Steak with Mushroom Gravy and Wilted spinach and Bacon and Potato Wedges

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Recipe 630 from Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management (1861)

Mrs Beetons mushroom and steak .jpg

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes | Serves: 4

Mrs Beeton’s famous 1861 recipe book was the first to call out ingredients separately from the cooking method. Prior to that recipes used to be written in one enormous paragraph, so people missed ingredients.

Mrs Beeton’s innovation led to the creation of the shopping list, which was showcased at London’s famous Great Exhibition.

This recipe is a great favourite – and you can see that meat was often eaten cold while the sauce or accompaniments were hot, usually because the beef took so long to cook.

Mrs Beeton’s original recipe

Mrs Beeton’s original recipe

Ingredients

80g unsalted butter
200g sliced mushrooms
20g flour
1 tbs cayenne pepper
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
8 medium potatoes, washed and peeled, cut into wedges
4  Scotch Fillets
3 peeled garlic cloves
8 thyme sprigs
125g butter plus 1tbs of butter
150g bacon strips
500g spinach leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
Olive oil

Method

  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, sauté the butter and the mushrooms.  Add the flour and cayenne pepper and stir to combine. Add the vinegar and sauce. Mix and keep warm for serving.

  2. Preheat an oven to 180 degrees. Tray the wedges up and lightly spray with some oil. Cook in the oven for 25 to 30 mins or until crunchy.

  3. Season the steaks generously with salt and pepper; meanwhile, heat a chargrill pan over high heat. Brush steaks with oil and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. Once finished, melt the butter in the same pan, toss in garlic and sprigs of thyme and lightly sauté, then baste the steaks with the butter sauce.  Set aside steaks in the pan to rest for 2 minutes.

  4. In a large saucepan over high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil, sauté the bacon to golden brown, and then add the spinach leaves and stir continuously until the spinach has wilted. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Stir through and remove from the heat.

  5. To serve, divide the wilted kale among the four plates, top with the Scotch fillet and finish with a generous serving of the red wine gravy.

  6. Preheat to 180C. Grease an 8-inch round or square pan.

  7. Mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and the sugar. Pour the vanilla, vinegar, and oil into mix.

  8. Add the coffee and stir the ingredients until well blended. Add to the pan.

  9. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the top is set but springy. Cool the cake in the pan, then top with the icing of your choice.