Eisenhower’s stew and the queen’s scones

Ingredients

• 900 g beef chuck, cut into 3 cm cubes (2 lb)
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 3 carrots, thickly sliced
• 600 g potatoes, chunked
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 litre beef stock (4 cups)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper

Method

1. Pat beef dry, season with salt and pepper and dust with flour. Brown in oil in a heavy pot in batches, then remove.
2. Soften onions for 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste for 1 minute, then add stock, thyme, bay and beef. Scrape the base.
3. Cover and simmer very gently for 1½ hours. Add carrots and potatoes and simmer 40–50 minutes more, until beef and vegetables are tender.
4. Remove bay leaves. Simmer uncovered briefly if the gravy needs thickening, then taste for seasoning.

Our version browns chuck and uses tomato paste; the archived recipe uses round, fresh tomatoes and a separately thickened stock.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) green beans, trimmed
• 1/3 cup (35 g) sliced almonds
• 2 tbsp (30 g) butter
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Toast almonds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring, until lightly golden. Transfer to a plate immediately.
2. Boil green beans for 4–7 minutes, depending on thickness, until tender with a little bite. Drain thoroughly.
3. Melt butter in the warm pot, add beans and lemon juice and toss. Season lightly and scatter almonds over just before serving.

The almonds can burn while you look for the beans. Toast them first and take them out of the hot pan.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk, plus 1–2 tbsp if needed
• 1 tbsp (15 g) melted butter
• 1 tsp neutral oil for the pan
• 6 tbsp jam, to serve

Method

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. In another bowl whisk egg, milk and melted butter.
2. Stir the wet mixture into the dry just until combined. It should fall from a spoon in a thick ribbon; add a little extra milk if it is too stiff.
3. Warm a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and wipe with oil. Drop in heaped tablespoons of batter, leaving space between them.
4. Cook for about 1–2 minutes until bubbles appear and the edges begin to set. Flip and cook for another minute until the centers are set. Adjust the heat after the first batch.
5. Make about 12 small scones and serve two per person with a little jam.

These are griddle pancakes. We use ordinary baking powder and a small batch rather than reproducing the royal recipe’s teacup measures and raising-agent combination.