.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 shin of beef
1 head of celery, chopped
1 onion, sliced
1 bunch of savoury herbs
1/2 tsp allspice berries
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
4 carrots, scraped
12 button onions, peeled
2 turnips, peeled
2 tbsp butter mixed to a paste with 2 tbsp plain flour, as a thickening
3 tbsp mushroom ketchup
2 tbsp port wine
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Saw the bone into 4 or 5 pieces, place the shin in a large pan then cover with boiling water. Bring to a boil and skim off any scum from the surface. Add the celery, onion, herbs, allspice and black peppercorns. Season with salt to taste then reduce to a simmer and cook gently until the meat is tender (at least 3 hours).
Cut the vegetables into fancy shapes, if desired, then add to the pan. Return to a boil and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. At this point, take out the beef and vegetables. Arrange in a dish and set aside to keep warm.
Strain the pan juices into a clean saucepan then whisk in the butter and flour thickening, a little at a time. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened then skim the surface of the sauce and strain. Return to a pan, season to taste then stir in the port wine and mushroom ketchup. Bring to a boil then serve over the beef and serve.
