Salsa Robert
"Se pone en una cacerola un pedaso de mantequilla con una cucharada de harina y se hace que tome un buen dorado se pican muy menudito 3 o 4 cebollas y se echan para que se frian hasta que tomen color, en la misma salsa se le pone una poca de sal y pimienta y se le echa un vaso de agua y se deja que se cueza, antes de servirse se le añade una cucharada de vinagre y otra de mostaza bien revuelta."
English Translation
"Put a piece of butter with a spoonful of flour in a saucepan and let it brown well. Finely chop 3 or 4 onions and add them so they fry until they take on color. In the same sauce, add a little salt and pepper, and pour in a glass of water and let it cook. Before serving, add a spoonful of vinegar and another of mustard, well mixed."
Note on the Original Text
The recipe is written in a continuous, casual style, typical of manuscript cookbooks from the period. Instructions blend ingredient listing and method into an easygoing narrative, assuming the cook knows the basics, such as sautéing or making a roux, without explicit explanation. Spelling such as 'pedaso' (piece, now spelled 'pedazo') or 'cueza' (correctly 'cueza', 'to cook') reflects regional or period conventions, and ingredients are described imprecisely since standardization in home measurement was not yet common. This informal, almost conversational approach showed trust in the reader’s intuition and experience.
Title
Libro para Recetas no 2 (1914)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Irazoqui, Susana de Sánchez
Era
1914
Publisher
Unknown
Background
A delightful handwritten compendium of traditional home recipes, this volume offers a charming glimpse into early 20th century Mexican cookery as practiced by women in Durango during a period of transformation.
Kindly made available by
University of Texas at San Antonio
This sauce recipe comes from a handwritten family cookbook compiled in Durango, Mexico, during 1914, in an era of intense social transformation. These manuscript cookbooks, passed from hand to hand and written in various styles and inks, capture not just cherished family dishes but the culinary hybridization of Mexico amid the backdrop of revolution and modernization. Recipes like Salsa Robert (originally French but adopted and adapted in Mexico) reveal both the international reach and homey resourcefulness of early 20th-century Mexican cooks. The name 'Salsa Robert' and the inclusion of mustard and vinegar reflect French influences, yet the recipe’s simplicity and onion-forward flavor speak to local Mexican tastes. It stands at a crossroads of old-world tradition and emergent Mexican home cooking.
Originally, this sauce would have been prepared in a sturdy enamel or copper saucepan atop a wood or charcoal-fired stove, attended with wooden spoons and simple kitchen knives. Onions would have been chopped finely by hand on a wooden board, and the ingredients measured by eye or familiar household utensils—hence the references to 'un pedaso' (a piece) and 'un vaso' (a glass) rather than precise weights or volumes.
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Servings
4
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
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 0.3 ounce (1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour
- 12–16 ounces (3–4 medium) onions, very finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 3/4 cup (6–7 fluid ounces) water
- 0.5 fluid ounce (1 tablespoon) vinegar (wine or apple cider preferred)
- 0.6–0.7 ounce (1 tablespoon) prepared mustard (substitute with Dijon or a sharp yellow mustard if needed)
Instructions
- Begin by melting about 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add in 1 tablespoon (about 0.3 ounce) of all-purpose flour, stirring constantly until the mixture turns a deep golden brown—this forms your roux.
- Finely chop 3 or 4 medium onions (roughly 12–16 ounces total), and add them to the pan.
- Sauté the onions in the roux, stirring frequently, until they are well-softened and start to turn golden.
- Season the mixture with a pinch of salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) and freshly ground black pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon).
- Pour in 3/4 cup (about 6–7 fluid ounces) of water, stir, and let the sauce simmer gently until all the flavors meld and the onions are tender—about 12–15 minutes.
- Just before serving, add 1 tablespoon (0.5 fluid ounce) of good-quality vinegar and 1 tablespoon (about 0.6–0.7 ounce) of prepared mustard.
- Stir well so everything blends into a harmonious, tangy-sweet sauce.
- Serve hot, ideally with roasted or grilled meats.
Estimated Calories
60 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes about 10 minutes to chop onions and prepare ingredients. Cooking the onions and sauce takes about 20 minutes. The finished sauce makes 4 servings, with about 60 calories per serving.
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.
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