SECTIONS OF CALF

Loin, chump end.

Fore knuckle.

Loin, best end.

Breast, brisket end.

Neck, best end.

Breast, best end.

Neck, scrag end.

Blade-bone.

Hind knuckle.

Turkeys. — A young cock-turkey is the best, and may be known by its smooth, black legs and short sj^urs. The spurs must be closely looked into, because it is an old trick of the dealers to cut and scrape them in order to get rid of old birds as young ones. If in good condition the eyes will be bright and full and the feet soft and pliable; whereas where stale the eyes will be dim and sunken and the feet stiff and dry. The beak of a young turkey is some- what soft, but hard and rigid in an old one. The legs of an old hen-turkey are red and rough. In other respects a hen-tui'key may be judged of as a cock-turkey, spurs excepted.

Fowls. — A young cock will have short spurs, which will require the same inspection as turkeys. A fine bird will have a smooth comb, a full fat breast, and a large rump. The skin should be delicate and transparent. Pullets are best when about to lay, at, which time they have partially formed eggs inside. Fowls with black legs are best roasted. Game birds shoulc? "ilso, be roasted.

27Q MARKETING.

Young Dorking, Spanish and Cochin should be provided for boil- ing. For broth, an old hen will do, if well cooked.

Geese. — A young goose will have its beak and feet yellow with a very few bristles about them; but an old bird will have the feet and bill red and bristly. When fresh, the feet are pliable, but stiff and dry when stale. The fat of a young bird is whiter and softer than that of an old bird, and the breast is plump, as is the case with all poultry in good condition; knowing which the dealers have a trick of breaking the breast bones to deceive their custom- ers, and foist upon them old birds for young ones.

Ducks. — The feet and legs of a fresh killed duck are pliable and soft, but those of a stale one are stiff and dry. Freshness of the eye is an indication of a fresh bird. A wild duck has rather small, reddish feet, while those of a tame duck are a dusky yellow, and somewhat large. An old duck should be kept hanging a few days before it is cooked; it will generally be lean and thin as compared Vith a plump young bird.

CHAPTER XXIIL

'|!i Beef, Aitchbone of, to Carve.

tN carving an aitchbone of beef it is necessary that it should be cut across the grain. In order to do this the knife should follow the line A to B in the illustration. The meat should be cut of a moderate thickness, and very evenly. Cut the lean and the fat in one slice, and if more fat is wanted it should be taken horizon- tally from the side. Before proceed- ing to serve, a slice of about a quarter of an inch in thickness should be cut from the top, so that the juicy part of the meat may be obtained at once.

Brisket of Beef Stewed.

Take six jjounds of beef, and, before dressing it, rub it over with vinegar and salt; place it in a stewpanwith stock or water sufficient to cover it. Allow it to simmer for an hour, skimming it well all the time. Put in six each of carrots, turnips, and small onions; and allow all to simmer until the meat is quite tender, which will require about two hours more. As soon as it is ready the bones should be removed. Boil for a few minutes as much of the gravy as will be required with flour and a little butter, and season it with catsup, allspice and mace. Pour a little of it over the brisket, and send the remainder to the table in a separate dish.

Making Tough Steak Tender. Take one teaspoonful of salad oil, two teaspoonfuls* of vinegf^*

278 MEATS.

and a very little Cayenne pepper. Lay the steak upon it and let it remain one hour; then turn it over and let it-lie an hour. Then fry or broil as usual. The vinegar softens the fibre and the oil keeps it soft. Steak may stand over night this way if turned about ten o'clock. Pounding steak is a great mistake; it breaks up the fibre, but drives out the juice and destroys much of its nutriment.

Beef, Brisket of, to Carve, The accompanying engraving represents the appearance of a brisket of beef ready for the table. There is no difficulty in

carving it. The only thing to observe is that it should be cut cleanly along the bones, in the direction indicated by the dot- ^^s^ ted line, with a firm hand, in moderately thick slices. Cut it close down to the bones, so that they may not have a rough and jagged appearance when removed.

Broiled Steak. Never put salt on a steak until after it is cooked. After trim- ming on each side equally, dress to taste with sweet fresh butter, pepper and salt, and add, if preferred, a teaspoonful of lemon- juice.

Broiled Beefsteak. To cook a good, juicy beefsteak, never pound it, but slash it several times across each way; have a nice bright fire and broil as quickly as possible, without burning; if the coals blaze from the drippings, sprinkle on a little salt, which will instantly extinguish the flames. Steak should be turned constantly while broiling, and to be rare should not cook over three minutes; butter and salt after taking up. This should be served very hot.

Rrnvrp Steak with Oyster Sauce. Let your oysters give a turn or two with plenty of butter in a frying-pan, then add pepper and salt, a little flour, and the juice of

MEATS. 279

half a lemon, with enough water to make up the quantity of sauce you want, stir till the oysters are done, and serve with the steak broiled in the usual way.

To Fry Steak, or Cook in Frying Pan. If you have not a broiler, steak may be cooked nearly as well by heating the frying pan very hot and just greasing it with a little butter, or a little of the chopped suet, and lay in the steak and keep turning until sufficiently cooked; then transfer to a hot platter and season with salt and pepper, and cover with butter and serve.

German Way op Frying Beefsteak. Pound the cut steak a little, salt it and fry quickly with hot lard on both sides; pour off the lard and place the steak on the dish; put into the pan some fresh butter and fry with it some finely cut onions and pour this over the steak.

Beefsteak Smothered with Onions. Melt a lump of butter in a frying pan; cover the bottom of the pan with onions sliced very thin; then lay the steak over them. When the onions are fried until they are tender, put the beef on the bottom of the pan and cover it with the onions; add butter or lard as you need it. Liver cooked in this way is nice also. When it is done, lay it on a platter and heap the onions on the meat. A very little gravy made in the pan in which you have cooked the meat and onions is an addition, but make only a little and turn over the meat, seasoning it well with salt and pepper.

Beefsteak Pie, ' Cut the steak into pieces an inch long, and stew with the bone (cracked) in just enough water to cover the meat until it is half done. Line a pudding dish with a good paste. Put in a layer of the beef, with salt and pepper, and a very little chopped onion; then one of sliced boiled potatoes, with a little butter scattered u^son them, and so on until the dish is full. Pour over all the

gravy in which the meat is stewed, having first thrown away the bone and thickened with flour. Cover with a crust thicker than the lower, leaving a slit in the middle.

Ribs of Beef, to Caeve. The rib should be cut in thin and even slices from the thick end

towards the thin. This can be more readily and cleanly done, if the carving-knife is first run along between the meat and the end and rib bones.

To Roast Ribs of Beef. The best piece to roast is the fore-rib, and it should be hung for two or three days before it is cooked. The ends of the ribs should be sawn off, the outside fat fastened with skewers, and the strong sinew and chime bones removed. The joint should first be placed near the fire, and after a short time it should be drawn back and roasted steadily. Baste freely with clarified drippings at fii'st, as there will not be sufticient gravy when first put down; keep basting at intervals of ten minutes until done. Care must be taken not to allow it to burn, as it is easily spoiled. Serve with horse-radish sauce.

To Roast Sirloiist of Beef. Take out the suet and lay it thickly over the fillet. Tie the flap under the fillet ard make all firm before it is put into the oven. Should die oven be very hot place a paper over the meat while yet raw, in which case it will need very little basting; or turn the rib side up toward the fire for the first tAventy minutes. The time it will take in cooking depends entirely upon the thickness of the joint and the length of time it has been killed. Skim the fat from, the gravy and add a tablesj^oonful of prepared brown flour and a glass of sherry to the remainder.

Sirloin of Beef, to Carve. A sirloin should be cut with one good, firm stroke from end to end of the joint, at the upj^er portion, making the cut very clean from A, B to C. Then disengage it from the bone by a horizontal cut exactly to tlie bone, B to D, using the tip of the knife. Bad carving bears the hand away to the rind of the beef, eventually, after many cuts, peeling it

back to the other side, leav-

A ing a portion of the best of

the meat adhering to the bone. Every slice should be ® clean and even, and the sirloin should cut fairly to the very end. Many persons cut the under side whilst hot, not reckoning it so good cold; but this is a matter of taste, and so is the mode of carving it. The best way is "first of all to remove the fat, E, which chops up well to make pud- dings, if noli eaten at table. Then the under part can be cut as already desci-ibed, from end to end, F to G, or downwards as shown by the marks at H.

Beef Balls.

Mince very fine a piece of tender beef, fat and lean; mince an onion, with some boiled parsley; add grated bread crumbs, and season with pepper, salt, grated nutmeg and lemon peel; mix all together and moisten it with an egg beaten; roll it into balls, flour and fry them in boiling fresh driiDping. Serve them with fried bread crumbs.

Fillet of Beef.

This is to be larded and dressed with a brown mushroom sauce. Trim the fat off a tenderloin of beef, and if you are going to dress it for dinner trim off the corners somewhat. It wants to be the shape of a fillet whole. A whole fillet is usually too large for a family dinner. Trim down the loin so it is smaller at each end.

282 MEATS.

Save the pieces of meat tj-immed off, cut up In bits an inch square and make a stew with a iew mushrooms or potatoes. Never by any means throw them away. After the fillet is trimmed lard it by inserting little strips of fat salt pork over the upjDer surface with a larding needle. After larding lay on a baking-pan with thin slices of salt pork under it, and put bixttered paper over it to prevent burning the pork. Bake or roast it. It is usually served rare; then it should roast fifteen minutes to a pound. If it is to be well done it should roast twenty minutes for each pound. Season when brown, not before, with pepper and salt.

A Good a^td Cheap Way to Cook Beef. A cheap dish can be made of a brisket or flank of beef. Cut a slice eight inches long and an inch thick, season highly, spread a stufting of soaked bread highly seasoned over it, tie it up and lay in water enough to cover, and cook slowly a long time. This makes a very nice dish and should be served with red cabbage. Cut u]) the cabbage as for cold slaw. Put in a saucepan one table- spoonful of sugar, one of butter, half a cup of vinegar, half a dozen pepper corns, and half a dozen cloves; then put in the cab- bage, cover tight and set on the back of the stove and let it steam an hour, when it will be tender. The beef may also be served with red beets, boiled till tender without breaking, peeled and laid around the dish of meat. A nice way to bake beef is to put in the pan under it a bed of vegetables and scraps of pork, a tablespoonful of carrot, turnip, sprigs of parsley, a half dozen cloves and a half dozen pepper corns; add a bay-leaf, if you wish, and a teaspoonful of onion. Yoxi will find that all these will give a nice flavor not only to the meat but also to the gravy made from the drippings.

Beef a la Mode. Take a round of beef, remove the bone from the middle, also all the gristle and tough parts about the edges. Have ready half a pound of fat salt pork, cut into strips as thick and long as your

MEATS. 283

finger. Prepare a nice dressing the same as for stuffing a turkey,

With a thin sharp knife make perpendicular incisions in the meat

about half an inch apart, thrust into them the pork, and work in

with them some of the dressing. Proceed thus until the meat is

thoroughly plugged. Put it into a baking pan with a little water

at the bottom; cover tightly and bake slowly four hours; then

uncover, and spread the rest of the dressing over the top, and bake

until a nice brown. After taking up, thicken the gravy and pour

o\er the beef. It should be sliced horizontally. Is good either hot

Pounded Beef.

Boil a shin of twelve pounds of meat until it falls readily from the bone; pick it to pieces; mash gristle and all very fine; pick out all the hard bits. Set the liquor away; when cool, take off all the fat; boil the liquor down to a pint and a half. Then return the meat to it while hot; add pepper and salt and any spice you choose. Let it boil a few times, stirring all the while. Put into a mold jr deep dish to cool. Use cold and cut in thin slices for tea, oi warm it for breakfast.

Beef Coquettes.

Use cold roast beef; chop it fine; season with pepper and salt; add one-third the quantity of bread crumbs, and moisten with a little milk. Have your hands floured; rub the meat into balls, dip it into beaten egg, then into fine pulverized cracker, and fry in but- ter; garnish with parsley.

Deviled Beef.

Take slices of cold roast beef, lay them on hot coals, and broil? season with pepper and salt, and serve while hot, with a small lumf of butter on each piece.

Beef Sausages.

To three pounds of beef, very lean, put one and one-half pounds of suet, and chop very fine; season with sage in powder, allspice, pepper and salt; have skins thoroughly cleaned, and force the meal into them.

284 MEATS.

Beef au Gratin. Take cold beef, either boiled or roasted, and cut it in thin slices. (urease a tin pan with butter, dust with bread crumbs, put in a little chopped parsley, and lay on the slices of beef. Put salt, pepper, and parsley on top, dust with bread crumbs, drop on lemon- juice, md a little broth, just to cover the bottom of the pan, and place it in the oven.

Beef Heart. Wash it carefully and stuff it nicely with dressing as for turkey; j-oast it about one and a half hours, and serve with the gravy, which should be thickened with some of the stuffing. It is very nice hashed.

Dried Beef in Cream.

Shave your beef very fine; pour over it boiling water; let it stand for a few minutes; pour this off and pour on good rich cream; let it come to a boil. If you have not cream, use milk and butter, and thicken with a very little flour; season with pepper, and serve on toast or not, as you like.

Beef Omelette. Three pounds of beefsteak, three-foui-ths of a pound of suet, chopped fine, salt, pepper, and a little sage, three eggs, six Boston crackers, rolled; make into roll and bake.

Broiled Beef Tongue. Put a fresh tongue on the fire with just cold water enough to cover it, and with it a carrot, an onion, a bay-leaf, a couple of slices of lemon, some black pej^per, salt and a little garlic. Let it simmer gently for about two hours till quite tender. Skin and trim it. Either serve it whole or cut it in slices, and arrange in a ring with the following thick sauce in the center: Strain the liquor in which the tongue was cooked (this should be reduced by simmering to a mere gravy) ; brown a large tablespoonful of flour in a good sized piece of butter; braize two or three cloves of garlic, and let them

MEATS. 285

steam a little while in the browning; then add the strained gravy by degrees, stirring it quite smooth. Add a little lemon-juice or vinegar; and whether it be served whole or sliced, dish the sauce with the tongue. If garlic is objected to, make a sauce of grated horse-radish, a carrot bruised fine, capers and a little wine. Gar- nish with lemon slices and parsley.

To Boil Beef. Put fresh beef into boiling water (unless you wish to make soup, then it should be put into cold water) and bring quickly to a boil, then set on back part of the stove and simmer gently till done. Corned beef, if very salt, should be soaked over night, then put into lukewarm, not boiling, water. Simmer from the time of boil- ing till it is served up. Skim the pot thoroughly and turn the meat twice during the simmering. The meat will be much better if allowed to cool in the liquor in which it is cooked.

Tongue Roasted. Parboil a tongue that has been salted about ten days; roast, baste with red wine, and cover it at last with butter. Serve with a rich gravy and sweet sauce.

Tripe. This may be served in a tureen, stewed tender with milk and onions, or fried in bits dipped in butter. In both the above ways serve melted butter for sauce. Or cut the thin parts in oblong bits and stew in gravy; thicken with butter rolled in a very little flour, and add a spoonful of mushroom catsup. Or boil it tender in milk, and serve in milk-white sauce.

Tripe a la Lyoxnaise w^ith Tomatoes. This economical dish, which is in reach of every family, is also very fine. Take two pounds of dressed and boiled tripe, cut into small strips two inches long and put into a saucepan. Parboil and drain off the first water; chop a small onion fine, and let all stew twenty minutes; add half a cup of thickening and then stir in half

286 MEATS.

a can of tomatoes; season with salt and pe2)per. This dish has become very popular in all the hotels throughout the country.

BuLLOcrK's Heart, Roasted, Wash the heart in several waters, clean the blood carefully from the pipes, and put it to soak in vinegar and water for two hours or more. Drain it and fill it either with ham forcemeat or sage and onion stuffing. Fasten it securely, tie it in a cloth, j^ut into a pan of boiling water, and let it simmer gently for two hours. Take off the cloth and roast the heart while hot, basting it plentifully with good dripping for two hours longer. Serve with good brown gravy and currant jelly. The stewing may be omitted and the heart simply roasted for three or four hours, but the flesh will not then be so tender.

Calf's Heart, Roasted.

Wash the heart very clean, soak it in vinegar and water, fill it with a forcemeat made of four ounces of bread crumbs, two ounces of butter, two tablespoonfuls of chopped parsley, half a teaspoonful of finely-minced lemon rind, and a little salt and Cayenne. Fasten the heart securely and bake for two hours. Serve it with good melted butter, mixed with a tablespoonful of lemon-juice or vin- egar. A calf's heart is improved by partially boiling before it is roasted.

Calf's Heart, Fried.

Wash and soak the heart, cut it into slices about a quarter of an inch thick and fry these in a little hot dripping or butter. About five minutes before they are done, put a slice of bacon into the pan for each slice of heart and when they are sufficiently cooked, serve on a hot dish and cover each piece of heart with a slice of bacon. Boil two or three tablespoonfuls of thin fiour and water in the pan in which the meat was fried. Season it with pepper and salt; add one tablespoonful of red currant jelly and serve as hot as possible. The slices of heart will fry in fifteen minutes.

MEATS. 287

Sheep's Heart, Baked. Vrash two or three sliee^Ds' hearts in lukewarm. wat(?r, fill them with Vfcal forcemeat, and skewer them securely. Fasten a rasher of fat bacon around each, place them in a deej) dish, and with thena a little good stock, and an onion stuck with two cloves. Bake in a moderate oven for two hours; draw off the gravy; thicken with a little flour and butter, and season it with salt and pepper and a tablespoonful of mushroom or walnut catsup. Put the hearts on a hot dish, pour the gravy over them, and send red cnri'ant jelly with them to the table.

Sweetbreads,

Svveetbi'eads should be chosen as fresh as possible, as they very quickly spoil. There are two sorts — heart sweetbreads and throat sweetbreads. The heart sweetbreads are the best. In whatever way sweetbreads are dressed, they should first be soaked in luke- warm water for a couple of hours. They should then be put into boiling water and simmer gently for five or ten minutes, according to size, and then taken up and laid in cold water. Sweetbreads are quite as frequently employed as ingredients in sundry made dishes as served alone, and as they do not possess a very decided natural flavor, they need to be accompanied by a highly seasoned sauce, or they will taste rather insipid. They are in full season from May to August.

Sweetbreads Fried.

Prepare them as usual. Cut them in slices, egg and bread crumb them, dip them in clarified butter, bread them again, and fry in plenty of hot fat till they are brightly browned on both sides. Drain them, and then dish on toast. Serve with cucumber sauce.

Sweetbreads Baked. After preparing the sweetbreads as above, brush them over in every part with beaten egg, roll them in bread crumbs, sprinkle clarified butter over them, and bread-crumb them again. Put them

588 MEATS.

in a baking-tin with about two ounces of butter, and bake in a well- heated oven; baste them till they are done enough and brightly browned. Take as many slices of hot toast as there are sweetbreads, put them in a dish, lay the sweetbreads upon them, jiour brown gravy round, but not over them, and serve immediately.

Sweetbreads Broiled. Take moderate-sized sweetbreads and prepare them in the usual way. Stew them in good stock till they are done enough. Then drain them and press them between two dishes till they are cold. Split them in halves and trim them neatly; brush them over with butter, and broil them over a clear but very gentle fire. Have a plate Avith clarified butter on it near the gridiron and keep dipping the sweetbreads in it, turning them frequently. When they are brightly browned all over they are done enough. Dish the slices in a circle, and send brown sauce, flavored with lemon-juice, to table in a tureen.

Sweetbreads and Cauliflowers. Take four large sweetbreads and two cauliflowers. Split open the sweetbreads and remove the gristle. Soak them awhile in luke- warm water; put them into a saucepan of boiling water, and set them to boil ten minutes. Afterwards lay them in a pan of cold water to make them firm. The parboiling is to whiten them. Wash, drain and quarter the cauliflowers. Put them in a broad stewpan with the sweetbreads on them; season with a little Cayenne and a little nutmeg and add water to cover them. Put on the lid of the pan and stew one hour. Take a quarter of a pound of fresh butter and roll it in two tablespoonfuls of flour; add this with a cup of milk to the stew, and give it one boil up and no more. Serve hot, in a deep dish. This stew will be found delicious.

Tomato Sweetbreads. Cut up a quarter of a peck of fine ripe tomatoes; set them over the fire, and let them stew in nothing but their own juice till they

MEATS. 289

go to pieces — then strain them through a sieve; have ready four or five sweetbreads that have been trimmed nicely and soaked in warm water. Put them into a stewpan with the tomato juice, and a little salt and Cayenne; add two or three tablespoonf uls of butter rolled in flour. Set the saucepan over the fire, and stew the sweetbreads till done. A few minutes before you take them up, stir in two beaten "yolks of eggs. Serve the sweetbreads in a deep dish, with the tomato poured over them.

Kidneys, Broiled or Roasted. Split the kidneys in two without separating the halves; peel ofl the thin outer skin. Season them with salt and pepper; broil them, laying the flat sides first on the gridiron, to keep the gravy in; or, fry thera the same. Or place them with the flat side upwards in a baking dish and put them in the oven. "When done, serve in the same diah in which they were baked. Immediately before serving, put on each half-kidney a piece of butter and a little finely-chopped parsley.

Stewed Kidneys.

Split ihe kidneys and peel off the outer skin as before; slice them thin on a plate; dust them with flour, pepper and salt; brown some flour in butter in a stewpan; dilute with a little water; mix smooth and in it cook the sliced kidneys. Let them simmer, but not boil. They will cook in a very short time. Butter some slices of toast and lay on a hot dish and pour ovei* it the stewed kidneys, gravy and all.

Fried Liver.

Cut one pound of liver into slices one-fourth inch in thickness, and dredge some flour over them. Take an equal number of slices of bacon; fry the bacon first, and when it is done enough remove from the fat and place them on a hot dish. Fry the slices of liver in the same fat, and when lightly browned on both sides, dish bacon and liver in a circle, a slice of each alternately. Pour the fat from the pan and dredge a little flour into it; add a quarter of a pint of

broth, a little salt and pepper and a tablespoonful of mushroom catsup. Stir smoothly together until the sauce boils, and pour into the dish with the liver. Garnish with sliced lemon. If liked, a tablespoonful of fine\y-mmced gherkins or pickled walnuts may be added to the sauce.

Fried Liver, No. 2. Take one egg to one pound of liver; cut the liver thin, scald with hot water and wipe dry; beat up the egg, dip the slices of liver into the egg, then into powdered cracker, and fry brown.

Roast Quarter of Lamb. Trim the joint and skewer three or four slices of bacon securely

to the outer side, brush three ounces of clarified butter over the

inner part and strew upon it a thick covering of finely-grated bread

crumbs seasoned with pepper, salt and a little finely-minced parsley. Put in the oven, and when nearly done remove the bacon and baste the meat with the beaten yolk of egg mixed with the gravy, throw some more bread crumbs over it and

let it remain until nicely browned. If liked, squeeze the juice of a

hmon over it and serve with mint sauce.

Lamb Cnops, Fried. Cut a loin or neck of lamb into chops from half to three-quarters of an inch in thickness. Dip each one into beaten egg and after- wards into bread crumbs, flavored as follows: Mix three ounces of finely-grated l)read crumbs with a saltspoonful of salt, half a salt- spoonful of pepper, a tablespoonful of finely-chopped parsley and a quarter of a teaspoonf ul of finely-niixed lemon rind. Fry the chops in good drippings until lightly browned on both sides. Serve on a hoi dish and garnish with slices of lemon or crisped parsley.

MEATS. 291

Lam^b Chops, Broiled. Cut the chops about half an inch thick, trim them neatly, rt.^mov- ing the superfluous fat, place them on a hot gridiron over a clear fire and brown them nicely on both sides. Season them with salt and pepper, and serve as hot as possible. Garnish with parsley. Mashed potatoes, asparagus, green pease, or spinach, are usually served with lamb chops.

Stewed Lamb with Gkeen Pease. Take two pounds of lamb, put it into a ?tewpan and cover with cold water; after removing the scum add a little pepper and salt, then let the meat stew for an hour and a half or nearly two hours; now add some boiling water (to make gravy); add your green pease (half a peck before shelling); let these cook about twenty minutes; stir up a tablespoonful of flour into half a cup of milli and mix with the stew. Let this cook two minutes

Lamb Cutlets. Trim the slices free from fat, beat up the yolk of ?.n egg with rasped bread or crackers, seasons with pepper and salt, dip in the cutlets and fry in butter gently, until thoroughly dona

Boiled Breast of Mutton. Take out the bones, gristle, and some of the fat; flatten it on the kneading-board, and cover the surface thinly with a forcemeat made of bread crumbs, minced savory herbs, a little chopped parsley, pepper, salt and an egg. The forcemeat should not be spread too near the edge, and when rolled, the breast should be tied securely, to keep the forcemeat in its place. If gently boiled, and served hot, it will be generally liked. Serve with good cape' sauce.

Haunch of Mutton a la Venison. Mix two ounces of bay salt with half a pound of brown sugar; rub it well into the mutton, which should be placed in a deep dish

292 MEATS.

for four days, and basted three or four times a day with the liquor that drains from it; then wipe it quite dry, and rub in a quarter of a pound more of sugar, mixed with a little common salt, and hang it up, haunch downwards; wipe it daily till it is used. In winter it •should be kept two or three weeks and roasted in paste, like ven- .jon. Serve with currant jelly. The paste (made with flour and water) should be removed fifteen minutes before serving.

Breast of Mutton with Pease. ■ Cut about two pounds of the breast of mutton into small square pieces. Put them into a stewpan with about an ounce of butter, and brown them nicely, then cover with weak broth or water, and stew for an hour. Remove the meat from the stewpan, and clear the gravy from fat. Put the meat into a clean stewpan, add an onion or shallot sliced finely, a bunch of sweet herbs, some pepper and salt, and strain the gravy over all. Stew for another hour, then put in a quart of young pease, and serve in about twenty minutes. Macaroni may be used in the place of pease.

Mutton Curried. Put four ounces of butter into a stewpan, and chop fine, or pound in a mortar four onions ; add the onions to the butter with an ounce of curry powder, a teaspoonful of salt, a dessertspoonful of flour, and half a pint of cream; stir until smooth. Fry two pounds of mutton — cut in neat pieces without bone — to a light brown color. Lay the meat into a clean stewpan, and pour the curry mixture over; simmer until the meat is done.

Mutton Chops. First select well-fed mutton, but not too fat, and get the chops evenly cut; if not, beat them into shape with the chopper. Not more than one-third of the chop should be fat. Put an ou^ice of butter or lard into the frying-pan; when it is entirely melted seize the chop at the bone end with a fork, and dip it for half a minute into the fat, then turn on one side, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

MEATS. 293

and if liked, finely-chopped shallot or onion, and savory herbs. In three minutes tui*n, and serve the other side the same; equalize the cooking by frequent turning, but give the chop altogether not more than ten minutes. A piece of garlic, if the flavor be approved, may be rubbed across the dish when hot, or it may be rubbed lightly across the chop. Serve with plain or maitre d'hotel butter.

Mutton Cutlets a la Minute. The mutton for these cutlets should be cut from the middle of the leg, and sliced thin; season slightly with salt and pepper. Fry the meat quickly over a brisk fire, to make it crisp, turning it often. Let the cutlets be kept warm in the oven while the gravy is pre- paring. Have ready some mushrooms, chopped with a shallot, a sprig or two of parsley and thyme, minced fine. Stew these in the butter for a few minutes, and season with salt and pepper; add flour and water, strain and serve round the cutlets.

Mutton Cutlets and Pukee of Potatoes. ■ Boil or steam two pounds of mealy potatoes, mash them smooth, put them into a stewpan with two or three ounces of butter, two or three tablespoonfuls of cream or broth, pepper and salt; make them hot, and pile them in the center of a hot dish. The cutlets may be bread-crumbed and fried, or, if preferred, broiled and served round the puree.

Boiled Leg of Mutton. Cut off the shank bone, put it into a large stewpan or kettle, with as much boiling water as will cover it. When restored to its boil- ing state, skim the surface clean, and set the stewpan back and allow the contents to simmer until done. Allow for a leer of mut- ton of nine or ten pounds, from twc And a half to three hours from the time it boils. Boil very young turnips for a garnish, also boil larger turnips to mash. Place the young turnips, which should be of equal size, round the dish with xhe mutton and send the mashed ones to the table separately. Melted butter, with capers added.

should accompany the dish. The liquor from the boiling may be converted into good soup at a trifling expense.

Mutton Kebbobed. Take a loin of mutton; joint well; take the following dressing and put between each joint: Two tablespoonfuls chopped parsley, a little thyme, a nutmeg grated, a cup of bread crumbs; mix well with two eggs; roast one hour. If there is a large flap to the loin> some of the dressing may be put in and then skewered securely.

Leg of Mutton, To Carve. The leg of mutton comes to the table as shown in Fig. 1. Take the carving fork, as usual, in your left hand, and plant it firmly in the joint, as shown by A, in Fig, 1, placing it rather over to the other side of the joint, and drawing the leg over toward you on the dish about one-third, which brings the position of the fork from A to B. Cut straight down across the joint at the line marked C, not quite to the bone. Make the second cut a little on the slant, as shown in D, and take the piece out; continue cutting from each ►■ide slantingly as the line marked D, either from the thick or the

knuckle end, ac- cording to the taste of the per- son to be helped. LC a very small

piece of the fat should be given with each slice of meat to those who like it. The knuckle, if any one asks for it,

is first cut off in a lump, as shown by the circular line at F, and after- wards in slices. Mutton should be cut thick, but it should not be cut to the bone; the slice in the centre should not penetrate so far

MEATS. 295

as the circular kernel of fat found there, and called the " pope's eye," which is generally considered best to leave for hashing.

The back of a leg of mutton is not generally cut until cold, when it is best sliced lengthwise, as shown in Fig. 2 ; the meat is still cut thick, but not quite so thick as in the cuts previously described. Cold mutton should be served with mashed potatoes and pickles,

a part called H

the "crump bone" in a leg of mutton, which may be removed by a circular cut from H to J in Fig. 2; it is usually relished cold. Fig. 2 shows the joint when turned three parts over, held by the fork as previously described, and the dotted line at J indicates the direc- tion of the first cut.

Roast Leg of Mutton. Get a leg of about eight pounds, which has hung at least a week, weather allowing. During hot summer weather this joint gets quickly tainted. Rub it lightly with salt, and put it at once into a hot oven for the first few minutes, then allow the oven to cool, and roast more slowly until done. Baste continually with a little good dripping until that from the joint begins to flow. When within twenty minutes to being done, dredge it with flour, and baste with butter or dripping; and when the froth rises serve on a hot dish. Make a gravy and pour round the meat, not over it.

Mutton Cutlets with Provincale Sauce. Use one-fourth of a medium-sized onion, tablespoonful of butter; put over the fire and gradually add a spoonful of flour, cup of

296 MEATS.

water, one-half cup thyme, season with pepper and salt and stir constantly; add the yolks of two raw eggs and cook until about as thick as cream. This sauce can be used on cold meats, or in cook- ing raw meat. When used in cooking cutlets or other meats, the meats should be very slightly cooked on both sides in a hot skillet, then have a pot of fat large enough for the meat to swim in. Dip the cutlets in the sauce and put them in the boiling fat. Take them out and r611 in cracker dust and bread crumbs; put them back, and do this occasionally until the meat floats on top of the fat. They are then done.

Pork — To Keep Fresh in Summer. Take pork, when killed in the early part of the winter, and let it lie in pickle about a week or ten days, or until just sufliciently isalted to be palatable; then slice it up and fry it about half or two- thirds as much as you would for present eating; now lay it away in its own grease, in jars properly covered, in a cool place, as you would lard. Re-fry when ready to use.

Pork, to Cook. Large pork, such as portions of the shoulder, loin, or spare-rib, of large bacon hogs, may be cooked as follows: Rub the joint with pepper and salt, and put it into a large saucepan with a closely- fitting lid. When nearly done, add two or three onions and cari-ots, with half a dozen sticks of celery, four sage leaves, a bunch of parsley, a small sprig of marjoram and thyme, and as much stock or water as will cover the whole. Let the liquors boil up; skim carefully; then set back and simmer gently for three or four hours, according to size of joint. When the pork is done enough, lift it out, put the vegetables round it, strain and thicken a portion of the gravy, and pour it boiling hot over the pork. When the pork is removed from the table, trim it neatly and place on a clean dish to be eaten cold, or thicken the rest of the gravy and pour over the meat to be warmed over.

MEATS. 297

Pork, Belly Rolled and Boiled, Salt a belly of pork — young meat is the best — by mixing a salt- spoonful of powdered saltpetre with two tablespoonfuls of common salt, sprinkle the mixture over the pork, and let it lie for three days. When ready to dress the meat, wash it in cold water, and dry it with a cloth. Lay it, skin downwards, on the table, remove the bones, and cover the inside with pickled gherkins cut into thin slices. Sprinkle over these a little powdered mace and pepper. Roll the meat tightly and bind securely with tape. Put it into a saucepan with two onions stuck with six cloves, three bay-leaves, a bunch of parsley, and a sprig of thyme. Bring the liquid slowly to a boil, skim carefully, draw it to the back of stove, and simmer gently till the meat is done enough. Put it between two dishes, lay a weight upon it, and leave it until quite cold. The bandages should not be removed until the meat is ready to be served. Time to simmer, half an hour per pound.

Pork Brawn. Take a small pig's head with the tongue, and two pig's feet. Clean and wash them, sprinkle two tablespoonfuls of salt over them, and let them drain until the following day; dry them with a soft cloth and rub into them a powder made of six ounces of common salt, six ounces of moist sugar, three-quarters of an ounce of saltpetre, and three-quarters of an ounce of black pepper. Dry the powder well, and rub it into every part of the head, tongue, ears, and feet; turn th^m over and rub them again every day for ten days. Wash the pickle from them, cut off the ears, and boil the feet and ears an hour and a half; then put in the head and tongue, cover with cold water, and boil until the meat will leave the bones. Take them up, drain, cut the meat into small pieces; first remove all bones, and skin the tongue. Season the mince with a teaspoonful of white pepper, three saltspoonfuls of powdered mace, one saltspoonful each of powdered nutmeg and Cayenne. Stir all well together, press the meat while warm into a brawn tin, and lay a heavy weight

298 MEATS.

on the lid. Put it in a cool place until the following day; dip the mold in boiling water, turn the brawn out, and serve with vinegar and mustard.

Pork Chops, Broiled,

Cut the chops rather less than half an inch thick. Have a clear fire; make the gridiron hot before putting the chops on it; pepper the chops, and when nearly done sprinkle salt, and a little powdered sage over them. Let them be done through, turn frequently, and serve hot. Tomato sauce eats well with pork choiJS.

Pork Chops, Fried. Cut pork chops a half an inch in thickness; trim them neatly; sprinkle them on both sides with a little salt and pepper. Melt a little butter in a frying-pan, put the chops in it and fry them until they are thoroughly done. If liked, a little powdered sage may be sprinkled over them before serving. Send apple sauce to table with them.

Pork Cutlets, Broiled.

Pork cutlets are best taken from the neck or fore loin of small dairy-fed pork, not very fat. Neatly trim them. Score the skin at regular intervals and flatten the cutlets with a cutlet-bat. Brush them over with oil, season with salt and pepper, and place them on a hot gridiron over a clear fire. Turn them occasionally, that they may be equally browned on both sides, and let them be thoroughly cooked. Put them on a hot dish, and send tomato, piquant or any appropriate sauce to table with them.

Leg or Pork, Good as Goose. Parboil a leg of pork and take off the skin. Make a stufiing as\ follows: Mince two ounces of onion very finely; mix with it half a chopped apple, four ounces of bread crumbs,, half a dozen chopped sage leaves, an ounce of butter, and a little pepper and salt. Bind the mixture together with the yolk of an egg. Make a slit in the knuckle, put the stuffing into it, and fasten securely. Put the jjork into the oven and baste liberally. Half an hour before it is taken

MEATS. 299

up, sprinkle over it a savory powder made of two tablespoonfuls of bread crumbs mixed with one tablespoonful of powdered sage, and a little pepper and salt. Do not baste the meat after the powder is put upon it. Serve with good brown gravy and apple sauce.

Pork Cutlets, Fried. Melt two ounces of butter in a saucepan, and stir into it a tea- • spoonful of chopped parsley, a teaspoonf ul each of chopped sage, and minced shallot. Move these ingredients about for a few minutes, then add a little salt and pepper, and two well-beaten eggs. Dip the cutlets first into this mixture, then into finely-grated bread crumbs, and let them stand ten minutes. Melt a little butter in a frying-pan, fry the cutlets in it, and when thoroughly done, serve with a good brown sauce.

Boiled Leg of Pork with Pease Pudding.

Take a leg of pork and rub it over with salt; put it into a vessel and cover with salt and let it stand for ten days. At the end of that time boil it in soft water, and serve with cabbage all round it, and a pease pudding made as follows: Take a quart of dry pease, wash them, tie them in a clean bag, and boil with the pork. When the pease are done, strain them through a colander, put in a large lump of butter, some salt, and two yolks of eggs, and put back into the bag, and boil again for half an hour. The pease must be put into cold soft water for two hours before being boiled, otherwise they tvill never boil tender.

Pork Pies.

Make a crust as for chicken pies. Cut the meat into pieces the size of a small nut, and keep the lean and fat separate. Season the whole with pepper and salt and a teaspoonful of powdered sage. Pack the fat and lean closely into the pie in alternate layers until it is filled; put on the top crust and ornament according to taste; brush over with well-beaten egg, and bake in a slow oven as the meat is 3olid and requires to be cooked through, the outside pieces will be hard unless cut very small and pressed closely together. Take the

300 MEATS.

bones and trimmings of the pork and stew them to make gravy; boil it until it will jelly when cold, strain, thicken and llavor, and when the pie is done raise the top crust and fill it with the gravy, and send the balance of the gravy to table in a tureen.

Roast Loix of Pork, Score the skin of a fresh loin of pork at equal distances about a quarter of an inch apart. Brush it over with salad oil, season with salt and pepper, and place in a moderate oven. Baste liberally with butter or dripping at first, and when done serve on a hot dish, and serve with brown gravy and apple sauce. If liked, a little sage and onion stufling may be served on a separate dish.

Pork Cake. Cut the meat, fat and lean, from a cold joint of roast pork, and mince it very finely; mix with it a couple of large potatoes freshly boiled and mashed, a little salt and pepper, a chopped onion, and a little powdered sage. Add two or three eggs, a little milk, suffi- cient to make a very thick batter. Fry the cake like an omelet, or bake in a buttered dish. Serve with pickled onions or gherkins.

Pork Sausages.

Have two-thirds lean and one-third fat pork; chop very fine. Season with one teaspoonf ul pepper, one of salt, three of pow- dered sage to every pound of meat. Warm the meat so that you can mix it well with your hands, do up a part in small patties, with a little flour mixed with them, and the rest pack in jars. When used, do it up in small cakes, flour the outside and fry in butter, or alone. They should not be covered, or they will fall to pieces. A little cinnamon to a part of them will be a pleasant addition. They should be kept where it is cool, but not damp. They are very nice for bi'eakfast.

Pork and Beans.

Take two pounds side pork, not too fat nor too lean, and two Quarts of marrowfat beans; put the beans to soak the night before

MEATS. 301

you boil them in a gallon of milk-warm water. After breakfast, scald and scrape the rind of the pork, and put on to boil an hour before putting in the beans; as soon as the beans boil up, pour off the water and put on one gallon of fresh water; boil until quite tender, adding more water if necessary; great care must be taken that they do not scorch. When nearly as stiff as mashed potatoes, put into a baking-dish, score the pork and put in the center; brown in the oven one hour. If preferred use corned beef instead of pork.

Pressed Head. Boil the several parts of the entire head and the feet, in the same way as for souse. All must be boiled so perfectly tender that the meat will separate easily from, the bones. After neatly separated, chop the meat fine while warm, seasoning with salt, pepper, and other spices, to taste. Put it in a strong bag, place a weight on it and let it remain till cold. Or put it in any convenient dish, placing a plate with a weight on it to press the meat. Cut in slices, roll in flour, and fry in lard.

Boiled Pig's Feet. Take the fore feet, cut off the hocks, clean and scrape them well; place two feet together and roll them up tightly in common mus- lin; tie or sew them so that they will keep in perfect shape, and boil them seven hours on a moderate fire — they will then be very soft; lift them out carefully and let them cool off; then remove the muslin and you will find them like jelly. Serve with vinegar, or split them and roll in bread crumbs or cracker dust, and fry or broil them. Serve with a little tart sauce.

Pig's Foot Cheese. Boil the hocks and feet of equal quantity loose in a pot till the meat will fall freely from the bones; season well with pepper and salt; put into a pan while hot and press it. Cut in slices and serve with vinegar or Worcestershire sauce. Both of the above are great delicacies if properly cooked.

H02 MKATS.

To KOAST A SUCKIXG PlG.

If you can get it when first killed this is of great advantage Let it be scalded, which the dealers usually do; then put some sage, a large piece of stalish bread, salt and pepper in the inside and sew it up. Observe to skewer the legs back, or the underpart will not crisp. Lay it to a brisk fire till thoroughly dry; then have ready some butter in a dry cloth and rub the pig with it in every part. Dredge as much flour over it as will possibly lie, and do not touch it again till ready to serve; then scrape off the flour very carefully with a blunt knife, rub the pig well with a buttered cloth, and take off the head while at the fire; take out the brains and mix them with the gravy that comes from the pig. Then take it up and cut it down the back and breast, lay it into the dish and chop the sage and bread quickly as fine as you can, and mix them with a large quantity of melted butter, that has a very little floui'. Put the sauce into the dish after the pig has been split down the back and garnished with the ears and the two jaws; take off the upper part of the head down to the snout. Li Devonshire it is served whole, if very small, the head only being cut off to garnish with as above. It will require from an hour to an hour and a half to roast, accord- ing to size.

To Cure Hams.

Take coarse salt, with a sprinkle of saltpetre, pepper and sugar; powder and mix ; rub this in well a few times; smoke and wrap closely in paper of four folds or more; pack in dry ashes four inches thick around each ham. They will keep through the hottest of weather and be as good as new.

Make a crust the same as for soda biscuit, line your dish, put in a layer of potatoes, sliced thin, pepper, salt, and a little butter, then a layer of lean ham; add considerable water, and you will have an excellent pie.

MEATS. 303

BpNED Ham; Fine Substitute for Turkey. Take a good salted but unsmoked ham, remove the bone so as to leave the meat as solid as possible. In place of the bone put dressing made same as for turkey, and bake. It is good hot or cold.

Baked Ham.

Make a thick paste of flour (not boiled) and cover the ham with it, bone and all; put in a pan on a spider or two muffin rings, or anything that will keep it g.n inch from the bottom, and bake in a hot oven. If a small ham, fifteen minutes for each pound; if large, twenty minutes. The oven should be hot when put in. The paste forms a hard crust around the ham and the skin comes off with it. Try this and you will never cook a ham any other way.

Smoked Meat on Toast. Take a cold smoked tongue or ham that has been well boiled, and grate it with a coarse grater or mince it fine, mix it with cream and beaten yolk of egg, and let it simmer over the fire. Prepare some nice slices of toast, butter them rather slightly, lay them in a flat dish that has been heated over the fire, and cover each slice with the meat mixture, which should be spread on hot. Place on the table in a covered dish, for either breakfast or supper.

Ham and Eggs.

Cut the ham into thin slices and broil, and spread over it a little butter. Poach the eggs in salted water and lay neatly upon the ham.

Boiled Ham.

Soak twenty -four hours; put into a pot with cold water and boil gently for five or six hours; take it off the fire and let it remain in the water until cold. Peel off the skin and sprinkle with bread or cracker crumbs, and brown in the oven. Slice very thin for the table.

Ham Balls, Take one-half cup of bread crumbs and mix with two eggs well beaten; chop fine some bits of cold boiled ham and mix with them. Make into balls and fry.

Ham Garnishing and Ornamenting. The usual way of finishing a ham, when it is not glazed, is to

draw off the skin carefully, dredge bread raspings all over the fat, and put the ham in the oven to become brown and crisp. Fasten a frill of white paper round the bone, and garnish with parsley or cut vegetables.

To Glaze Hams.

Remove the rind by caking hold of the thick end first. Trim it neatly, put it in the oven for a few minutes; and press a cloth over it to dry it; brush it over with a paste brush dipped in glaze (a strong clear gravy boiled down as thick as syrup). To melt the glaze, put the jar which contains it into a saucepan of boiling water, and stir until dissolved. Brush the ham with two or three coats.

Collared Breast of Veal.

Bone a breast of veal ; lay it on the table and spread on it a thick layer of oyster forcemeat {See oyster forcemeat)', roll the veal as tightly as possible, and bind it with a tape. Put it into boiling water; let it boil up once; skim the liquor carefully; set the sauce- pan back and simmer the contents gently until done; put the bones into a separate saucepan with a moderate-sized onion, a bunch of sweet herbs, and a little pepper and salt; let them simmer till the liquor is strong and pleasantly flavored; strain it, thicken with a little flour and butter, and stir into it two or three tablespoonfuls of thick cream, or, if milk has to be used, beat into it thr ^olk of

MEATS 305

an egg. Serve toe meat on a hot dish with the sauce poured over. This dish may be garnished with forcemeat balls, and with the sweetbreads cut into slices, egged, and bread-crumbed and fried; or a little parsley and sliced lemon may be used instead. The meat may be baked instead of boiled, and then a little weak stock should be put into the pan with it, and it should be basted frequently.

Boiled Breast of Veal.

If the sweetbread is to be boiled with the veal, let it soak in water for a couple of hours; then skewer it to the veal. Put this into a saucepan, with boiling water to cover it; let it boil up, and care- fully remove the scum as it rises; add a handful of chopped parsley, a teaspoonful of pepper-corns, a blade of mace, and a little salt. Draw it back, and then simmer gently until done enough. Serve on a hot dish, and pour a little good onion sauce or parsley sauce over it. Send boiled bacon to the table on a separate dish. The sweetbread may, of course, be dressed separately.

Ragout op Breast of Veal. Take off the under bone, and put the veal into a stewpan with as much boiling stock as will cover it; let the liquor boil up, then add a large carrot, sliced, three onions, a blade of mace, a bunch of sweet herbs, the thin rind of a lemon, and pepper and salt; skim the gravy and simmer it gently until the veal is quite tender- Thicken the gravy till it is of the consistency of sauce, and stir into it the strained juice of a lemon and a glass of sherry or Madeira. Put the veal into a dish, pour the gravy ovei* it, and garnish with savory forcemeat balls and slices of lemon.

Roasted Breast of Veal. If the sweetbread is retained, skewer it to the back; season and cover with a buttered paper. Put it into a moderate oven and baste liberally till it is done. When it is roasted about an hour and a half, remove the paper, flour the joint and let it brown. Serve on a hot dish with melted butter poui-ed over. Garnish with sliced

306 MEATS.

lemon. Forcemeat balls may be served with the veal and mush- room sauce sent to the table with it. Time, twenty minutes to the pound.

Bubble and Squeak of Veal,

Take the remains of cold veal; cut the meat into neat slices; fry them in hot fat; put them where they will keep hot. Take some boiled spinach, fry this, also, and when it is quite hot, pile it on a dish and arrange the pieces of meat around it. Send tomato or any kind of piquant sauce to table with it.

Veal Cake.

Butter a plain earthenware dish or mold; fill it with alternate layers of hard-boiled yolks of eggs, chopped parsley, and veal and ham, minced, seasoned highly, mixed thoroughly and beaten to a smooth paste. Pour a spoonful or two of seasoned stock upon the meat, cover the pan closely and bake in a gentle oven. When done enough, press firmly into the mold, put a plate with a weight upon it, and let it remain untouched until cold. Turn it out, garnish with parsley, and serve for luncheon or supper. Time to bake, about one hour.

Veal Scallop.

Chop fine some cold veal, and put a layer in the bottom of a pudding dish, and season with pepper and salt. Next put a layer of finely powdered crackers, and strew some bits of butter over it and wet with a little milk; then more veal, seasoned as before, and another round of cracker crumbs with butter and milk. When the dish is full, wet well with gravy or broth, and spread over all a thick layer of cracker, seasoned with salt, wet into a paste with milk and a beaten egg or two, and stick bits of butter thickly over it, and cover and bake a half or three-quarters of a hour; then remove the cover and brown nicely.

Calf's Head, Boiled.

Take a calf's head, cut it in two, and take out the brains; wash the head in several waters, and let it soak in warm water for a

MEATS. 307

quarter of an hour. Place it in a saucepan of cold water, and when the water comes to the boil, skim carefully; season when nearly- done. Half a head, without the skin, will require from an hour and a lialf to two hours. It must stew gently till tendei-. If you wish it full-dressed, score it superficially, beat up the yolk of an eggy and rub it over the head with a feather. Powder it with a season- ing of finely-minced or dried and powdered winter savory, thyme, or sage, parsley, pepper and salt, and bread crumbs, and brown in the oven; when dry, pour melted butter over. You may garnish the dish with broiled rashers of bacon.

Calf's Braixs a la Ravigote. Wash the brains in several waters, and free them from skin and fibre; boil them for ten minutes in salt and water mixed with a tablespoonful of vinegar, and when they are firm, cut them in slices, dip them in a batter, and fry them to a light brown. Place them in a circle on a hot dish with a little fried parsley in the centre, and send ravigote sauce [See Savory Sauces) to table with them.