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Lamb Cutlets or Chops Stewed in Their Own Gravy
Take a thick iron saucepan--if possible, one sufficiently large to take all the cutlets in one layer--put a little cold water in it, though not nearly sufficient to cover the cutlets, and after dipping these into cold water, peppering, and afterwards flouring them, put them into the pan, place them on a moderate fire, and let them simmer as gently as possible until they are done enough. Throw a tea-spoonful of salt over them as soon as they begin to simmer, and serve all the gravy in the dish with them. The great secret of stewing cutlets in this way is to let them simmer gently. If boiled quickly there will be no gravy left when they are to be taken off, and the meat will be hard. Skim the fat off carefully before serving. Time to simmer, an hour. Probable cost, 1s. per pound. Sufficient, half a dozen cutlets for two or three persons.
A plain braise with no liquid but water and the meat's own juices, which means the temperature does all the work. Two details decide whether it succeeds: the cut and the heat.
- Keep it below a boilThe recipe says it twice and it is the hinge. Hold the pan at a bare shiver, roughly 180-190F, so the meat releases juice slowly and reabsorbs some of it. A rolling boil drives the liquid off and squeezes the muscle fibres tight, which is exactly the hard, dry result the original warns against.
- Choose the cut for the hourAn hour of simmering will ruin a thin trimmed loin chop. This method suits shoulder chops, neck cutlets or bone-in leg steaks with connective tissue to break down. If you are using slim rib cutlets, expect them to be done in 20-25 minutes rather than sixty.
- How much water"A little cold water, though not nearly sufficient to cover" is vague by design. About a quarter inch in the pan, roughly 1/2 cup for six chops in a 10-inch pan, is enough to get steam going; the meat will contribute the rest.
- One layer, heavy panThe instruction about a thick iron saucepan large enough for a single layer is not sentiment. A heavy base keeps the low heat even, and stacked chops steam each other unevenly. A cast-iron or enamelled Dutch oven is the direct modern equivalent.
- Cover or notThe original never mentions a lid. Covered, you will finish with more gravy and a paler surface; uncovered on very low heat, the liquid reduces and you may need to add a splash of water partway. Covered with the lid slightly ajar is the practical middle.
- Dipping and flouringThe cold-water dip most likely serves to help the flour adhere; the recipe does not say. The flour thickens the small amount of liquid into something with body, so use a light dusting, not a coating, or the gravy turns pasty.
- Salt timingThe recipe salts once the pan begins to simmer rather than at the start; it gives no reason, though early salting does draw juice out of the meat faster. A teaspoon for six chops is on the modest side; taste the gravy before serving.
- SkimmingLamb throws a good deal of fat and it will sit on top of a thin gravy. Tilt the pan and spoon it off, or chill the finished gravy briefly and lift the fat as it firms.
- Cost and yield"1s. per pound" is Victorian shilling pricing and gives a rough sense of what the cut cost at the time. The stated six cutlets for two or three people still holds, with potatoes or bread to take up the gravy.
Nineteenth-century household manuals returned to this point constantly, and for good reason -- coal ranges and open fires made steady low heat one of the hardest things in the kitchen to achieve, so cooks were repeatedly told to watch for the bare simmer rather than trust the fire. The technique is comparable to the French "etuvee," cooking in a closed vessel with almost no added liquid; this English version dispenses with wine, stock and aromatics and relies on pepper, salt and a dusting of flour.