Ox Cheek Soup

The Experienced English Housekeeper · Elizabeth Raffald · 1784

Source: The Experienced English Housekeeper
Yield: 2.0 quarts
Status: success · extracted 11 days ago
Not a recipe: No

Ingredients (12)

For the soup base

an ox cheek ↝ Fish, whitefish, broad, head, eyes, cheeks and soft bones (Alaska Native) [American Indian/Alaska Native Foods]
two ounces of butter ↝ Butter, stick, unsalted [Dairy and Egg Products]
half a pound of a shank of ham cut in slices ↝ Pork, fresh, leg (ham), shank half, separable lean and fat, raw [Pork Products]
four heads of celery, pull off the leaves, wash the heads clean, and cut them in ↝ Celery, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]
three large onions ↝ Onions, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]
two carrots ↝ Carrots, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]
one parsnep sliced
a few beets cut small ↝ Beets, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]
three blades of mace ↝ Spices, mace, ground [Spices and Herbs]
six quarts of water ↝ Water, tap [Tap water]

For serving

the white part of a head of celery cut in small pieces ↝ Celery, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]
a little browning ↝ Sugars, brown [Sweets]

Instructions (9)

Break the bones of an ox cheek, and wash it in many waters.
Lay the ox cheek in warm water, throw in a little salt, to fetch out the slime, and wash it out very well.
Take a large stew-pan, put two ounces of butter at the bottom of the pan, and lay the flesh side of the cheek down.
Add to it half a pound of a shank of ham cut in slices, and four heads of celery (leaves pulled off, heads washed clean, and cut in), three large onions, two carrots, and one parsnep sliced, a few beets cut small, and three blades of mace.
Set it over a moderate fire for a quarter of an hour to draw the virtue from the roots.
When the head has simmered a quarter of an hour, put to it six quarts of water.
Let it stew till it is reduced to two quarts.
If you would have it eat like soup, strain and take out the meat and other ingredients.
Put in the white part of a head of celery cut in small pieces, with a little browning.

Original Text

To make an Ox Cheek Soup.
FIRST break the bones of an ox cheek, and wash it in many waters, then lay it in warm water, throw in a little salt, to fetch out the slime, wash it out very well, then take a large stew-pan, put two ounces of butter at the bottom of the pan, and lay the flesh side of the cheek down, add to it half a pound of a shank of ham cut in slices, and four heads of celery, pull off the leaves, wash the heads clean, and cut them in with three large onions, two carrots, and one parsnep sliced, a few beets cut small, and three blades of mace, set it over a moderate fire a quarter of an hour; this draws the virtue from the roots, which gives a pleasant strength to the gravy.
I have made a good gravy by this method with roots and butter, only adding a little browning, to give it a pretty colour: when the head has simmered a quarter of an hour, put to it six quarts of water, and let it stew till it is reduced to two quarts: if you would have it eat like soup, strain and take out the meat and other ingredients, and put in the white part of a head of celery cut in small pieces, with a little browning,

Notes

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