Basic Minced Beef Filling

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

• 500g beef mince

• 1½ tbsp plain flour

• 250ml beef stock

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the beef mince for 4-5 minutes. Break the mince up with a wooden spatula as it browns.

2. Stir in the flour and cook for a further minute, then add the beef stock.

3. Bring to the boil while stirring, then reduce the heat, cover the pan with a lid and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside and leave to cool.

Flaky Pastry Pie Crust Recipe

Ingredients:

• 225g/8oz plain flour

• pinch of salt

• 80g/3oz lard

• 80g/3oz butter

• Water

Method:

1. Mix the flour with the salt in a large bowl and rub in half of the lard. Add enough cold water to bring the flour to a soft dough.

2. In a separate bowl mix the rest of the lard and the butter together.

3. Roll out the dough to make a rectangle about 12.5cm x 25cm (5in. x 10in.)

4. Dot one third of the lard/butter mix over two-thirds of the rectangle and fold the remaining third over the middle third of the pastry. Fold the other third over the top. Seal the edges with a rolling pin and turn the dough 90 degrees. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.

5. Repeat stages 3 and 4 with half of the rest of the lard/butter mix and then repeat one more time with the remaining lard/butter mix. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes after each folding.

6. Roll and fold one more time without any fat and then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Suet Pastry Pie Base Recipe

Ingredients:

• 340 g self raising flour (see note below)

• 200 g suet (I used Atora)

• 70 ml cold water

• 1/2 tsp salt

Method:

1. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and lightly mix in the suet using a knife.

2. Mix in sufficient water to make the mixture moist but still a solid mass.

3. Allow the pastry to rest for 30 minutes.

4. Roll out to about 2mm to 3mm thickness.

Note: This suet pastry recipe calls for self-raising flour. However, I don't believe that this will result in the typical pie and mash pie-base and plain flour should probably be substituted. I'll try it and let you know.

Let's Put It All Together

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5.

2. Place a couple of teaspoons of cold water in the bottom of each individual (100-150 ml) pie dish.

3. Line the bottom of the dishes with the suet pastry and cut around the edges so that it covers the rim.

4. Three quarters fill the pie with the cooked minced beef filling.

5. Brush the lip of the pie base with water or beaten egg. Cover with flaky pastry and press around the edge to seal.

6. Lightly brush the top of the pie with with beaten egg or milk.

7. Place the pies onto an baking tray and bake in the middle of the oven for 30-45 minutes until golden brown (a little longer if you like the traditional "burnt" pie.)

Jellied Eel Recipe

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 2 eels, cleaned, gutted and skinned

• ¾ pint water

• 5 tbsp white wine vinegar

• 10 black peppercorns

• 1 bay leaf

• Salt

• Knob of butter

Method:

1. Chop the eels into pieces a couple of inches long

2. Grease a casserole dish with the butter

3. Put the eel pieces in the dish with the rest of the ingredients and season with the salt

4. Put the lid on the casserole dish and bake in the oven on gas mark 3, 170°C, 325°F for about an hour

5. Let the eel and its liquor cool before putting in the fridge over night until the liquid has ‘jellied’

Stewed Eel Recipe

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 2 eels, cleaned, gutted and skinned
• 1 pt fish stock
• 1 oz butter
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Chop the eels into 2 inch pieces
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan then add the flour, stir well and cook for a minute
3. Slowly add the stock and bring to the boil, stirring all the time
4. Add the pieces of eel and simmer for about an hour
5. Add the milk and salt and pepper to taste
6. Serve immediately with the sauce on the side

The following recipes are taken from Mrs. Isabella Beeton's The Book of Household Management

STEWED EELS.
I.

250. INGREDIENTS.—2 lbs. of eels, 1 pint of rich strong stock, No. 104, 1 onion, 3 cloves, a piece of lemon-peel, 1 glass of port or Madeira, 3 tablespoonfuls of cream; thickening of flour; cayenne and lemon-juice to taste.

Mode.—Wash and skin the eels, and cut them into pieces about 3 inches long; pepper and salt them, and lay them in a stewpan; pour over the stock, add the onion stuck with cloves, the lemon-peel, and the wine. Stew gently for 1/2 hour, or rather more, and lift them carefully on a dish, which keep hot. Strain the gravy, stir to the cream sufficient flour to thicken; mix altogether, boil for 2 minutes, and add the cayenne and lemon-juice; pour over the eels and serve.

Time.—3/4 hour. Average cost for this quantity, 2s. 3d.

Seasonable from June to March.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

II.

251. INGREDIENTS.—2 lbs. of middling-sized eels, 1 pint of medium stock, No. 105, 1/4 pint of port wine; salt, cayenne, and mace to taste; 1 teaspoonful of essence of anchovy, the juice of 1/2 a lemon.

Mode.—Skin, wash, and clean the eels thoroughly; cut them into pieces 3 inches long, and put them into strong salt and water for 1 hour; dry them well with a cloth, and fry them brown. Put the stock on with the heads and tails of the eels, and simmer for 1/2 hour; strain it, and add all the other ingredients. Put in the eels, and stew gently for 1/2 hour, when serve.

Time.—2 hours. Average cost, 1s. 9d.

Seasonable from June to March.

Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.

EEL PIE.

253. INGREDIENTS.—1 lb. of eels, a little chopped parsley, 1 shalot; grated nutmeg; pepper and salt to taste; the juice of 1/2 a lemon, small quantity of forcemeat, 1/4 pint of béchamel (see Sauces); puff paste.

Mode.—Skin and wash the eels, cut them into pieces 2 inches long, and line the bottom of the pie-dish with forcemeat. Put in the eels, and sprinkle them with the parsley, shalots, nutmeg, seasoning, and lemon-juice, and cover with puff-paste. Bake for 1 hour, or rather more; make the béchamel hot, and pour it into the pie.

Time.—Rather more than 1 hour.

Seasonable from August to March.

Handbook of practical cookery by Matilda Lee Dods (1886).

Eel Pie. Six eels, one half pound lean ham, one half pound suet, one tea-spoonful salt, one grain cayenne, one half tea-spoonful pepper, one salt-spoonful mace, one salt-spoonful nutmeg, the rind of half a lemon, one half tea-spoonful chopped parsley, one half tea-spoonful mixed herbs, one egg, one large sprig parsley, two cloves, half a bay leaf, one half tea-spoonful arrowroot, one half pint cream, one small bunch savoury herbs, one pint stock.

Skin the eels, cut them in pieces about two inches long, place the pieces in a sauce-pan, cover them with cold water, and boil them three-quarters of an hour.

Place in a separate sauce - pan the stock, add the parsley, the cloves, the half bay leaf and the bunch of savoury herbs, and half of the salt. Place this over the fire to boil for half an hour, then strain the stock and return it to the sauce-pan, allow it to boil till reduced to half a pint. Mix then in a basin, till very smooth, the arrowroot and cream ; add them to the stock in the sauce-pan, and boil for ten minutes longer. Chop now very finely the lean ham and the suet, place them in a basin, add the remainder of the salt, the pepper, cayenne, mace, nutmeg, lemon peel, the savoury herbs, and bind all together with the egg. Place this forcemeat in a pie- dish, lay in the pieces of eel, and pour over the stock and cream from the sauce-pan. Cover the pie-dish with puff paste. ' (See directions, page 195.) Place the pie-dish in a quick oven, and bake twenty-five minutes.


Puff Paste. One quarter pound of butter, one quarter pound of flour, yolk of one egg, one half gill of cold water, six drops of lemon-juice.

Sift the flour through a fine sieve upon a mixing-board. Put the yolk of egg into a small bowl, and add to it the lemon-juice and cold water, beating these together with a fork.

Make a well then in the centre of the flour, pour into it by degrees the mixture from the bowl, and mixing in the flour from the sides, knead all firmly together.

Flour a rolling-pin, and roll the paste out very thinly ; place the butter in the corner of a towel, and covering it with the opposite corner, press out in this any moisture that the butter may contain ; spread it upon half of the crust, fold the other half over it, and press the edges tightly together.

Roll this' out again very thinly, taking care that the butter does not escape between the edges.

Fold the crust again in three layers, and again roll it out, but rolling across instead of lengthwise, in order that the butter may not run in streaks by being always rolled the same way, and repeat this process of folding and rolling seven times, remembering to let the crust cool between the rollings, otherwise the butter will oil.

The paste may now be used for vol-au-vent, or whatever purpose required.

NOTE. If a larger quantity of this paste is required, it should be made in divisions, as a larger amount than is given above is not so successfully manipulated. When flour is in the least inferior, the quantity of water must be decreased, as there will not be sufficient gluten in it to absorb the quantity of moisture.


Flaky Crust. One pound of flour, one half pound of butter, one tea-spoonful of baking-powder, one salt-spoonful of salt, one half gill of cold water, whites of two eggs.

Sift the flour through a sieve upon a mixing-board. Put the whites of eggs upon a plate, add to them the salt, and whip all to a light froth. Mix the flour to a firm dough with the froth of eggs and the cold water, roll it out very thinly, divide the butter into three pieces, and spread one of them upon the dough.

Fold the dough in three layers, and roll it out thinly again, reversing the order of rolling each time. Repeat this process until the butter is all rolled into the dough, when the crust is ready for use, and may be used for meat pies or fruit tarts.


Suet Crust. One pound of flour, six ounces of beef suet, one tea-spoonful of baking-powder, one tea-spoonful of salt, one half pint of cold water.

First take the skin from the suet, and chop it very finely. Place it upon a mixing-board, and mix it together with the flour. Sprinkle over the mixture the salt and the baking- powder, make a hole in the centre, into which pour the water by degrees, mixing in the flour from the sides while pouring the water, when all must be kneaded lightly together, and rolled out, when required, to the thickness of half an inch.

This crust may be used for a boiled meat, or a boiled apple, pudding. .

Here is Charles Elmé Francatelli’s Eel Pie from his 1862 book The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's and Butler's Assistant.

Richmond Eel Pie

Skin, draw, and cleanse two good-sized Thames eels; trim off the fins, and cut them up in pieces about three inches long, and put these in a stewpan with two ounces of butter, some chopped mushrooms, parsley, and a very little shalot, nutmeg, pepper and salt, two glasses of sherry, one of Harvey sauce, and barely enough water to cover the surface of the eels; set them on the fire, tnd as soon as they come to a boil, let them be removed, and the pieces of eels placed carefully in a pie dish; add two ounces of butter, kneaded with two ounces of flour, to the sauce; and having stirred it on the fire to thicken, add the juice of a lemon, and pour it over the pieces of eels in the pie dish; place some hard yolks of eggs on the top; cover with puff-paste; ornament the top; egg it over, bake for about an hour, and serve, either hot or cold.

John Farley's The London art of cookery and domestic housekeepers' complete assistant (1811).

Eels.

THE Thames silver eel is generally the most esteemed ; and the worst are those brought by the Dutch, and sold at Billingsgate market. They should be dressed alive ; and they are always in season except during the hot summer months.

Eels.

HAVING skinned, gutted, and taken the blood out of your eels, cut off their heads, dry them, and turn them round on your fish-plate. Boil them in salt ami water, and serve them up with parsley sauce, and anchovy sauce.

Eels and Lampreys.

EELS and lampreys are roasted with puddings in their bellies in the same manner. Cut off their heads, gut them, and take off the blood from the bone as clean as possible. Make a forcemeat of shrimps or oysters, chopped small, half a penny loaf crumbled, a little lemon-peel shred fine, the yolks of two eggs, and a little salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Put this into the bellies of the fish, sew them up, and turn them round on the dish. Put flour and butter over them, pour a little water into the dish, and bake them in a-moderate oven. When you take them out, take the gravy from under them, and skim off the fat, strain it through an hair sieve, and add to it

BROILING Eels.

HAVING skinned gutted, and washed your eels, dry them with a cloth, and rub them with the yolk of an egg. Strew grated bread over them and chopped parsley, and sea- son them with pepper and salt. Baste them well with butter, and broil them on a gridiron. Serve with parsley and butter, and anchovy sauce.

Eels pitch-cocked.

HAVING skinned and cleansed your eels as before, sprinkle them with pepper, salt, and a little dried sage. Turn them backward and forward, and skewer them. Rub your gridiron with beef suet, and broil them till they are of a fine brown. Put them on your dish, serve them up with melted butter, and lay fried parsley round the dish.

Frying Eels.

MAKE your eels very clean, cut them into pieces, and having seasoned them with pepper and salt, flour them and fry them. Let your sauce be plain melted butter and anchovy sauce ; but be careful to drain them properly before you lay them in the dish.

Stewing Lampreys and Eels.

HAVING skinned and gutted your lampreys, season them well with salt, pepper, a little lemon peel shred fine, mace, cloves, and nutmeg. Cut some thin slices of butter into the bottom of your saucepan, and put your fish into the pan, with half a pint of good gravy, a gill of white wine or cyder, the same of claret, a spoonful of essence of anchovy, a bundle of marjorum, winter savory, and thyme, and an onion sliced. Stew them over a slow fire, and keep the lampreys turning till quite tender ; then take them out, and thicken the sauce with the yolk of an egg, or a little butter rolled in flour, and having poured it over the fish, send them up to table.

Eels may be stewed in the same manner.

Souties of Carp, Tench, Salmon, Eels.

HAVING cleaned the fish, bone and cut them into thin collops ; flat, and put them into a souties-pan prepared in the following manner: having taken a bit of fresh butter, shake it over the fire till melted, sprinkling thyme, parsley, eschalot, and a little basil, all finely shred, and seasoned with white pep- per, salt, and cayenne : shake the fish gently over a stove till half done ; and having turned the slices, continue to move the pan till they are enough : take them up, place them round a dish, and change the herbs, &c. into a small stewpan, adding a glass of claret or port, a tea-spoonful of essence of anchovy, the same of oyster ketchup and lemon pickle, a lump of sugar, and half a pint of good coulis : boil for a few minutes, and having strained the sauce through a tamis, pour it into the middle of the dish.

Entree of Eels.

HAVING skinned and boned two large eels, cut them in pieces three inches long ; pass them over a fire in a small quantity of sweet herbs and eschalots chopped very fine, fresh butter, pepper, salt, and lemon juice : when three parts done, put all on a dish, dip each piece into the liquor*, roll it in grated bread, and broil it : serve with anchovy sauce.

Eel Soup.

TAKE a pound of eels, which will make a pint of good soup, or any greater weight of eels, in proportion to the quantity of soup intended to be made ; to every poui^d of eels put a quart of water, a crust of bread, two or three blades of mace, a little whole pepper, an onion, and a bundle of sweet herbs. Cover them close, and let them boil till half the liquor* is wasted. Then strain it, and toast some bread ; cut it small, lay the bread into the dish, and pour in the soup.

Eel Pie.

HAVING skinned and washed the eels very clean, cut them in pieces an inch and a half long : season with pepper, salt, and a little dried sage rubbed small, and raise the pies about the size of the inside of a plate. Fill them with eels, and lay a lid over them. Bake them well in a quick oven.

Carp Pie.

SCALE, gut, and wash, a large carp clean. Take an eel, and boil it till almost tender, pick off all the meat, and mince it fine, with an equal quantity of crumbs of bread, a few sweet herbs, a lemon-peel cut fine, and a little pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg ; an anchovy, half a pint of oysters parboiled and chopped fine, and the yolks of three hard eggs cut small. Roll it up with a quarter of a pound of butter, and fill the belly of the carp. Make a good crust, cover the dish, and lay in the carp. Save the liquor* the eels were boiled in, put into it the eel bones, and boil them with a little mace, whole pepper, an onion, some sweet herbs, and an anchovy. Boil till reduced to about half a pint, strain it, and add to it about a quarter of a pint of white wine, and a piece of but- ter about the size of a hen's egg mixed in a very little flour. Boil it up, and pour it into the pie. Put on the lid, and bake it an hour m a quick oven. If there be any forcemeat left after filling the belly of the carp make balls of it, and put it into the pie. If there is not liquor* enough, boil a few small eels for that purpose.

Collaring Eels.

CUT the eel open, take out the bones, cut off the head and tail, and lay the eel flat on the dresser. Shred some sage as fine as possible, and mix it with black pepper beaten, some nutmeg grated, and some salt. Lay it all over the eel, and roll it up hard in little cloths, tying it up tight at each end. Then set on some water, with pepper and salt, five or six cloves, three or four blades of mace, and a bay-leaf or two. Boil these, with the bones, head, and tail j then take out the bones, head, and tail, and put in the eels. Let them boil till tender, then take them out of the liquor*, and boil the liquor* longer. Take it off; and when cold put it to the eels ; but do not take off the little cloths till the collars are used.

Potting Eels.

SKIN, cleanse, and wash clean a very large eel. Dry it in a cloth, and cut in pieces about four inches long. Season with a little beaten mace and nutmeg, pepper, salt, and a little sal-prunella beat fine. Lay in a pan, and pour as much clarified butter over as will cover it. Bake half an hour in a quick oven; but the size of the eel will determine the tim in baking. Take it out with a fork, and Jay it on a coarse cloth to drain. When quite cold, season again with the same seasoning, and lay them close in the pot. Then take off the butter it was baked in clear from the gravy of the fish, arid set it in a dish before the fire. When melted, pour the butter over it, and put by for use. The eels may be boned ; but in that case put in no sal-prunella.

From: PROFESSED COOK: OR, THE MODERN ART OF Cookery, Pastry, and Confectionary, MADE PLAIN AND EASY. (1776)

Fried Eel.

Cut an Eel into pieces, and score it with a knife on both Sides; cut out the Back-bone, and marinate it about an hour in Vinegar, with Parsley, Shallots, slices of Onions, and two or three Cloves ; then drain it, and fry it of a good colour : Serve with fried Parsley, or a relishing Sauce in a boat.

Eel Stewed or Matlot.

MAKE a brown Sauce with Butter and Flour, called a Roux or RiJJbllet ; when this is of a good colour, put in a pint of white Wine, a little Broth and CulHs, one dozen of small Onions scalded, some mushrooms, a faggot of sweet Herbs, two Cloves, Salt, and whole Pepper ; boil these until the Onions are almost done, then put the Eel therein, cut as the former ; boil on a smart fire, reduce the Sauce, and when ready, add a pounded Anchovy, and fine whole Capers : Garnish the Dish with fried Bread,


Eel Naples Fashion.

SLIT an Eel its whole length, take out the Back-bone, flatten it with the handle of a knife, and cut it into pieces of about three inches long. Make a Farce with some of the Meat, a few hard Yolks of Eggs, a little Butter, chopped Parsley, green Shallots, Pepper and Salt, all mixed with two or three raw Yolks of Eggs ; lay this Farce upon the bits of Eels, roll them up, and tie them with packthread ; simmer them in a Stew-pan for about half an hour,. with the Juice of a Lemon, a bit of Butter, Pepper and Salt : Let them cool, take off' the packthread,, dip them in a good Batter-paste, to fry of a fine- Co- lour ; and serve with fried Parsley.

From: Cookery reformed; or, The Lady's assistant. (1755)

To Stew EELS.

When the eels are skin'd, gutted, and wash'd clean from the sand, cut them in pieces about the length of one's finger ; put no more water into the stew-pan than will serve for sauce, with an onion stuck with cloves, a little sweet herbs, and a blade or two of mace , as also some whole pepper in a thin muslin rag. Cover the stew-pan close, and let them stew softly. After some time, put in a piece of butter roll'd in flour, and a little chop't parsley. Look at them now and then ; and when they are quite tender, take out the onion, spice, and sweet herbs. Put in a little salt, and put them in a dish with the liquor*.

To Stew EELS with broth.

When the eels are clean'd as above, put them into the sauce-pan, with water enough to cover them, a crust of bread, and a blade or two of mace. Stew them gently, and when they are enough, put them into the dish with the broth. Melt some butter, and put it into a cup to eat with the eels.

To fry EELS.

Clean the eels, cut them in pieces, and season them with pepper and salt ; then flour them and fry them with butter drain the fat away and lay them in a dish. The sauce may be melted butter with the juice of a lemon.

Spitchcock EELS.
Take a large eel and split it down the back ; then joint the bones and cut it into two or three pieces. This done, lay them for two or three minutes in melted butter, with a little vinegar and salt. Take them out one after another, turn them round like a ring, and fasten them with small skewers. Afterwards roll them in crumbs of bread, and broil them till they are of a fine brown. Put some plain butter with the juice of a lemon into a cup.

To make EEL-SOOP.

Before you make eel-soop, the quantity intended must be considered , for a pound of eels will make a pint of soop : therefore to every pound of eels allow a pint of water, a crust of bread, an onion, a bundle of sweet herbs, a little whole pepper, and two or three blades of mace : put them into a sauce-pan together, and cover them close, and let them boil till near half the liquor* is wasted ; strain it off, and pour it into a dish, where some toasted bread cut small has been laid.

To make an EEL-PIE.

After the eels have been well cleaned, cut them into pieces, about half the length of one finger, and season them with pepper, salt, and a little beaten mace ; cover a dish with good crust, and lay in the eels, with as much water as the dish will well hold ; put on the lid, and bake it well.

To pot EELS.

Take a large eel that is skin'd and very well clean'd, dry it in a cloth, and cut it into pieces as long as one's finger : then season it with mace, nut-meg, pepper, salt, and salt-petre, all in fine powder ; lay them in a pot, and cover them with clarified butter : bake it in a quick oven, for half an hour ; or till they are enough ; then take the pieces out with a fork, and lay them on a coarse cloth to drain : when they are cold, season them again as before ; afterward take the butter they were baked in, clear from the gravy of the dish, set it before the fire, and when it is melted, pour the clear butter over the eels.