432. French Ragout of Mutton

The Modern Housewife · Soyer, Alexis · 1849

Source: The Modern Housewife
Time: Cook: 60 min Total: 60 min
Status: success · extracted 12 days ago
Not a recipe: No

Ingredients (15)

about two pounds of the scrag of the neck, breast, chump, or any other part, with as little fat as possible ↝ Mutton, cooked, roasted (Navajo) [American Indian/Alaska Native Foods]
two ounces of butter, or good fat ↝ Butter, stick, unsalted [Dairy and Egg Products]
two tablespoonfuls of flour ↝ Flour, 00 [Cereal Grains and Pasta]
a little water ↝ Water, tap [Tap water]
one saltspoonful of pepper ↝ Spices, pepper, black [Spices and Herbs]
four ditto of salt ↝ Salt, table, iodized [Spices and Herbs]
four ditto of sugar ↝ Sugar, NFS [Sugars and honey]
a bouquet of six sprigs of parsley ↝ Parsley, raw [Not included in a food category]
a few turnips ↝ Turnips, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]
some fat
a little broth or water ↝ Soup, broth [Soups, broth-based]
a small piece of scraped garlic ↝ Garlic, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]

Optional additions

Onions, carrots, peas, &c. ↝ Onions, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]
Onions, carrots, peas, &c. ↝ Carrots, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]
Onions, carrots, peas, &c. ↝ Peas, green, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]

Instructions (16)

Cut the mutton into pieces of about two inches square.
Melt two ounces of butter or good fat in a pan.
Add two tablespoonfuls of flour and stir until forming a brownish roux.
Add the meat and stir it around for twenty minutes.
Add a little water (not enough to cover the meat), one saltspoonful of pepper, four saltspoonfuls of salt, and four saltspoonfuls of sugar.
Add a bouquet of six sprigs of parsley.
Stir until boiling, then set it to simmer.
While the meat simmers, peel a few turnips and cut them into about thirty pieces of one-inch dice.
Put some fat in a frying-pan and fry the turnips until rather brown.
Remove the fried turnips and add them to the stewpan with the meat when it has cooked for about one hour.
When ready to serve, take out the meat and turnips.
Squeeze the bouquet of parsley and discard it.
Skim off the fat from the stew.
If the sauce is too thick, add a little broth or water; if too thin, boil it a little more.
Dish up the ragout by placing the meat pieces in a circle and the turnips in the centre.
Sauce over and serve very hot.

Original Text

432. French Ragout of Mutton.—Take about two pounds of the scrag of the neck, breast, chump, or any other part, with as little fat as possible, cut it into pieces of about two inches square, put into a pan two ounces of butter, or good fat, when melted, add two tablespoonfuls of flour, stir with a wooden spoon till forming a brownish roux, add the meat, and stir it round for twenty minutes, add a little water, but not enough to cover the meat, one saltspoonful of pepper, four ditto of salt, and four ditto of sugar, a bouquet of six sprigs of parsley, stir till boiling, set it to simmer. Having previously peeled a few turnips, cut in large dice of one inch square about thirty pieces, put some fat in a frying-pan, and fry the turnips until rather brown, take them out, and put them in a stewpan with the meat when it is done, which will be in about one hour from the time it was put on; when ready to serve, take out the meat and turnips, squeeze the bouquet, which throw away, skim off the fat, if too thick, add a little broth or water, or, if too thin, boil it a little more, dish it up by placing the pieces in a circle and the turnips in the centre, sauce over, and serve very hot—if not it is spoilt. For those that like it, a small piece of scraped garlic may be added. Onions, carrots, peas, &c., may be used in place of the turnips.

This is a very favorite dish in France; I learnt it from an old French émigré, who used to visit us about ten years since. When I have company, I use the chops of the neck, dress them in a crown, placing the vegetables in the centre; I find them very much liked. I have at some houses partaken of harico-mutton which has been tolerably good, but nothing in flavor to this plan. If there is any left, it is good warmed again, or even cold.

Notes

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