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Roast-beef

A historical recipe from The Italian Cook Book The Art of Eating Well, by Maria Gentile (1919).

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A historical recipe

The Italian Cook Book The Art of Eating Well; Practical Recipes of the Italian Cuisine, Pastries, Sweets, Frozen Delicacies, and Syrups, by Maria Gentile (1919). Project Gutenberg eBook #24407.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.

Italy

Known as an Italian recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.

Ingredients 2 ingredients

  1. two pounds ought
  2. a cup of broth

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Oven and hot trays. Use dry oven gloves for trays and dishes: a hot tray looks just like a cold one. Open the oven door away from your face and let the first rush of heat out.
  • Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.

Method

  1. Although roast-beef is not an Italian dish, still it is prepared in a peculiar way by the Italians, and hence this recipe finds its place here.
  2. To obtain a good roast-beef not less than two pounds ought to be cooked on a strong fire.
  3. It ought to be covered with good olive oil and finally with cup of soup stock which with the oil and the juice from the meat will form a rich gravy.
  4. Salt it only when it is half cooked and do it moderately, because the beef is already tasty by itself.
  5. Put it on the fire half an hour before the soup is served and the meal begins.
  6. This will be sufficient if the piece is not very big.
  7. To ascertain the cooking prick it in the bigger part with a thin larding-pin, but not often, in order not to allow too much juice to escape.
  8. The juice must neither be of the color of the blood nor too dark.
  9. If baked it is to be seasoned with salt, oil and a piece of butter, surrounded by raw potatoes peeled.
  10. Pour in the kettle a cup of broth or of water.
  11. If you do not like cold roast beef, cut it into slices and warm with butter and brown stock or tomato sauce.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Chef's knife
  • Vegetable peeler
  • Kettle
Source Public domain in the USA
Credit

From The Italian Cook Book The Art of Eating Well, by Maria Gentile (1919). Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #24407 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24407). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.