Recipe Manuscript

Estofado Frances

Name: Estofado Frances
Prep time: PTPT20M
Cook time: PTPT1H40M
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 kg beef or pork; 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vinegar; 2 medium onions, whole; 4 garlic cloves, whole; 30 g fresh parsley, finely chopped; Salt, to taste; 50 g rustic bread, toasted and ground; 2 whole cloves; 6 black peppercorns; 2 cm cinnamon stick; 0.1 g saffron (a pinch; substitute with turmeric for color if needed); 4 small dried chilies (such as chile de árbol; substitute with mild dried red chilies as needed); 50 g pitted green olives; 2 tablespoons (30 g) pork lard (or substitute with vegetable oil); 80 g sliced cooked ham (if using pork or for additional flavor)

"French Stew"

1828

From the treasured pages of Libor de Gisados de Maria Guadalupe Reyes

Written by Maria Guadalupe Reyes

Age of Gastronomy (1800 - 1900)American Intermediate Dinner Lunch

Original Recipe • 1828

Original Manuscript(circa Age of Gastronomy, 1800 - 1900)

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

Estofado Frances

"Se Pone a Coser la Carne con un poquito de Vinagre, su Sal sus Cebollas enteras, sus Ajos enteros, Arto Peregil picado, ya que es hora de Sasonarse se Muele su Pan tostado en la Lumbre subidito, Clavo Pimienta Canela, su puntita de Asafran, sus Chilitos Aceitunas se pone a coser con su Manteca, sino es Carne de Puerco, rebanaditas de Jamon."

English Translation

"Start by cooking the meat with a little vinegar, some salt, whole onions, whole garlic cloves, and plenty of chopped parsley. Once it’s time to season, toast some bread over the fire until browned, then grind it up. Add cloves, pepper, cinnamon, a pinch of saffron, some chili peppers, olives, and let it all cook with lard. If it’s not pork, add slices of ham."

Note on the Original Text

This recipe, penned in 1828, displays the informal, conversational style typical of historic Mexican cookbooks. Instructions are brief, with much assumed kitchen knowledge—quantities are vague, and method is conveyed by action rather than measurement. Words like 'coser' (intentionally misspelled for 'cocer', meaning 'to cook/boil') and 'arto' (archaic form of 'harto', meaning 'a lot') reflect regional and period spelling quirks. Its brevity encourages resourcefulness and adaptation by the cook—a style distinct from today's rigorous, step-by-step recipes.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Libor de Gisados de Maria Guadalupe Reyes - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Libor de Gisados de Maria Guadalupe Reyes (1828)

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

Writer

Maria Guadalupe Reyes

Era

1828

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A handwritten treasure of 19th-century Mexican cuisine, this delightful manuscript brims with over 300 recipes ranging from festive traditional dishes to indulgent desserts. Explore ancestral flavors, ceremonial dishes like totolmole oaxaqueño, and sweet treats such as pollas borrachas, all artfully captured in Maria Guadalupe Reyes's elegant script.

Kindly made available by

University of Texas at San Antonio

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe arises from the vibrant culinary crossroads of 1820s Mexico, as found in Maria Guadalupe Reyes’s meticulously handwritten cookbook. At this time, Mexican kitchens blended Spanish, indigenous, and, in this case, French culinary influences, reflecting cosmopolitan tastes among Mexico’s literate elite. Estofado Francés, or French Stew, is emblematic of this hybrid cuisine, combining European spices and techniques (like the use of saffron, cloves, cinnamon, and bread-thickened sauces) with the produce and preferences of the New World. This notebook captures the creativity of Mexican home cooks who adapted global flavors into distinctive local dishes.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

In the early 19th century, home cooks would prepare this dish using simple tools: large clay or cast-iron pots for simmering the meat, a brazier or open fire for heat, and a metate (stone grinder) or mortar and pestle for grinding spices and toasted bread. Bread would have been toasted directly over coals or flames, and the stew was tended by hand, with periodic stirring using wooden spoons. No modern appliances, of course—patience and close attention ruled the kitchen!

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 40 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

2.2 lbs beef or pork
2 tablespoons (1 fl oz) vinegar
2 medium onions, whole
4 garlic cloves, whole
1 oz fresh parsley, finely chopped
Salt, to taste
1.75 oz rustic bread, toasted and ground
2 whole cloves
6 black peppercorns
3/4 inch cinnamon stick
0.004 oz saffron (a pinch; substitute with turmeric for color if needed)
4 small dried chilies (such as chile de árbol; substitute with mild dried red chilies as needed)
1.75 oz pitted green olives
2 tablespoons (1 oz) pork lard (or substitute with vegetable oil)
2.8 oz sliced cooked ham (if using pork or for additional flavor)

Instructions

To prepare Estofado Francés, begin by placing approximately 2.2 lbs of beef or pork in a large pot.
Add about 2 tablespoons of vinegar, enough salt to taste, and toss in 2 whole onions and 4 whole garlic cloves.
Finely chop a generous bunch (about 1 oz) of fresh parsley and add it to the pot.
Cover the ingredients with water and bring to a simmer.
Once the meat is nearly tender, prepare about 1.75 oz of bread—preferably dense, country-style—by toasting it over a flame or in an oven until well-browned.
Grind the toasted bread together with 2 whole cloves, 6 black peppercorns, a small piece of cinnamon stick (about 3/4 inch), and a pinch (about 0.004 oz) of saffron.
Stir this aromatic mixture into the stue to thicken and flavor it.
Finally, add 4 small dried chilies (such as chile de árbol or similar mild variety) and 1.75 oz pitted green olives.
Simmer everything together.
Finish the dish by incorporating 2 tablespoons of pork lard, or, if using pork or for those avoiding lard, add 2.8 oz of sliced cooked ham as an alternative.
Serve hot and enjoy a taste of 19th-century Mexican-French fushion.

Estimated Calories

450 per serving

Cooking Estimates

It takes about 20 minutes to get all your ingredients ready, and then about 1 hour and 40 minutes to cook everything until the stew is rich and flavorful. Each hearty serving has about 450 calories, and the recipe serves 6 people.

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.