Chapter XV: BAKED MINCED MUTTON (Cold Meat Cookery) (1)

703. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of any joint of cold roast mutton, 1 or 2 onions, 1 bunch of savoury herbs, pepper and salt to taste, 2 blades of pounded mace or nutmeg, 2 tablespoonfuls of gravy, mashed potatoes.

_Mode_.--Mince an onion rather fine, and fry it a light-brown colour; add the herbs and mutton, both of which should be also finely minced and well mixed; season with pepper and salt, and a little pounded mace or nutmeg, and moisten with the above proportion of gravy. Put a layer of mashed potatoes at the bottom of a dish, then the mutton, and then another layer of potatoes, and bake for about 1/2 hour.

_Time_.--1/2 hour. _Average cost_, exclusive of the meat, 4d.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--If there should be a large quantity of meat, use 2 onions instead of 1.

BOILED BREAST OF MUTTON AND CAPER SAUCE.

704. INGREDIENTS.--Breast of mutton, bread crumbs, 2 tablespoonfuls of minced savoury herbs (put a large proportion of parsley), pepper and salt to taste.

_Mode_.--Cut off the superfluous fat; bone it; sprinkle over a layer of bread crumbs, minced herbs, and seasoning; roll, and bind it up firmly. Boil _gently_ for 2 hours, remove the tape, and serve with caper sauce, No. 382, a little of which should be poured over the meat.

_Time_.--2 hours. _Average cost_, 6d. per lb.

_Sufficient_ for 4 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_ all the year.

BOILED LEG OF MUTTON.

705. INGREDIENTS.--Mutton, water, salt.

_Mode_.--A. leg of mutton for boiling should not hang too long, as it will not look a good colour when dressed. Cut off the shank-bone, trim the knuckle, and wash and wipe it very clean; plunge it into sufficient boiling water to cover it; let it boil up, then draw the saucepan to the side of the fire, where it should remain till the finger can be borne in the water. Then place it sufficiently near the fire, that the water may gently simmer, and be very careful that it does not boil fast, or the meat will be hard. Skim well, add a little salt, and in about 2-1/4 hours after the water begins to simmer, a moderate-sized leg of mutton will be done. Serve with carrots and mashed turnips, which may be boiled with the meat, and send caper sauce (No. 382) to table with it in a tureen.

_Time_.--A moderate-sized leg of mutton of 9 lbs., 2-1/4 hours after the water boils; one of 12 lbs., 3 hours.

_Average cost_, 8-1/2d. per lb.

_Sufficient_.--A moderate-sized leg of mutton for 6 or 8 persons.

_Seasonable_ nearly all the year, but not so good in June, July, and August.

_Note_.--When meat is liked very _thoroughly_ cooked, allow more time than stated above. The liquor this joint was boiled in should be converted into soup.

THE GOOD SHEPHERD.--The sheep's complete dependence upon the
shepherd for protection from its numerous enemies is frequently
referred to in the Bible; thus the Psalmist likens himself to a
lost sheep, and prays the Almighty to seek his servant; and our
Saviour, when despatching his twelve chosen disciples to preach
the Gospel amongst their unbelieving brethren, compares them to
lambs going amongst wolves. The shepherd of the East, by kind
treatment, calls forth from his sheep unmistakable signs of
affection. The sheep obey his voice and recognize the names by
which he calls them, and they follow him in and out of the fold.
The beautiful figure of the "good shepherd," which so often
occurs in the New Testament, expresses the tenderness of the
Saviour for mankind. "The good shepherd giveth his life for the
sheep."--_John_, x. 11. "I am the good shepherd, and know my
sheep, and am known by mine."--_John_, x. 14. "And other sheep I
have which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and
they shall hear my voice: and there shall be one fold and one
shepherd."--_John_, x. 16.

BONED LEG OF MUTTON STUFFED.

706. INGREDIENTS.--A small leg of mutton, weighing 6 or 7 lbs., forcemeat, No. 417, 2 shalots finely minced.

_Mode_.--Make a forcemeat by recipe No. 417, to which add 2 finely-minced shalots. Bone the leg of mutton, without spoiling the skin, and cut off a great deal of the fat. Fill the hole up whence the bone was taken, with the forcemeat, and sew it up underneath, to prevent its falling out. Bind and tie it up compactly, and roast it before a nice clear fire for about 2-1/2 hours or rather longer; remove the tape and send it to table with a good gravy. It may be glazed or not, as preferred.

_Time_.--2-1/2 hours, or rather longer. _Average cost_, 4s. 8d.

_Sufficient_ for 6 or 7 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

BRAISED FILLET OF MUTTON, with French Beans.

707. INGREDIENTS.--The chump end of a loin of mutton, buttered paper, French beans, a little glaze, 1 pint of gravy.

_Mode_.--Roll up the mutton in a piece of buttered paper, roast it for 2 hours, and do not allow it to acquire the least colour. Have ready some French beans, boiled, and drained on a sieve; remove the paper from the mutton, glaze it; just heat up the beans in the gravy, and lay them on the dish with the meat over them. The remainder of the gravy may be strained, and sent to table in a tureen.

_Time_.--2 hours. _Average cost_, 8-1/2d. per lb.

_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

VARIOUS QUALITIES OF MUTTON--Mutton is, undoubtedly, the meat
most generally used in families; and, both by connoisseurs and
medical men, it stands first in favour, whether its the favour,
digestible qualifications, or general wholesomeness, be
considered. Of all mutton, that furnished by South-Down sheep is
the most highly esteemed; it is also the dearest, on account of
its scarcity, and the great demand of it. Therefore, if the
housekeeper is told by the butcher that he has not any in his
shop, it should not occasion disappointment to the purchaser.
The London and other markets are chiefly supplied with sheep
called half-breeds, which are a cross between the Down and
Lincoln or Leicester. These half-breeds make a greater weight of
mutton than the true South-Downs, and, for this very desirable
qualification, they are preferred by the great sheep-masters.
The legs of this mutton range from 7 to 11 lbs. in weight; the
shoulders, necks, or loins, about 6 to 9 lbs.; and if care is
taken not to purchase it; the shoulders, necks, or loins, about
8 to 9 lbs.; and it cure is taken not to purchase it too fat, it
will be found the most satisfactory and economical mutton that
can be bought.

BRAISED LEG OF MUTTON.

708. INGREDIENTS.--1 small leg of mutton, 4 carrots, 3 onions, 1 faggot of savoury herbs, a bunch of parsley, seasoning to taste of pepper and salt, a few slices of bacon, a few veal trimmings, 1/2 pint of gravy or water.

_Mode_.--Line the bottom of a braising-pan with a few slices of bacon, put in the carrots, onions, herbs, parsley, and seasoning, and over these place the mutton. Cover the whole with a few more slices of bacon and the veal trimmings, pour in the gravy or water, and stew very gently for 4 hours. Strain the gravy, reduce it to a glaze over a sharp fire, glaze the mutton with it, and send it to table, placed on a dish of white haricot beans boiled tender, or garnished with glazed onions.

_Time_.--4 hours. Average cost, 5s.

_Sufficient_ for 6 or 7 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

THE ORDER OF THE GOLDEN FLEECE.--This order of knighthood was
founded by Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy, in 1429, on the
day of his marriage with the Princess Isabella of Portugal. The
number of the members was originally fixed at thirty-one,
including the sovereign, as the head and chief of the
institution. In 1516, Pope Leo X. consented to increase the
number to fifty-two, including the head. In 1700 the German
emperor Charles VI. and King Philip of Spain both laid claim to
the order. The former, however, on leaving Spain, which he could
not maintain by force of arms, took with him, to Vienna, the
archives of the order, the inauguration of which he solemnized
there in 1713, with great magnificence; but Philip V. of Spain
declared himself Grand Master, and formally protested, at the
congress of Cambrai (1721), against the pretensions of the
emperor. The dispute, though subsequently settled by the
intercession of France, England, and Holland, was frequently
renewed, until the order was tacitly introduced into both
countries, and it now passes by the respective names of the
Spanish or Austrian "Order of the Golden Fleece," according to
the country where it is issued.

AN EXCELLENT WAY TO COOK A BREAST OF MUTTON.

709. INGREDIENTS.--Breast of mutton, 2 onions, salt and pepper to taste, flour, a bunch of savoury herbs, green peas.

_Mode_.--Cut the mutton into pieces about 2 inches square, and let it be tolerably lean; put it into a stewpan, with a little fat or butter, and fry it of a nice brown; then dredge in a little flour, slice the onions, and put it with the herbs in the stewpan; pour in sufficient water _just_ to cover the meat, and simmer the whole gently until the mutton is tender. Take out the meat, strain, and skim off all the fat from the gravy, and put both the meat and gravy back into the stewpan; add about a quart of young green peas, and let them boil gently until done. 2 or 3 slices of bacon added and stewed with the mutton give additional flavour; and, to insure the peas being a beautiful green colour, they may be boiled in water separately, and added to the stew at the moment of serving.

_Time_.--2-1/2 hours.

_Average cost_, 6d. per lb.

_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.

_Seasonable_ from June to August.

NAMES OF ANIMALS SAXON, AND OF THEIR FLESH NORMAN.--The names of
all our domestic animals are of Saxon origin; but it is curious
to observe that Norman names have been given to the different
sorts of flesh which these animals yield. How beautifully this
illustrates the relative position of Saxon and Norman after the
Conquest. The Saxon hind had the charge of tending and feeding
the domestic animals, but only that they might appear on the
table of his Norman lord. Thus 'ox,' 'steer,' 'cow,' are Saxon,
but 'beef' is Norman; 'calf' is Saxon, but 'veal' Norman;
'sheep' is Saxon, but 'mutton' Norman; so it is severally with
'deer' and 'venison,' 'swine' and 'pork,' 'fowl' and 'pullet.'
'Bacon,' the only flesh which, perhaps, ever came within his
reach, is the single exception.

BROILED MUTTON AND TOMATO SAUCE (Cold Meat Cookery).

710. INGREDIENTS.--A few slices of cold mutton, tomato sauce, No. 529.

_Mode_.--Cut some nice slices from a cold leg or shoulder of mutton; season them with pepper and salt, and broil over a clear fire. Make some tomato sauce by recipe No. 529, pour it over the mutton, and serve. This makes an excellent dish, and must be served very hot.

_Time_.--About 5 minutes to broil the mutton.

_Seasonable_ in September and October, when tomatoes are plentiful and seasonable.

SHEPHERDS AND THEIR FLOCKS.--The shepherd's crook is older than
either the husbandman's plough or the warrior's sword. We are
told that Abel was a keeper of sheep. Many passages in holy writ
enable us to appreciate the pastoral riches of the first eastern
nations; and we can form an idea of the number of their flocks,
when we read that Jacob gave the children of Hamor a hundred
sheep for the price of a field, and that the king of Israel
received a hundred thousand every year from the king of Moab,
his tributary, and a like number of rams covered with their
fleece. The tendency which most sheep have to ramble, renders it
necessary for them to be attended by a shepherd. To keep a flock
within bounds, is no easy task; but the watchful shepherd
manages to accomplish it without harassing the sheep. In the
Highlands of Scotland, where the herbage is scanty, the
sheep-farm requires to be very large, and to be watched over by
many shepherds. The farms of some of the great Scottish
landowners are of enormous extent. "How many sheep have you on
your estate?" asked Prince Esterhazy of the duke of Argyll. "I
have not the most remote idea," replied the duke; "but I know
the shepherds number several thousands."

BROILED MUTTON CHOPS.

711. INGREDIENTS.--Loin of mutton, pepper and salt, a small piece of butter.

_Mode_.--Cut the chops from a well-hung tender loin of mutton, remove a portion of the fat, and trim them into a nice shape; slightly beat and level them; place the gridiron over a bright clear fire, rub the bars with a little fat, and lay on the chops. Whilst broiling, frequently turn them, and in about 8 minutes they will be done. Season with pepper and salt, dish them on a very hot dish, rub a small piece of butter on each chop, and serve very hot and expeditiously.

_Time_.--About 8 minutes. _Average cost_, 10d. per lb.

_Sufficient_.--Allow 1 chop to each person.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

CHINA CHILO.

712. INGREDIENTS.--1-1/2 lb. of leg, loin, or neck of mutton, 2 onions, 2 lettuces, 1 pint of green peas, 1 teaspoonful of salt, 1 teaspoonful of pepper, 1/4 pint of water, 1/4 lb. of clarified butter; when liked, a little cayenne.

_Mode_.--Mince the above quantity of undressed leg, loin, or neck of mutton, adding a little of the fat, also minced; put it into a stewpan with the remaining ingredients, previously shredding the lettuce and onion rather fine; closely cover the stewpan, after the ingredients have been well stirred, and simmer gently for rather more than 2 hours. Serve in a dish, with a border of rice round, the same as for curry.

_Time_.--Rather more than 2 hours. _Average cost_, 1s. 6d.

_Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons.

_Seasonable_ from June to August.

CURRIED MUTTON (Cold Meat Cookery).

713. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of any joint of cold mutton, 2 onions, 1/4 lb. of butter, 1 dessertspoonful of curry powder, 1 dessertspoonful of flour, salt to taste, 1/4 pint of stock or water.

_Mode_.--Slice the onions in thin rings, and put them into a stewpan with the butter, and fry of a light brown; stir in the curry powder, flour, and salt, and mix all well together. Cut the meat into nice thin slices (if there is not sufficient to do this, it may be minced), and add it to the other ingredients; when well browned, add the stock or gravy, and stew gently for about 1/2 hour. Serve in a dish with a border of boiled rice, the same as for other curries.

_Time_.--1/2 hour.

_Average cost_, exclusive of the meat, 6d.

_Seasonable_ in winter.

CUTLETS OF COLD MUTTON (Cold Meat Cookery).

714. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of cold loin or neck of mutton, 1 egg, bread crumbs, brown gravy (No. 436), or tomato sauce (No. 529).

_Mode_.--Cut the remains of cold loin or neck of mutton into cutlets, trim them, and take away a portion of the fat, should there be too much; dip them in beaten egg, and sprinkle with bread crumbs, and fry them a nice brown in hot dripping. Arrange them on a dish, and pour round them either a good gravy or hot tomato sauce.

_Time_.--About 7 minutes.

_Seasonable_.--Tomatoes to be had most reasonably in September and October.

DORMERS.

715. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 lb. of cold mutton, 2 oz. of beef suet, pepper and salt to taste, 3 oz. of boiled rice, 1 egg, bread crumbs, made gravy.

_Mode_.--Chop the meat, suet, and rice finely; mix well together, and add a high seasoning of pepper and salt, and roll into sausages; cover them with egg and bread crumbs, and fry in hot dripping of a nice brown. Serve in a dish with made gravy poured round them, and a little in a tureen.

_Time_.--1/2 hour to fry the sausages.

_Average cost_, exclusive of the meat, 6d.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

THE GOLDEN FLEECE.--The ancient fable of the Golden Fleece may
be thus briefly told:--Phryxus, a son of Athamus, king of
Thebes, to escape the persecutions of his stepmother Ino, paid a
visit to his friend Aeetes, king of Colchis. A ram, whose fleece
was of pure gold, carried the youth through the air in a most
obliging manner to the court of his friend. When safe At
Colchis, Phryxus offered the ram on the altars of Mars, and
pocketed the fleece. The king received him with great kindness,
and gave him his daughter Chalciope in marriage; but, some time
after, he murdered him in order to obtain possession of the
precious fleece. The murder of Phryxus was amply revenged by the
Greeks. It gave rise to the famous Argonautic expedition,
undertaken by Jason and fifty of the most celebrated heroes of
Greece. The Argonauts recovered the fleece by the help of the
celebrated sorceress Medea, daughter of Aeetes, who fell
desperately in love with the gallant but faithless Jason. In the
story of the voyage of the Argo, a substratum of truth probably
exists, though overlaid by a mass of fiction. The ram which
carried Phryxus to Colchis is by some supposed to have been the
name of the ship in which he embarked. The fleece of gold is
thought to represent the immense treasures he bore away from
Thebes. The alchemists of the fifteenth century were firmly
convinced that the Golden Fleece was a treatise on the
transmutation of metals, written on sheepskin.

HARICOT MUTTON.

I.

716. INGREDIENTS.--4 lbs. of the middle or best end of the neck of mutton, 3 carrots, 3 turnips, 3 onions, popper and salt to taste, 1 tablespoonful of ketchup or Harvey's sauce.

_Mode_.--Trim off some of the fat, cut the mutton into rather thin chops, and put them into a frying-pan with the fat trimmings. Fry of a pale brown, but do not cook them enough for eating. Cut the carrots and turnips into dice, and the onions into slices, and slightly fry them in the same fat that the mutton was browned in, but do not allow them to take any colour. Now lay the mutton at the bottom of a stewpan, then the vegetables, and pour over them just sufficient boiling water to cover the whole. Give one boil, skim well, and then set the pan on the side of the fire to simmer gently until the meat is tender. Skim off every particle of fat, add a seasoning of pepper and salt, and a little ketchup, and serve. This dish is very much better if made the day before it is wanted for table, as the fat can be so much more easily removed when the gravy is cold. This should be particularly attended to, as it is apt to be rather rich and greasy if eaten the same day it is made. It should be served in rather a deep dish.

_Time_.--2-1/2 hours to simmer gently.

_Average cost_, for this quantity, 3s.

_Sufficient_ for 6 or 7 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

II.

717. INGREDIENTS.--Breast or scrag of mutton, flour, pepper and salt to taste, 1 large onion, 3 cloves, a bunch of savoury herbs, 1 blade of mace, carrots and turnips, sugar.

_Mode_.--Cut the mutton into square pieces, and fry them a nice colour; then dredge over them a little flour and a seasoning of pepper and salt. Put all into a stewpan, and moisten with boiling water, adding the onion, stuck with 3 cloves, the mace, and herbs. Simmer gently till the meat is nearly done, skim off all the fat, and then add the carrots and turnips, which should previously be cut in dice and fried in a little sugar to colour them. Let the whole simmer again for 10 minutes; take out the onion and bunch of herbs, and serve.

_Time_.--About 3 hours to simmer.

_Average cost_, 6d. per lb.

_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

HARICOT MUTTON (Cold Meat Cookery).

718. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of cold neck or loin of mutton, 2 oz. of butter, 3 onions, 1 dessertspoonful of flour, 1/2 pint of good gravy, pepper and salt to taste, 2 tablespoonfuls of port wine, 1 tablespoonful of mushroom ketchup, 2 carrots, 2 turnips, 1 head of celery.

_Mode_.--Cut the cold mutton into moderate-sized chops, and take off the fat; slice the onions, and fry them with the chops, in a little butter, of a nice brown colour; stir in the flour, add the gravy, and let it stew gently nearly an hour. In the mean time boil the vegetables until _nearly_ tender, slice them, and add them to the mutton about 1/4 hour before it is to be served. Season with pepper and salt, add the ketchup and port wine, give one boil, and serve.

_Time_.--1 hour.

_Average cost_, exclusive of the cold meat, 9d.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

HASHED MUTTON.

719. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of cold roast shoulder or leg of mutton, 6 whole peppers, 6 whole allspice, a faggot of savoury herbs, 1/2 head of celery, 1 onion, 2 oz. of butter, flour.

_Mode_.--Cut the meat in nice even slices from the bones, trimming off all superfluous fat and gristle; chop the bones and fragments of the joint, put them into a stewpan with the pepper, spice, herbs, and celery; cover with water, and simmer for 1 hour. Slice and fry the onion of a nice pale-brown colour, dredge in a little flour to make it thick, and add this to the bones, &c. Stew for 1/4 hour, strain the gravy, and let it cool; then skim off every particle of fat, and put it, with the meat, into a stewpan. Flavour with ketchup, Harvey's sauce; tomato sauce, or any flavouring that may be preferred, and let the meat gradually warm through, but not boil, or it will harden. To hash meat properly, it should be laid in cold gravy, and only left on the fire just long enough to warm through.

_Time_.--1-1/2 hour to simmer the gravy.

_Average cost_, exclusive of the meat, 4d.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

HASHED MUTTON.--Many persons express a decided aversion to
hashed mutton; and, doubtless, this dislike has arisen from the
fact that they have unfortunately never been properly served
with this dish. If properly done, however, the meat tender (it
ought to be as tender as when first roasted), the gravy abundant
and well flavoured, and the sippets nicely toasted, and the
whole served neatly; then, hashed mutton is by no means to be
despised, and is infinitely more wholesome and appetizing than
the cold leg or shoulder, of which fathers and husbands, and
their bachelor friends, stand in such natural awe.

HODGE-PODGE (Cold Meat Cookery).

720. INGREDIENTS.--About 1 lb. of underdone cold mutton, 2 lettuces, 1 pint of green peas, 5 or 6 green onions, 2 oz. of butter, pepper and salt to taste, 1/2 teacupful of water.

_Mode_.--Mince the mutton, and cut up the lettuces and onions in slices. Put these in a stewpan, with all the ingredients except the peas, and let these simmer very gently for 3/4 hour, keeping them well stirred. Boil the peas separately, mix these with the mutton, and serve very hot.

_Time_.--3/4 hour.

_Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons.

_Seasonable_ from the end of May to August.

IRISH STEW.

I.

721. INGREDIENTS.--3 lbs. of the loin or neck of mutton, 5 lbs. of potatoes, 5 large onions, pepper and salt to taste, rather more than 1 pint of water.

_Mode_.--Trim off some of the fat of the above quantity of loin or neck of mutton, and cut it into chops of a moderate thickness. Pare and halve the potatoes, and cut the onions into thick slices. Put a layer of potatoes at the bottom of a stewpan, then a layer of mutton and onions, and season with pepper and salt; proceed in this manner until the stewpan is full, taking care to have plenty of vegetables at the top. Pour in the water, and let it stew very gently for 2-1/2 hours, keeping the lid of the stewpan closely shut the _whole_ time, and occasionally shaking it to prevent its burning.

_Time_.--2-1/2 hours.

_Average cost_, for this quantity, 2s. 8d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_.--More suitable for a winter dish.

II.

722. INGREDIENTS.--2 or 3 lbs. of the breast of mutton, 1-1/2 pint of water, salt and pepper to taste, 4 lbs. of potatoes, 4 large onions.

_Mode_.--Put the mutton into a stewpan with the water and a little salt, and let it stew gently for an hour; cut the meat into small pieces, skim the fat from the gravy, and pare and slice the potatoes and onions. Put all the ingredients into the stewpan in layers, first a layer of vegetables, then one of meat, and sprinkle seasoning of pepper and salt between each layer; cover closely, and let the whole stew very gently for 1 hour of rather more, shaking it frequently to prevent its burning.

_Time_.--Rather more than 2 hours. _Average cost_, 1s, 6d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_.--Suitable for a winter dish.

_Note_.--Irish stew may be prepared in the same manner as above, but baked in a jar instead of boiled. About 2 hours or rather more in a moderate oven will be sufficient time to bake it.

ITALIAN MUTTON CUTLETS.

723. INGREDIENTS.--About 3 lbs. of the neck of mutton, clarified butter, the yolk of 1 egg, 4 tablespoonfuls of bread crumbs, 1 tablespoonful of minced savoury herbs, 1 tablespoonful of minced parsley, 1 teaspoonful of minced shalot, 1 saltspoonful of finely-chopped lemon-peel; pepper, salt, and pounded mace to taste; flour, 1/2 pint of hot broth or water, 2 teaspoonfuls of Harvey's sauce, 1 teaspoonful of soy, 2 teaspoonfuls of tarragon vinegar, 1 tablespoonful of port wine.

_Mode_.--Cut the mutton into nicely-shaped cutlets, flatten them, and trim off some of the fat, dip them in clarified butter, and then, into the beaten yolk of an egg. Mix well together bread crumbs, herbs, parsley, shalot, lemon-peel, and seasoning in the above proportion, and cover the cutlets with these ingredients. Melt some butter in a frying-pan, lay in the cutlets, and fry them a nice brown; take them, out, and keep them hot before the fire. Dredge some flour into the pan, and if there is not sufficient butter, add a little more; stir till it looks brown, then pour in the hot broth or water, and the remaining ingredients; give one boil, and pour round the cutlets. If the gravy should not be thick enough, add a little more flour. Mushrooms, when obtainable, are a great improvement to this dish, and when not in season, mushroom-powder may be substituted for them.

_Time_.--10 minutes;--rather longer, should the cutlets be very thick.

_Average cost_, 2s. 9d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

THE DOWNS.--The well-known substance chalk, which the chemist
regards as a nearly pure carbonate of lime, and the microscopist
as an aggregation of inconceivably minute shells and corals,
forms the sub-soil of the hilly districts of the south-east of
England. The chalk-hills known as the South Downs start from the
bold promontory of Beachy Head, traverse the county of Sussex
from east to west, and pass through Hampshire into Surrey. The
North Downs extend from Godalming, by Godstone, into Kent, and
terminate in the line of cliffs which stretches from Dover to
Ramsgate. The Downs are clothed with short verdant turf; but the
layer of soil which rests upon the chalk is too thin to support
trees and shrubs. The hills have rounded summits, and their
smooth, undulated outlines are unbroken save by the sepulchral
monuments of the early inhabitants of the country. The coombes
and furrows, which ramify and extend into deep valleys, appear
like dried-up channels of streams and rivulets. From time
immemorial, immense flocks of sheep have been reared on these
downs. The herbage of these hills is remarkably nutritious; and
whilst the natural healthiness of the climate, consequent on the
dryness of the air and the moderate elevation of the land, is
eminently favourable to rearing a superior race of sheep, the
arable land in the immediate neighbourhood of the Downs affords
the means of a supply of other food, when the natural produce of
the hills fails. The mutton of the South-Down breed of sheep is
highly valued for its delicate flavour, and the wool for its
fineness; but the best specimens of this breed, when imported
from England into the West Indies, become miserably lean in the
course of a year or two, and their woolly fleece gives place to
a covering of short, crisp, brownish hair.

BROILED KIDNEYS (a Breakfast or Supper Dish).

724. INGREDIENTS.--Sheep kidneys, pepper and salt to taste.

_Mode_.--Ascertain that the kidneys are fresh, and cut them open very evenly, lengthwise, down to the root, for should one half be thicker than the other, one would be underdone whilst the other would be dried, but do not separate them; skin them, and pass a skewer under the white part of each half to keep them flat, and broil over a nice clear fire, placing the inside downwards; turn them when done enough on one side, and cook them on the other. Remove the skewers, place the kidneys on a very hot dish, season with pepper and salt, and put a tiny piece of butter in the middle of each; serve very hot and quickly, and send very hot plates to table.

_Time_.--6 to 8 minutes.

_Average cost_, 1-1/2d. each.

_Sufficient_.--Allow 1 for each person.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--A prettier dish than the above may be made by serving the kidneys each on a piece of buttered toast out in any fanciful shape. In this case a little lemon-juice will be found an improvement.

FRIED KIDNEYS.

725. INGREDIENTS.--Kidneys, butter, pepper and salt to taste.

_Mode_.--Cut the kidneys open without quite dividing them, remove the skin, and put a small piece of butter in the frying-pan. When the butter is melted, lay in the kidneys the flat side downwards, and fry them for 7 or 8 minutes, turning them when they are half-done. Serve on a piece of dry toast, season with pepper and salt, and put a small piece of butter in each kidney; pour the gravy from the pan over them, and serve very hot.

_Time_.--7 or 8 minutes.

_Average cost_, 1-1/2d. each.

_Sufficient_.--Allow 1 kidney to each person.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

ROAST HAUNCH OF MUTTON.

726. INGREDIENTS.--Haunch of mutton, a little salt, flour.

_Mode_.--Let this joint hang as long as possible without becoming tainted, and while hanging dust flour over it, which keeps off the flies, and prevents the air from getting to it. If not well hung, the joint, when it comes to table, will neither do credit to the butcher or the cook, as it will not be tender. Wash the outside well, lest it should have a bad flavour from keeping; then flour it and put it down to a nice brisk fire, at some distance, so that it may gradually warm through. Keep continually basting, and about 1/2 hour before it is served, draw it nearer to the fire to get nicely brown. Sprinkle a little fine salt over the meat, pour off the dripping, add a little boiling water slightly salted, and strain this over the joint. Place a paper ruche on the bone, and send red-currant jelly and gravy in a tureen to table with it.

_Time_.--About 4 hours.

_Average cost_, 10d. per lb.

_Sufficient_ for 8 to 10 persons.

_Seasonable_.--In best season from September to March.

HOW TO BUY MEAT ECONOMICALLY.--If the housekeeper is not very
particular as to the precise joints to cook for dinner, there is
oftentimes an opportunity for her to save as much money in her
purchases of meat as will pay for the bread to eat with it. It
often occurs, for instance, that the butcher may have a
superfluity of certain joints, and these he would be glad to get
rid of at a reduction of sometimes as much as 1d. or 1-1/2d. per
lb., and thus, in a joint of 8 or 9 lbs., will be saved enough
to buy 2 quartern loaves. It frequently happens with many
butchers, that, in consequence of a demand for legs and loins of
mutton, they have only shoulders left, and these they will be
glad to sell at a reduction.

ROAST LEG OF MUTTON.

727. INGREDIENTS.--Leg of mutton, a little salt.

_Mode_.--As mutton, when freshly killed, is never tender, hang it almost as long as it will keep; flour it, and put it in a cool airy place for a few days, if the weather will permit. Wash off the flour, wipe it very dry, and cut off the shank-bone; put it down to a brisk clear fire, dredge with flour, and keep continually basting the whole time it is cooking. About 20 minutes before serving, draw it near the fire to get nicely brown; sprinkle over it a little salt, dish the meat, pour off the dripping, add some boiling water slightly salted, strain it over the joint, and serve.

_Time_.--A leg of mutton weighing 10 lbs., about 2-1/4 or 2-1/2 hours; one of 7 lbs., about 2 hours, or rather less.

_Average cost_, 8-1/2d. per lb.

_Sufficient_.--A moderate-sized leg of mutton sufficient for 6 or 8 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time, but not so good in June, July, and August.

ROAST LOIN OF MUTTON.

728. INGREDIENTS.--Loin of mutton, a little salt.

_Mode_.--Cut and trim off the superfluous fat, and see that the butcher joints the meat properly, as thereby much annoyance is saved to the carver, when it comes to table. Have ready a nice clear fire (it need not be a very wide large one), put down the meat, dredge with flour, and baste well until it is done. Make the gravy as for roast leg of mutton, and serve very hot.

_Time_.--A loin of mutton weighing 6 lbs., 1-1/2 hour, or rather longer.

_Average cost_, 8-1/2d. per lb. _Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

ROLLED LOIN OF MUTTON (Very Excellent).

729. INGREDIENTS.--About 6 lbs. of a loin of mutton, 1/2 teaspoonful of pepper, 1/4 teaspoonful of pounded allspice, 1/4 teaspoonful of mace, 1/4 teaspoonful of nutmeg, 6 cloves, forcemeat No. 417, 1 glass of port wine, 2 tablespoonfuls of mushroom ketchup.

_Mode_.--Hang the mutton till tender, bone it, and sprinkle over it pepper, mace, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg in the above proportion, all of which must be pounded very fine. Let it remain for a day, then make a forcemeat by recipe No. 417, cover the meat with it, and roll and bind it up firmly. Half bake it in a slow oven, let it grow cold, take off the fat, and put the gravy into a stewpan; flour the meat, put it in the gravy, and stew it till perfectly tender. Now take out the meat, unbind it, add to the gravy wine and ketchup as above, give one boil, and pour over the meat. Serve with red-currant jelly; and, if obtainable, a few mushrooms stewed for a few minutes in the gravy, will be found a great improvement.

_Time_.--1-1/2 hour to bake the meat, 1-1/2 hour to stew gently.

_Average cost_, 4s. 9d. _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--This joint will be found very nice if rolled and stuffed, as here directed, and plainly roasted. It should be well basted, and served with a good gravy and currant jelly.

BOILED NECK OF MUTTON.

730. INGREDIENTS.--4 lbs. of the middle, or best end of the neck of mutton; a little salt.

_Mode_.--Trim off a portion of the fat, should there be too much, and if it is to look particularly nice, the chine-bone should be sawn down, the ribs stripped halfway down, and the ends of the bones chopped off; this is, however, not necessary. Put the meat into sufficient _boiling_ water to cover it; when it boils, add a little salt and remove all the scum. Draw the saucepan to the side of the fire, and let the water get so cool that the finger may be borne in it; then simmer very _slowly_ and gently until the meat is done, which will be in about 1-1/2 hour, or rather more, reckoning from the time that it begins to simmer.

Serve with turnips and caper sauce, No. 382, and pour a little of it over the meat. The turnips should be boiled with the mutton; and, when at hand, a few carrots will also be found an improvement. These, however, if very large and thick, must be cut into long thinnish pieces, or they will not be sufficiently done by the time the mutton is ready. Garnish the dish with carrots and turnips placed alternately round the mutton.

_Time_.--4 lbs. of the neck of mutton, about 1-1/2 hour.

_Average cost_, 8-1/2 d. per lb.

_Sufficient_ for 6 or 7 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

THE POETS ON SHEEP.--The keeping of flocks seems to have been
the first employment of mankind; and the most ancient sort of
poetry was probably pastoral. The poem known as the Pastoral
gives a picture of the life of the simple shepherds of the
golden age, who are supposed to have beguiled their time in
singing. In all pastorals, repeated allusions are made to the
"fleecy flocks," the "milk-white lambs," and "the tender ewes;"
indeed, the sheep occupy a position in these poems inferior only
to that of the shepherds who tend them. The "nibbling sheep" has
ever been a favourite of the poets, and has supplied them with
figures and similes without end. Shakspere frequently compares
men to sheep. When Gloster rudely drives the lieutenant from the
side of Henry VI., the poor king thus touchingly speaks of his
helplessness;--

"So flies the reckless shepherd from the wolf:
So first the harmless sheep doth yield his fleece,
And next his throat, unto the butcher's knife."

In the "Two Gentlemen of Verona," we meet with the following
humorous comparison:--

"_Proteus_. The sheep for fodder follow the shepherd, the
shepherd for food follows not the sheep: thou for wages
followest thy master, thy master for wages follows not thee;
therefore, thou art a sheep.

"_Speed_. Such another proof will make me cry _baa_."

The descriptive poets give us some charming pictures of sheep.
Every one is familiar with the sheep-shearing scene in Thomson's
"Seasons:"--

"Heavy and dripping, to the breezy brow
Slow move the harmless race; where, as they spread
Their dwelling treasures to the sunny ray,
Inly disturb'd, and wond'ring what this wild
Outrageous tumult means, their loud complaints
The country fill; and, toss'd from rock to rock,
Incessant bleatings run around the hills."

What an exquisite idea of stillness is conveyed in the
oft-quoted line from Gray's "Elegy:"--

"And drowsy tinklings lull the distant fold."

From Dyer's quaint poem of "The Fleece" we could cull a hundred
passages relating to sheep; but we have already exceeded our
space. We cannot, however, close this brief notice of the
allusions that have been made to sheep by our poets, without
quoting a couple of verses from Robert Burns's "Elegy on Poor
Mailie," his only "pet _yowe_:"--

"Thro' a' the town she troll'd by him;
A lang half-mile she could descry him;
Wi' kindly bleat, when she did spy him.
She ran wi' speed;
A friend mair faithfu' ne'er cam' nigh him
Than Mailie dead.

"I wat she was a sheep o' sense.
An' could behave hersel' wi' mense;
I'll say't, she never brak a fence,
Thro' thievish greed.
Our bardie, lanely, keeps the spence,
Sin' Mailie's dead."

MUTTON COLLOPS (Cold Meat Cookery).

731. INGREDIENTS.--A few slices of a cold leg or loin of mutton, salt and pepper to taste, 1 blade of pounded mace, 1 small bunch of savoury herbs minced very fine, 2 or 3 shalots, 2 or 3 oz. of butter, 1 dessertspoonful of flour, 1/2 pint of gravy, 1 tablespoonful of lemon-juice.

_Mode_.--Cut some very thin slices from a leg or the chump end of a loin of mutton; sprinkle them with pepper, salt, pounded mace, minced savoury herbs, and minced shalot; fry them in butter, stir in a dessertspoonful of flour, add the gravy and lemon-juice, simmer very gently about 5 or 7 minutes, and serve immediately.

_Time_.--5 to 7 minutes.

_Average cost_, exclusive of the meat, 6d.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

MUTTON CUTLETS WITH MASHED POTATOES.

732. INGREDIENTS.--About 3 lbs. of the best end of the neck of mutton, salt and pepper to taste, mashed potatoes.

_Mode_.--Procure a well-hung neck of mutton, saw off about 3 inches of the top of the bones, and cut the cutlets of a moderate thickness. Shape them by chopping off the thick part of the chine-bone; beat them flat with a cutlet-chopper, and scrape quite clean, a portion of the top of the bone. Broil them over a nice clear fire for about 7 or 8 minutes, and turn them frequently. Have ready some smoothly-mashed white potatoes; place these in the middle of the dish; when the cutlets are done, season with pepper and salt; arrange them round the potatoes, with the thick end of the cutlets downwards, and serve very hot and quickly. (See Coloured Plate.)

_Time_.--7 or 8 minutes. _Average cost_, for this quantity, 2s. 4d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--Cutlets may be served in various ways; with peas, tomatoes, onions, sauce piquante, &c.

MUTTON PIE (Cold Meat Cookery).

733. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of a cold leg, loin, or neck of mutton, pepper and salt to taste, 2 blades of pounded mace, 1 dessertspoonful of chopped parsley, 1 teaspoonful of minced savoury herbs; when liked, a little minced onion or shalot; 3 or 4 potatoes, 1 teacupful of gravy; crust.

_Mode_.--Cold mutton may be made into very good pies if well seasoned and mixed with a few herbs; if the leg is used, cut it into very thin slices; if the loin or neck, into thin cutlets. Place some at the bottom of the dish; season well with pepper, salt, mace, parsley, and herbs; then put a layer of potatoes sliced, then more mutton, and so on till the dish is full; add the gravy, cover with a crust, and bake for 1 hour.

_Time_.--1 hour.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--The remains of an underdone leg of mutton may be converted into a very good family pudding, by cutting the meat into slices, and putting them into a basin lined with a suet crust. It should be seasoned well with pepper, salt, and minced shalot, covered with a crust, and boiled for about 3 hours.

MUTTON PIE.

734. INGREDIENTS.--2 lbs. of the neck or loin of mutton, weighed after being boned; 2 kidneys, pepper and salt to taste, 2 teacupfuls of gravy or water, 2 tablespoonfuls of minced parsley; when liked, a little minced onion or shalot; puff crust.

_Mode_.--Bone the mutton, and cut the meat into steaks all of the same thickness, and leave but very little fat. Cut up the kidneys, and arrange these with the meat neatly in a pie-dish; sprinkle over them the minced parsley and a seasoning of pepper and salt; pour in the gravy, and cover with a tolerably good puff crust. Bake for 1-1/2 hour, or rather longer, should the pie be very large, and let the oven be rather brisk. A well-made suet crust may be used instead of puff crust, and will be found exceedingly good.

_Time_.--1-1/2 hour, or rather longer. _Average cost_, 2s.

_Sufficient_ for 6 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

MUTTON PUDDING.

735. INGREDIENTS.--About 2 lbs. of the chump end of the loin of mutton, weighed after being boned; pepper and salt to taste, suet crust made with milk (see Pastry), in the proportion of 6 oz. of suet to each pound of flour; a very small quantity of minced onion (this may be omitted when the flavour is not liked).

_Mode_.--Cut the meat into rather thin slices, and season them with pepper and salt; line the pudding-dish with crust; lay in the meat, and nearly, but do not quite, fill it up with water; when the flavour is liked, add a small quantity of minced onion; cover with crust, and proceed in the same manner as directed in recipe No. 605, using the same kind of pudding-dish as there mentioned.

_Time_.--About 3 hours. _Average cost_, 1s. 9d.

_Sufficient_ for 6 persons.

_Seasonable_ all the year, but more suitable in winter.

RAGOUT OF COLD NECK OF MUTTON (Cold Meat Cookery).

736. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of a cold neck or loin of mutton, 2 oz. of butter, a little flour, 2 onions sliced, 1/4 pint of water, 2 small carrots, 2 turnips, pepper and salt to taste.

_Mode_.--Cut the mutton into small chops, and trim off the greater portion of the fat; put the butter into a stewpan, dredge in a little flour, add the sliced onions, and keep stirring till brown; then put in the meat. When this is quite brown, add the water, and the carrots and turnips, which should be cut into very thin slices; season with pepper and salt, and stew till quite tender, which will be in about 3/4 hour. When in season, green peas may be substituted for the carrots and turnips: they should be piled in the centre of the dish, and the chops laid round.

_Time_.--3/4 hour. _Average cost_, exclusive of the meat, 4d.

_Seasonable_, with peas, from June to August.

ROAST NECK OF MUTTON.

737. INGREDIENTS.--Neck of mutton; a little salt.

_Mode_.--For roasting, choose the middle, or the best end, of the neck of mutton, and if there is a very large proportion of fat, trim off some of it, and save it for making into suet puddings, which will be found exceedingly good. Let the bones be cut short and see that it is properly jointed before it is laid down to the fire, as they will be more easily separated when they come to table. Place the joint at a nice brisk fire, dredge it with flour, and keep continually basting until done. A few minutes before serving, draw it nearer the the fire to acquire a nice colour, sprinkle over it a little salt, pour off the dripping, add a little boiling water slightly salted, strain this over the meat and serve. Red-currant jelly may be sent to table with it.

_Time_.--4 lbs. of the neck of mutton, rather more than 1 hour.

_Average cost_, 8-1/2d. per lb.

_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

WOOLLEN MANUFACTURES.--The distinction between hair and wool is
rather arbitrary than natural, consisting in the greater or less
degrees of fineness, softness and pliability of the fibres.
When the fibres possess these properties so far as to admit of
their being spun and woven into a texture sufficiently pliable
to be used as an article of dress, they are called wool. The
sheep, llama, Angora goat, and the goat of Thibet, are the
animals from which most of the wool used in manufactures is
obtained. The finest of all wools is that from the goat of
Thibet, of which the Cashmere shawls are made. Of European
wools, the finest is that yielded by the Merino sheep, the
Spanish and Saxon breeds taking the precedence. The Merino
sheep, as now naturalized in Australia, furnishes an excellent
fleece; but all varieties of sheep-wool, reared either in Europe
or Australia are inferior in softness of feel to that grown in
India, and to that of the llama of the Andes. The best of our
British wools are inferior in fineness to any of the
above-mentioned, being nearly twelve times the thickness of the
finest Spanish merino; but for the ordinary purposes of the
manufacturer, they are unrivalled.

ROAST SADDLE OF MUTTON.

738. INGREDIENTS.--Saddle of mutton; a little salt.

_Mode_.--To insure this joint being tender, let it hang for ten days or a fortnight, if the weather permits. Cut off the tail and flaps and trim away every part that has not indisputable pretensions to be eaten, and have the skin taken off and skewered on again. Put it down to a bright, clear fire, and, when the joint has been cooking for an hour, remove the skin and dredge it with flour. It should not be placed too near the fire, as the fat should not be in the slightest degree burnt. Keep constantly basting, both before and after the skin is removed; sprinkle some salt over the joint. Make a little gravy in the dripping-pan; pour it over the meat, which send to table with a tureen of made gravy and red-currant jelly.

_Time_.--A saddle of mutton weighing 10 lbs., 2-1/2 hours; 14 lbs., 3-1/4 hours. When liked underdone, allow rather less time.

_Average cost_, 10d. per lb.

_Sufficient_.--A moderate-sized saddle of 10 lbs. for 7 or 8 persons.

_Seasonable_ all the year; not so good when lamb is in full season.

ROAST SHOULDER OF MUTTON.

739. INGREDIENTS.--Shoulder of mutton; a little salt.

_Mode_.--Put the joint down to a bright, clear fire; flour it well, and keep continually basting. About 1/4 hour before serving, draw it near the fire, that the outside may acquire a nice brown colour, but not sufficiently near to blacken the fat. Sprinkle a little fine salt over the meat, empty the dripping-pan of its contents, pour in a little boiling water slightly salted, and strain this over the joint. Onion sauce, or stewed Spanish onions, are usually sent to table with this dish, and sometimes baked potatoes.

_Time_.--A shoulder of mutton weighing 6 or 7 lbs., 1-1/2 hour.

_Average cost_, 8d. per lb.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note_.--Shoulder of mutton may be dressed in a variety of ways; boiled, and served with onion sauce; boned, and stuffed with a good veal forcemeat; or baked, with sliced potatoes in the dripping-pan.

THE ETTRICK SHEPHERD.--James Hogg was perhaps the most
remarkable man that ever wore the _maud_ of a shepherd. Under
the garb, aspect, and bearing of a rude peasant (and rude enough
he was in most of these things, even after no inconsiderable
experience of society), the world soon discovered a true poet.
He taught himself to write, by copying the letters of a printed
book as he lay watching his flock on the hillside, and believed
that he had reached the utmost pitch of his ambition when he
first found that his artless rhymes could touch the heart of the
ewe-milker who partook the shelter of his mantle during the
passing storm. If "the shepherd" of Professor Wilson's "Noctes
Ambrosianae" may be taken as a true portrait of James Hogg, we
must admit that, for quaintness of humour, the poet of Ettrick
Forest had few rivals. Sir Walter Scott said that Hogg's
thousand little touches of absurdity afforded him more
entertainment than the best comedy that ever set the pit in a
roar. Among the written productions of the shepherd-poet, is an
account of his own experiences in sheep-tending, called "The
Shepherd's Calender." This work contains a vast amount of useful
information upon sheep, their diseases, habits, and management.
The Ettrick Shepherd died in 1835.

SHEEP'S BRAINS, EN MATELOTE (an Entree).

740. INGREDIENTS.--6 sheep's brains, vinegar, salt, a few slices of bacon, 1 small onion, 2 cloves, a small bunch of parsley, sufficient stock or weak broth to cover the brains, 1 tablespoonful of lemon-juice, matelote sauce, No. 512.

_Mode_.--Detach the brains from the heads without breaking them, and put them into a pan of warm water; remove the skin, and let them remain for two hours. Have ready a saucepan of boiling water, add a little vinegar and salt, and put in the brains. When they are quite firm, take them out and put them into very cold water. Place 2 or 3 slices of bacon in a stewpan, put in the brains, the onion stuck with 2 cloves, the parsley, and a good seasoning of pepper and salt; cover with stock, or weak broth, and boil them gently for about 25 minutes. Have ready some croûtons; arrange these in the dish alternately with the brains, and cover with a matelote sauce, No. 512, to which has been added the above proportion of lemon-juice.

_Time_.--25 minutes. _Average cost_, 1s. 6d.

_Sufficient_ for 6 persons.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

SHEEP'S FEET or TROTTERS (Soyer's Recipe).

741. INGREDIENTS.--12 feet, 1/4 lb. of beef or mutton suet, 2 onions, 1 carrot, 2 bay-leaves, 2 sprigs of thyme, 1 oz. of salt, 1/4 oz. of pepper, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 2-1/2 quarts of water, 1/4 lb. of fresh butter, 1 teaspoonful of salt, 1 teaspoonful of flour, 3/4 teaspoonful of pepper, a little grated nutmeg, the juice of 1 lemon, 1 gill of milk, the yolks of 2 eggs.