Beef Bouilli is a traditional British recipe, based on Robert Kemp Philp's recipe of 1859, for a classic dish of a slowly-simmered shin of beef cooked with herbs and vegetables that's accompanied by a ketchup, and mustard-flavoured sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Beef Bouilli.
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This is a classic recipe for a Victorian version of Beef Bouilli 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 BOUILLI.—Have a shin-bone of beef sawed across in three different places without cutting the fleshy side. Place skewers in the stew-pot, and lay the meat on them, with as much water as will nearly cover it. When this is skimmed put in a bundle of herbs, a large head of celery cut, four onions, an a dessert-spoonful of black and Jamaica peppercorns in a spice-bag; cover the pot close, and let the meat stew slowly for three hours; then add carrots and turnips cut with a dozen small onions; stew for another hour. Make a sauce for the bouilli, by thickening a pint of the soup with flour and seasoning it with ketchup, spices, and a little mustard.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 shin of beef
1 bunch of herbs, tied together
1 large head of celery, sliced
4 onions, sliced
1 dessert spoon black peppercorns
1 dessert spoon allspice berries
12 pearl onions, peeled
4 carrots, quartered
4 turnips, peeled and quartered
For the Sauce:
2 tbsp butter mixed to a paste with 2 tbsp plain flour
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp English mustard
freshly-grated nutmeg and cayenne pepper, to taste
Method:
Place a trivet in a large heat-proof casserole or stewpan. Take the shin of beef and saw across the bones in three places (without cutting into the meat). Set this on the trivet then pour in enough water to almost cover the beef. Bring to a boil, skim the surface then add the herbs, celery and onions. Tie the black peppercorns and allspice berries in a bag, add to the stew then cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook slowly for 3 hours.
At this point add the carrots and turnips, return to a simmer (top-up the liquid, if needed) then cover and cook for a further 60 minutes. When ready, remove 600ml of the cooking liquid and place in a pan to make a sauce. Bring to a simmer then whisk in the butter and flour mix, a little at a time, ensuring the mixture is smooth. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened then adjust the seasonings to taste, add the ketchup and mustard then add nutmeg and cayenne pepper to taste.
