Bubble and Squeak is a traditional British recipe, based on Alexis Soyer's recipe of 1854, for a classic leftovers dish cooked meat that's fried and served on a bed of boiled and fried cabbage. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Bubble and Squeak.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Alexis Soyer's 1854 volume A Shilling Cookery for the People, the first Victorian cookbook for the common man.
Original Recipe
160. Bubble and Squeak.—Any remains of salt beef or pork may be dressed in this old, but good and economical fashion. Cut your meat, when cold, in thin slices, to the weight of about a pound, including, if possible, from two to three ounces of fat; then take one or two Savoy cabbages, according to size, which, when boiled and chopped, ought to weigh about two pounds; cut each cabbage in four, throw a few of the green outside leaves away, as likewise the stalk; put about a gallon of water in an iron saucepan; when boiling add your cabbage, and let it remain about twenty minutes, or until tender; drain them well, and chop them up rather fine; then add three ounces of either butter or dripping in the frying-pan, which put on the fire; when hot put in your slices of meat, which semi-fry of a nice brownish colour, on both sides; take them out, put them on a dish, keep them warm; then put the cabbage in the pan with the fat, add a teaspoonful of salt, the same quantity of pepper; stir round till hot throughout; put on the dish, lay the meat over, and serve; if no cabbage, any green will do, first boiled, drained, chopped, and fried. Boiled carrots and turnips, previously cooked and chopped, may be added to the cabbage.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients
500g cold roast beef or pork, cut into slices
700g Savoy cabbage
90g butter
1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Heat a pan of water to boiling. Remove the very outer leaves from the cabbage then quarter and core. Add the cabbage to the pan of water, bring back to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender.
Drain the cabbage and pat dry then shred very finely and set aside.
Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the slices of meat and fry until heated through and browned on both sides (about 10 minutes). Remove the meat and set aside.
Stir the cabbage into the butter remaining in the pan. Season with salt and black pepper and fry, stirring frequently, until the cabbage is quite hot. Turn the cabbage onto a serving dish, arrange the meat slices on top and serve.
