Recipe Manuscript

Carne Con Hongos

Name: Carne Con Hongos
Prep time: PTPT15M
Cook time: PTPT1H30M
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 500 g beef round (aguayón) or beef chuck; 250 g fresh mushrooms (button or cremini); 30 g unsalted butter; 1 teaspoon (approx. 3-4 g) all-purpose flour; 1 small onion (about 80 g), finely chopped; 1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme, marjoram or similar); 1 generous pinch (1/4 tsp) baking soda (substitute for tequesquite); 500 ml water (for simmering); Salt and pepper to taste; 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg

"Meat With Mushrooms"

1904

From the treasured pages of Cuaderno de Carmen Volante

Written by Cármen Volante

Early Modern Kitchen (1900 - 1930)American Intermediate Dinner Lunch

Original Recipe • 1904

Original Manuscript(circa Early Modern Kitchen, 1900 - 1930)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

Carne Con Hongos

"Se frie el aguayon y despues se pone á cocer con unas yerbas de olor. Los hongos se cuecen aparte con un poco de tequesquite. En mantequilla se frie una pisca de harina y ya que está tomando un color obscuro, se le agrega la cebolla picada, luego que está frita se le pone el caldo en que se coció la carne y los hongos, se rebana la carne poniendola en el caldillo á que espese un poco, y se ralla una pisca de nuez moscada."

English Translation

"The aguayon (beef cut) is fried and then set to cook with some aromatic herbs. The mushrooms are cooked separately with a little tequesquite (a natural mineral salt). In butter, a pinch of flour is fried, and once it starts to turn a dark color, chopped onion is added. Once the onion is fried, the broth in which the meat and mushrooms were cooked is added. Slice the meat and put it in the sauce to let it thicken a little, and grate a pinch of nutmeg into it."

Note on the Original Text

The original recipe is written in straightforward, conversational Spanish, likely transcribed directly from oral tradition. It employs informal instructions with sparse measurements—a hallmark of manuscript cookbooks from the era, since cooks depended on experience and intuition. Spelling and phrasing reflect early 20th-century Mexican usage: 'yerbas de olor' for aromatic herbs, 'aguayon' for a beef cut, and 'tequesquite' for a now-rare alkaline mineral. This manuscript is typical: hand-written, flexible, and reflecting the cultural and linguistic shifts of its time, requiring modern cooks to read between the lines and adapt.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Cuaderno de Carmen Volante - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Cuaderno de Carmen Volante (1904)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Cármen Volante

Era

1904

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A handwritten culinary treasure from 1904, this manuscript brims with delicious soups, salsas, tantalizing meat entrées, embutidos, fresh fish, irresistible desserts, preserves, cakes, and refreshing drinks. Each page tempts with recipes sure to inspire any gourmet’s imagination.

Kindly made available by

University of Texas at San Antonio

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe hails from the 6th notebook of Carmen Volante, written in 1904 in Mexico. Her manuscript is a charming glimpse into early 20th-century domestic life, providing hand-written instructions for soups, sauces, meats, and sweets. At the time, urban Mexican home cooks were blending European technique (notably roux-making and flavorings like nutmeg) with indigenous ingredients, such as mushrooms and, originally, tequesquite—a mineral-rich salt used both for flavor and alkali in indigenous cooking. This recipe captures the elegant, everyday cuisine just before the Mexican Revolution, when local foodways were still deeply personal, written by hand, and passed from generation to generation.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Back in 1904, cooks would use heavy cast-iron or enamelware pots for simmering meats, and a basic frying pan over a wood or coal-fired stove for sautéing. Cutting was done with a well-honed carbon-steel kitchen knife, and a wooden spoon or spatula was used for stirring the roux and sauce. The herb bouquet would be tied in muslin or string. For grating nutmeg and slicing mushrooms, cooks likely used basic box graters and hand-held knives, demonstrating great manual skill and patience without modern gadgets.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 30 mins

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

1.1 lb beef round (aguayón) or beef chuck
9 oz fresh mushrooms (button or cremini)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 small onion (about 3 oz), finely chopped
1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme, marjoram or similar)
1 generous pinch (1/4 tsp) baking soda (substitute for tequesquite)
2 cups water (for simmering)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

Begin by searing 1.1 lb of beef round (aguayón) in a heavy-bottomed skillet until browned on all sides.
Transfer the beef to a pot and cover with water, adding a bouquet garni of herbs such as bay leaf, thyme, and marjoram.
Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the meat is tender, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, clean and slice 9 oz of fresh mushrooms (button or cremini are good substitutes), and simmer them separately in a small pot with just enough water to cover and a generous pinch of baking soda (in lieu of tequesquite, a mineral salt once common in Mexican cooking).
Simmer for 10-15 minutes, then set aside.
In a separate pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and stir in 1 teaspoon of all-purpose flour.
Cook over low heat, stirring, until the flour turns a deep golden brown.
Add 1 small onion, finely chopped, and cook until softened.
Combine the cooking liquid from the beef and the mushrooms (about 2 cups total) and add to the onion and roux mixture, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
Once the sauce begins to thicken, slice the beef and return it to the pot along with the mushrooms.
Simmer gently until the sauce thickens and the flavors meld.
Finish with a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg before serving.

Estimated Calories

320 per serving

Cooking Estimates

It takes about 15 minutes to prepare the ingredients, and about 1 hour and 30 minutes to cook everything. This recipe serves 4 people, and each serving has around 320 calories.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.