Steamed Beef Stew

'III. De carnibus uero uaccinis uaporatas factas et in sodinga coctas utendum, etiam et in iuscello, ut prius exbromatas una unda mittat, et sic in nitida aqua, quantum ratio poscit, coquantur, ut non addatur aqua, et cum cocta fuerit caro, mittis acetum acerrimum quantum media bucula, et mittis capita porrorum et puledium modicum, apii radicis uel finiculum, et coquat in una hora, et sic addis mel quantum medietatem de aceto uel quis dulcedinem habere uoluerit, et sic coquat lento foco agetando ipsa olla frequenter manibus, et bene ius cum carne ipsa temperetur, et sic teri: piper grana L, costo et spicanardi per singula quantum medietatem solidi, et cariofili quantum pinsat tremissis I. ista omnia simul trita bene in mortario fictile addito uino modico, et cum bene tribulatum fuerit, mittis in olla et agetas bene ita, ut, antequam tollatur de foco, modicum sentiat et remittat in ius uirtutem suam. ubi tamen fuerit mel aut sapa uel carenum, unum de ipsis, sicut superius contenit, mittatur, et in bucculare non coquat, sed in olla fictile meliorem saporem facit.'
'3. Beef which has been steamed can be used both roasted in a dish and also braised in a sauce, provided that, as soon as it begins to give off a smell, you put the meat in some water. Boil it in as much fresh water as suits the portion of meat; you should not have to add any more water during the boiling. When the meat is cooked, put in a casserole about half a cup of sharp vinegar, some leeks and a little pennyroyal, some celery and some fennel, and let these simmer for one hour. Then add half the quantity of honey to vinegar, or as much honey as you wish for sweetness. Cook over a low heat, shaking the pot frequently with oneÌs hands so that the sauce coats the meat sufficiently. Then grind the following: 50 peppercorns, 2 grammes each of costmary and spikenard, and 1.5 grammes of cloves. Carefully grind all these spices together in an earthenware mortar with the addition of a little wine. When well ground, add them to the casserole and stir well, so that before they are taken from the heat, they may warm up, and release their flavour into the sauce. Whenever you have a choice of honey or must reduced either by a third or two-thirds, add one of these as detailed above. Do not use a bronze pan, because the sauce tastes better cooked in an earthenware casserole.'
text notes:
Based on some disagreement between the two texts Iíve worked with, it ís being borne upon me that either the text is simpy open to a broad spectrum of interpretation, or one or both of the translators is wrong on certain points. Today, for example, we usually think of beef as the meat of steers, and Grant translates 'carnibus uero uaccinis' as 'beef', while the other translation I have suggests it is 'the meat of cows'. A small point, perhaps, but since understanding the characteristics of this main ingredient may help understand the cooking process, one worth pursuing, I think. Beef in the late Roman world, as well as in the middle ages, appears to have been the meat of various cattle, including both mature and immature bulls, ditto cows, and oxen. I'm not sure if steers were gelded specifically for docility and tenderness as they made their way to the table, so we may be talking about meat onsiderably tougher and perhaps stronger in flavor than what we are used to today when we think of beef. Both translations speak of roasting or steaming the beef before braising, but only Grant believes the meat may not be fresh, requiring to be put in water as soon as it begins to smell.The other translation says something like, 'Cow's meat, steamed and cooked in a casserole should be eaten in a gravy. First, it should be soaked in one water...' etc. I wonder if perhaps Anthimus is telling us we can steam it or roast before braising, provided we only roast it until it has a toasted aroma. I chose to solve this by steaming the meat in a tiny amount of water, in a sealed pot, until somewhat tender, before adding the sauce ingredients and the vegetables. I also wonder why the earlier translator should equate Ïapii radicisÓwith parsley root, and Grant with celery, when it seems to me to suggest celery root, celeriac.
Ingredients:
~2 lbs beef suitable for moist heat cooking (I used chuck steak)
3/4 cup vinegar of your choice: red wine, white wine, cider, malt, etc.
1 large leek, mostly white part, slit into quarters and sliced 1/2 inch thick
Pennyroyal or mint, dried, 1 tsp
1 small celery root, peeled, 1/2 inch dice
1/2 head fennel, 1/2 inch dice
~3/8 cup honey, or to taste as well as thicken sauce
50 peppercorns
~1 tsp spikenard
Costmary was unavailable, use same amount as spikenard, I guess
3/4 tsp cloves
1/4 cup wine
*Note that salt is not mentioned in this recipe, however it does appear in some of the others; I can only assume this particular recipe doesnÌt call for it, while others do, and I therefore would not add salt to this on the grounds that the author simply failed to mention it.
Recipe notes:
As stated above, I used chuck steak, which I cooked partially in a tightly sealed pot with a small amount of water, then added the vinegar and the vegetables, and somewhat later the honey and the spices. Note that while Anthimus is careful to include quantities for the spices, but doesnÌt say how much beef this is intended for. I solved this, I believe, by making up a spice mixture in the stated proportions, then adding enough to aggressively season the meat and sauce. I had some leftover spices when I was done, so perhaps the recipe was for more than two pounds of beef, or this stuff is supposed to be really spicy. The spikenard proved an unexpected problem; I bought it ground in little chunks, then ground it to a powder in a coffee grinder. It seems, though, as if there may have been some grit in the stuff I bought, so the texture of the sauce wasnÌt all it might have been. Maybe fresh spikenard roots would help, or perhaps a sachet bag of the larger chunks would have helpred. Something to consider in the future. What I ended up doing was to simply allow the grit to settle in the bottom of the pot and leave some of it behind when transferring the stew to another container. The end result, though, was sweet and spicy, the beef tender, if slightly dry, although kept moist by the vegetables.
 

Source:
    Some Recipes from Anthimus' 'De Obseruatione Ciborum Epistula'
    (roughly, 'A Little Letter Of Observations On Foods')
    Translated by Mark Grant, 1996
    Publisher: Prospect Books, Devon
    ISBN 0907325 750