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Haymakers’ Harvest Beef

Image illustrating hay harvest in England 19th Century

A recipe from Shipton-under-Wichwood, Oxfordshire, England

Image: Farmers Haymaking With Horse And Cart, Wilson Hepple (1854-1937)

by Geraldine Duncan

Serves 4 to 6

This old time recipe is typical of the fare gracing the table at harvest time. Haymaking was heavy and hard work, producing prodigious appetites, particularly when you consider that the harvesters worked from sunup to after sunset. It was essential to get the hay in before the rains came. This hearty dish could be left on the back of the stove to cook, leaving overworked hands free to prepare breads, pies, cakes and other item needed for the harvest-time table.

  • 1 beef roast (3 to 4 pounds if boneless, 4 ½ to 5 pounds, bone in)
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
  • 2 tablespoons dry mustard powder
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 or 4 strips of bacon, diced, or about a cup of diced bacon scraps
  • 1 or 2 large yellow onions, diced
  • 1 or 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 stalk of celery, diced
  • 2 cups Home Made beef broth (or 1, 14 ½ ounce can of commercial)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce   
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon pickling spice
  • 2 carrots, cut into half-inch pieces
  • 1 parsnip, peeled and cut into half-inch pieces
  • 2 to 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into one inch chunks
  • 10 to 12 small boiling onions, peeled
  • About ½ pound of small button mushrooms
  • Salt and fresh, coarse ground black pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Pre-heat the oven to 325°. Mix the thyme, mustard, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, paprika, sugar, and flour together and rub into all sides of the beef, massaging it well to work it into the meat. Leave sit for at least an hour. In a large heavy ovenproof dish with a tight fitting lid, gently sauté the bacon over a moderate heat until it releases most of its fat. Do not allow to become crisp. Add the diced onions, carrots, and celery and gently sauté until evenly coated with the bacon fat and soft but not browned, two to three minutes. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Place the beef in the pot, turn the heat up and sear, (brown) the meat on all sides. Return the sautéed vegetables to the pot. Pour in the broth and add the bay leaves. Put the pickling spice in a large tea ball or tie them in a square of cheesecloth and add to the pot. Cut a circle of brown paper from a grocery bag that is about an inch larger than the opening of the pot. Rub it with oil on both sides and lay on top of the pot, pushing the edges down so that they do not hang over the edge of the pot. Cover with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven. Leave undisturbed two and one-half to three hours. Remove the lid and paper and test for doneness. The meat should be fork tender. Place the carrots, parsnip, potatoes, boiling onions and mushrooms around the meat, return the lid and cook for another thirty minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the meat and vegetables to a serving plate. Skim off as much fat as possible from the pan juices. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and serve in a separate dish to be spooned over each serving.

In the northern hemisphere, the full moon nearest the Autumn Equinox, usually around September twenty first, rises earlier than it does the rest of the year. This fortunate occurrence made it possible for the harvesters to work late into the night, therefore making the race against the rains a bit easier; and so it was called “The Harvest Moon.”
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Making Stock, Broth or Bouillon

illustration of tofu and long rice in chicken broth

by Geraldine Duncann

Almost all soups, and in fact many other dishes are far better if made with stock instead of water. Stock, be it meat, bird, fish or vegetable is an easy thing to make. No recipe is really needed. Most kitchens in earlier days kept a pot on the back of the stove into which went all meat and vegetable scraps and trimmings. Covered with water, this was kept simmering through the day and provided a ready supply of tasty liquid to be used as the base for soups, stews, sauces and even just dished up as a soup on its own. The meat, fish and bird may be the trimmings of fresh meats or the bones and scraps of already cooked meats.

A warning; although it is feasible to combine the trimmings of meat and poultry, fish and seafood should be kept on their own. I also never add beets in any form. They taste fine but they turn the entire pot an unpleasant color. Onion skins on the other hand, help brighten the color of the pot to a wonderful gold. The following recipe is just a guideline. You should feel free to use whatever ingredients you happen to have at hand. If you have access to an ethnic market you will be able to find things appropriate for making stock than you are likely to in the standard supermarket chain.

Things that make excellent stock are:

  • Chicken giblets, backs, necks, and feet
  • Ox tail
  • Breast of lamb
  • Lamb shanks
  • Pigs feet
  • Other meat bones available at the market (If you are using large meat bones have the butcher cut them up for you)

Appropriate things for making fish stock are:

  • Any fish scraps, bones and skins
  • Fish heads when available
  • Shrimp and prawn shells
  • Crab shells

Basic Stock

Makes about four quarts

  • Approximately two pounds or more of meat, poultry or fish trimmings and bones (these may be raw or cooked)
  • 2 to 3 onions, coarsely chopped
  • 6 to 8 cloves of garlic, squashed
  • 2 stalks of celery, coarsely chopped
  • 2 or 3 carrots, coarsely chopped
  • 1 leek, if available, coarsely chopped and well washed
  • 1 parsnip, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of mixed dry herbs, or sprigs of favorite fresh herbs
  • 1 or 2 bay leaves
  • 6 quarts of water

Method 1:

Put all ingredients into a pot large enough to hold them comfortably, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and continue to simmer for one and one-half to two hours or until you have a tasty liquid. Strain and allow to cool. Then skim off the fat that has risen to the top and discard. Store the stock in the refrigerator or freezer.

Method 2:

Although the above method is easy and perfectly adequate, you will get more bang for your buck if you do the following:

Put two to three tablespoons of olive oil into a large, heavy pot and add all the meat, poultry or fish. Cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching until all is well caramelized (a rich brown but not singed) on all sides. Add the herbs and chopped vegetables and continue to cook until the vegetables are soft and somewhat browned. Then add the water, bring to a boil. Boil for two to three minutes, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for one and one-half to two hours. Strain and cool. When cool, skim off any fat that has risen to the top and store.

Stocks will keep for about a week in the refrigerator and for several months in the freezer. I often pour stock into ice cube trays, freeze and then store these little flavor cubes in zip-lock bags to use when I want just a bit of stock to add flavor to a dish. 

If you are going to want a clear broth to serve or to use in an aspic, you will need to clarify it.

Clarify Stock, Broth or Bouillon

Salt:  It is best not to add salt to your stock pot. If you do use salt, add it to the dish you are making, not the stock.