The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook (43 page)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons tomato purée

3 bay leaves

1 cup beef stock

1 cup Guinness beer (or any stout or lager)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

14 ounces puff pastry

1 large egg, beaten (for glaze)

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Season chuck steaks and lamb kidneys with salt and pepper. Place steaks and kidneys in skillet and fry until fully colored.
   
2. Remove steaks and kidneys from pan and place in a large saucepan. Add butter to original pan and melt over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and carrots, stirring frequently, and sauté for 3–5 minutes. Then add the sautéed vegetables to saucepan with meat.
   
3. Next add mushrooms to pan. Sauté the mushroom slices for an additional 3 minutes, adding more butter if necessary. Turn mushrooms repeatedly, then remove from heat.
   
4. Heat the saucepan with the meat over medium heat. Add the flour, stirring for 3 minutes. Add tomato purée, sautéed mushrooms, and bay leaves. Pour in beef stock and beer, bringing mixture to a simmer. Skim off any excess impurities from top of stock. The meat should just be covered; if not, add more stock or beer. Simmer gently, partially covered, for 2 hours. Check every half hour for potential skimming needs.
   
5. After 1
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   –2 hours, check meat for tenderness. If the meat has cooked properly, the sauce will have reduced, both thickening its consistency and increasing its flavor.
   
6. Add Worcestershire sauce. Transfer to a pie dish and allow meat to cool until it is lukewarm.
   
7. Preheat oven to 400°F.
   
8. Roll the pastry until it’s about
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   -inch thick. Cut a strip of pastry to sit around the rim of the dish; this will help the top to stay put. Brush the rim of the pie dish with beaten egg before applying the strip. Then brush strip again with egg. Taking care that the pastry top is larger than the dish, sit it on top. Push down around the sides, trim, and crimp for a neat finish. Brush completely with egg wash and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 40–45 minutes or until golden brown.
   

Any of the Granthams might read about this dish while browsing their Charles Dickens books. The famous author discusses steak and kidney pie and the changing culinary market in his famous first novel
The Pickwick Papers
.

A popular dish from Roman times, this French Onion Soup was, throughout time, considered a peasant dish because onions were easy for the poor to grow and eat. Nonetheless, the nice cheeses add a taste of formality to this informal treat. Thus, while not likely served to the guests of Downton Abbey, the staff would highly enjoy this soup.

1 cup unsalted butter

6 sweet onions, sliced

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs fresh thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup quality red wine

3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour

8 cups beef broth

2 tablespoons brandy

1 baguette, sliced

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cup unsalted butter, melted

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pound grated fresh Gruyère cheese

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pound grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in onions, garlic, bay leaves, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are mushy and caramelized, around 20–25 minutes.
   
2. Slowly pour in wine, then increase heat until mixture reaches a brief boil. Then reduce heat and simmer until all the wine has evaporated, about 10–15 minutes. Discard bay leaves and thyme. Sprinkle flour over the onion mixture and stir, making sure heat is low so flour does not burn. Cook, stirring every 3–5 minutes, for 15 minutes.
   
3. Slowly pour in beef broth and brandy, then increase heat to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper.
   
4. Turn on oven’s broiler. Arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet in one long layer. Do not overlap slices. Using a spoon, dab melted butter over baguette slices. Evenly cover baguettes with Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses, then broil until toasts are bubbling and a golden brown, about 5 minutes. Cut into four to six strips.
   
5. Pour soup into bowls and float several of the Gruyère-Parmesan croutons on top. Serve.
   

While Mrs. Patmore would need to perfectly time the release of this dish to her staff in between their many upstairs obligations, the longer she cooks this soup, the more complex and delicious the flavors. Try this with a glass of good red wine and perhaps some crusty bread slathered with Brie.

Another “poor” dish, the Earl and Countess of Grantham would never dream of serving this dish at a dinner party due to the poor quality of its meat. Mrs. Patmore, however, would have no qualms about serving this to her staff, especially during a particularly busy day when all she could use for the staff meal would be leftovers. This dish is actually best when made one full day prior to serving, which would give the cook time to focus on planning for intricate dinner parties for the Crawleys. Even the most stubborn of staff (such as Thomas or O’Brien) would not turn their back on this filling meal.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 pounds meaty oxtails, patted dry

Kosher salt to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

8 cups water

6 (14
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-ounce) cans beef broth

4 cups high-quality dry red wine

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cup unsalted butter

4 medium carrots, peeled, finely chopped

2 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium leeks, chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

4 large Russet potatoes, peeled, cut into
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- to
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-inch cubes

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cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Rub oxtails with salt and pepper, then add them to pot and let brown on all sides, about 20 minutes.
   
2. Add water, beef broth, and 3 cups of the wine to pot. Bring mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover partially and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender, about 2
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   –3 hours.
   
3. Carefully remove oxtails from soup. Place removed oxtails in a large bowl and set aside.
   
4. Pour cooking liquid into a separate bowl and freeze until fat separates from liquid, at least 1 hour. Spoon fat off top of cooking liquid.
   
5. Remove meat from oxtails. Add meat to the cooking liquid with fat removed.
   
6. Heat
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   cup butter in same stockpot over medium heat until melted. Increase heat to medium-high, then add carrots, parsnips, onion, leeks, tomato paste, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Sauté until vegetables are soft and slightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add meat and liquid mixture to pot, then stir in remaining cup of wine. Bring soup to boil, then add potatoes and lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Add Italian parsley, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve.
   

According to legend, oxtail soup, while a uniquely British-sounding dish, originated in 1793 during the Parisian Reign of Terror, when many French nobles were reduced to begging for scraps. One day a noble-turned-beggar passed a local tannery and noticed a pile of discarded ox tails, and used them to cook himself oxtail soup. Claiming the dish gave him good luck, other beggars started making the dish.