Beef Cecils is a traditional British recipe, based on Robert Kemp Philp's recipe of 1859, for a classic dish of fried meatballs made from a blend of minced beef, breadcrumbs, onion, anchovy fillets and herbs bound with egg that are coated in breadcrumbs before frying. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Beef Cecils.
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This is a classic recipe for a Victorian version of Beef Cecils that's derived from Robert Kemp Philp's 1859 volume, The Dictionary of Daily Wants. Below you will find both the recipe in its original form and a modern redaction.
Original Recipe
BEEF CECILS.—Mince some beef with crumbs of bread, a large proportion of onions, some anchovies, lemon-peel, salt, nutmeg, chopped parsley, and a bit of butter; heat these over the fire for a few minutes : when hot enough, add an egg, and make them up into balls; strew over them fine breadcrumbs, fry them to a light form, and serve immediately.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
400g beef, minced
200g breadcrumbs
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 anchovy fillets, pounded to a paste in a mortar
2 tbsp freshly-grated lemon zest
salt and freshly-grated nutmeg, to taste
4 tbsp parsley, chopped
2 tbsp butter
1 egg, beaten
200g fine breadcrumbs
Method:
Combine the beef, breadcrumbs, onion, anchovies, lemon zest, seasonings, parsley and butter in a bowl. Stir together then turn into a non-stick pan and fry gently for 4 minutes.
Turn the mixture into a bowl, allow to cool then mix in the beaten egg to bind. Shape the resultant mixture into balls, coat in the breadcrumbs then shallow fry in oil or butter until golden brown all over and serve.
