A Ragoo For Made Dishes

This remarkable ragout recipe hails from the kitchen notebook of Jane Webb, who flourished as a cook in England between 1725 and 1750. The early Georgian period was a time of increasing culinary sophistication, with French influences strongly felt among the English gentry and upper classes. Made dishes, or 'made-dishes,' referred to intricate preparations, often involving offal, game, and exotic imported ingredients like oysters and truffles. Such ragouts were the pride of banquet tables and a testament to the reach and imagination of 18th-century cooks, who transformed often humble ingredients into something grand. The recipe’s inclusion of "coxcombs" and "lamb stones" speaks to the era’s resourcefulness and delight in varied textures and flavors.

Back in Jane Webb’s day, this ragout would be cooked in heavy iron or copper pots over an open hearth or in a brick oven. The cook might use a stewpan or deep saucepan to meld flavors slowly over a controlled heat. To blanche the offal, a kettle of boiling water was kept at the ready. Slicing was done with well-sharpened knives, and the bouquet of herbs would be tied in a bundle (bouquet garni) for easy removal. The brown butter required a small frying pan or skillet set over gentle heat, and the final combining and thickening demanded steady hands and a wooden spoon or ladle to prevent scorching.