Charles Elme Francatelli was born in London in 1835. Of Italian descent, Francatelli was educated in France, where he learned the art of cooking from masters like Careme.
On his return to Britain he worked as a chef in various large houses in both England and Scotland, but by 1839 he was chef at Cockford’s club in London. It is said that he was seen there by a butler of Queen Victoria’s royal household and in 1841 he was appointed maitre d’hotel and ‘head chef ordinary’ to Queen Victoria at Windsor. Although his tenure in office was only one year, this was undoubtedly the high point of Francatelli’s career.
He was then appointed chef of the Coventry House Club, 106 Picadilly, in London and this period saw the maturation of his culinary style, where he developed an Anglo-French style of cooking, where he became an interpreter of French cooking and techniques. to the English, and he provided the country (and, by extension, the English-speaking world) with a new set of refined culinary terms to replace the traditional, rather homey, nomenclature of cooking. Therefore, referring to ‘links’, ‘bain-marie’, etc. it became commonplace.
During his career, Francatelli wrote a series of cookbooks, and it is these, along with his position as a chef, that earned him the title of first celebrity chef. Despite this, frugality in the kitchen was a watchword of his and he produced a cookbook for the common man to make the most of what was available to them. As such, Francatelli is as relevant to cooks today as it was to cooks 150 years ago.
Here is an adaptation of a classic Francatelli recipe for a dish cooked ‘a la Gitana’ (gypsy style) which, in true Francatelli spirit, has been modified to make it suitable for leftover turkey (I would have used turkey fowl). game, birds or even fish). This is a great and frugal way to do something different with leftover Christmas or Thanksgiving turkey (it was Charles Dickens, the quintessential Victorian, who popularized turkey as the centerpiece of English Christmas dinner).
Leftover Turkey Gypsy
Ingredients
400g (approximately) leftover turkey, sliced
225g streaky bacon, cut into 2.5cm squares
30g butter
1 garlic clove, sliced
2 white onions, thinly sliced
4 ripe tomatoes, sliced thin
300ml sherry
1 teaspoon paprika
Method:
Melt butter in a large skillet, add turkey, bacon and garlic and fry over medium heat, turning turkey until lightly browned on all sides. To remove all the fat from the pan, add the onions and tomatoes.
Pour in the sherry, close the lid tightly, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the turkey is cooked through. Occasionally stir or shake the pan during cooking time to make sure the contents don’t get caught and burned.
Just before serving, add the paprika, then transfer the turkey pieces to a serving plate, pour over the sauce, and serve.
In 1854 Francatelli was named chef at the prestigious Reform Club and remains in this role for seven years. Between 1863 and 1870 he managed the St. James’ Hotel in Berkeley Street, and then joined the Freemasons’ Tavern in Great Queen Street, a post he held until shortly before his death in 1876.
Francatelli died on August 10, 1867 in Eastbourne.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe and the brief history of Francatelli and are now eager to find out more about the man and his food.