An institution for nearly a century, the Automat – self-service restaurants created by Horn & Hardart, in which food items were sold from coin-operated dispensers – offered customers in New York and Philadelphia a cheap and easy menu, which was especially popular during the Depression. At its height, Horn & Hardart operated more than 150 Automats.
This recipe for a classic Automat staple, Beef and Noodles with Burgundy Sauce, comes from the 2002 book, “The Automat: The History, Recipes, and Allure of Horn & Hardart’s Masterpiece,” courtesy of author Marianne Hardart and the Hardart family.
“The original recipe called for Burgundy wine, which is rather expensive now – and was most likely not used at the time,” she notes. “Any hardy red wine will do.”
Don’t miss Mo Rocca’s report on the history of the Automat on “CBS Sunday Morning” November 21!
Beef and Noodles with Burgundy Sauce
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds lean beef (chuck or round), well trimmed and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 medium yellow onion, grated
- 1 celery rib, finely minced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cubes beef bouillon
- ½ cup tomato juice
- 1 ½ cups red wine
- ½ pound egg noodles
Instructions:
- Season the beef with salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour and shake off the excess. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven over medium-high flame. Add the meat in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan, and sear on all sides until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
- When all the pieces are browned, return all to the pan and add ½ cup water and all the other ingredients except the noodles. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 3 ½ to 4 hours.
- When the beef is nearly done, cook the noodles according to package directions and drain. Just before serving, remove the bay leaf from the stew and mix in the freshly cooked noodles.
From “The Automat: The History, Recipes, and Allure of Horn & Hardart’s Masterpiece” by Lorraine Diehl and Marianne Hardart. Reprinted by permission of the author.
For more info:
Check out the “Sunday Morning” 2021 Food Issue Recipe Index for more menu suggestions, from all of the chefs, cookbook authors, flood writers and restaurateurs featured on our program, as well as the writers and editors of New York Times Cooking.
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