Recipe: The 21 Burger with Brown Sauce (1975)

THE 21 BURGER WITH BROWN SAUCE

FOR THE BURGERS:
1 stalk celery, diced (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 chicken stick or canned broth
2 pounds ground top sirloin
1/4 ground nutmeg
Dash Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, for cooking burgers
For the Brown Sauce:
3 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup Beef and Veal Stock (recipe follows)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
FOR SERVING (OPTIONAL):
hash browns
creamed spinach

Prepare the Beef and Veal Stock (the day before using).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

TO PREPARE THE BURGERS:
In a small saucepan, poach the celery in the chicken stock for 20 minutes. Drain, cool and finely chop celery.

In a mixing bowl, combine the beef nutmeg, Worcestershire sauce, bread crumbs and chopped celery by hand, using rapid motions, without overworking. Shape the mixture into four round patties. Season with salt and pepper, cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

TO PREPARE THE BROWN SAUCE:
Knead the 3 Tbsp butter and flour together into a paste. Bring the Beef and Veal stock to a boil, whisk the paste into the stock and continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Season with the salt and pepper and reserve.

TO COOK THE BURGERS:
Heat 3 Tbsp butter for cooking the burgers in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until it begins to brown. Add the beef patties and brown them about 6 minutes on each side.

Place the burgers, still in the skillet, in the preheated 350 degree F oven and continue to cook 6 to 8 minutes more for medium-rare (more for well down).

TO SERVE:
Remove and serve, with brown sauce drizzled over the top. (The burgers were usually served with hash brown potatoes and creamed spinach.)

BEEF AND VEAL STOCK

8 pounds each, veal and beef soup bones.
2 large onions, washed but unpeeled, stem and root ends cut off
4 carrots, washed and roughly chopped
4 celery stalks, washed and roughly chopped
3 leeks, split, washed and sliced
1 cup canned crushed plum tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 Tbsp dried Thyme
3 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black peppercorns
6 quarts water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roast bones and vegetables one hour.

Place all ingredients in a large stock pot. Cover with water to a depth of 2 inches about the bones, and quickly bring to a boil.

When water reaches a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for 8 hours. If more time is available, you can cook 10 to 12 hours to extract the maximum flavor from the bones and vegetables.

When the stock is finished cooking, remove from the heat. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve and cool rapidly in a cold water bath before refrigerating.

TO FREEZE AHEAD:
The solids may be discarded and the cold stock frozen in small batches.

Makes 4 servings
Source: Newspaper Clipping