Chapter VII: Part 7

301. _Chump of Veal_ can be either roasted or boiled; one about four pounds will take one hour to roast, and one hour and a quarter to boil; roasted, serve like the loin: boiled, serve with either sauces, Nos. 122, 154, 160.

302. _Breast of Veal plain roasted._--Paper the joint, and roast for about one hour, and serve with gravy and melted butter; it may be roasted with the sweetbread skewered to it. By taking the tendons off, stew them for entrées.

303. _Shoulder of Veal._--One weighing fourteen pounds will take about two hours and a half to three hours to roast or braise; if roasted, the same sauce as for the loin (No. 300), and braise (No. 310).

304. _Neck of Veal._--Procure about eight pounds of a nice white neck of veal, containing six or seven chops; saw off under part of the chine-bone, so as to give it a nice square appearance, lard it thus: take about twelve pieces of fat bacon, two inches long and a quarter of an inch square, put the larding-needle through the flesh of the veal about one inch and a half, then put one third of the length of the piece of bacon in it, pull the needle out, and it will leave the bacon in the meat, showing a quarter of an inch of the bacon outside. Then braise as ribs of beef. Two hours will suffice.

305. _Neck of Veal with Peas._--Proceed as in the former receipt, with the exception of leaving out the vegetables, and adding, half an hour previous to the meat being done, one quart of peas, twelve button onions, and a little more sugar; remove the fat, and serve as before.

306. _Neck of Veal with Haricots._--Proceed as before, substituting the haricots for the peas, which must have been boiled in plenty of water for three or four hours previously. (See Receipt for Haricots.)

307. _Neck of Veal with New Potatoes._--As before, using new potatoes in place of the peas. Any other vegetable, as French beans, broad beans, &c. may be served with it in the same way.

308. _Necks of Veal_ can be larded or plain roasted, or braised in plain gravy as before, and served with either sauces, Nos. 150, 135, 137, 165.

309. _Knuckle of Veal_ is a very favorite dish of mine: I procure two of them, which I saw into three pieces each, and put into a stewpan, with a piece of streaked bacon two pounds in weight, four onions, a carrot, two turnips, and six peppercorns, place over the fire, and when boiling add a little salt, skim well, and place at the corner to simmer gently for two hours, take up, dress them in your dish surrounded with the vegetables and bacon, and serve with parsley and butter over; very good soup may be made from the stock it was boiled in if required, or if not, into glaze, which put by until wanted.

310. _Loin of Veal braised._--This joint generally weighs from twelve to fourteen pounds when off a good calf; have the rib-bones carefully divided with a saw so as not to hurt the fillet, prepare the braising-pan, and proceed as in receipt (No. 289); with the addition of one pint more water, but take care not to cover the meat, which might happen if your stewpan was small, which otherwise be boiling instead of braising; it will take about three hours: be careful about the fat, as this joint produces a great deal; taste the sauce before serving, in case more seasoning is required, which might be the case, depending on the nature of the veal. A good cook should taste all sauces before serving.

311. _Breast of Veal stuffed and stewed._--Take about eight pounds of the breast of veal, put your knife about half an inch under the skin, and open it about three parts of its width all the way down, then prepare some veal stuffing, and lay it in the opening you have made about one inch in thickness, sew it up, and proceed as receipt for shoulder.

Should half the size of either the above dishes be required, use but half the vegetables in proportion, and stew half an hour less.

The _Chump_, _Small Shoulder_, or pieces of the fillet may be dressed in the same way, but must be larded, like the neck.

All the above joints may be stewed in the same way, with less vegetables, and served with sauces (Nos. 131, 135); the gravy in which they are stewed will always be useful in the kitchen, or may be reduced and served with the joint.

312. _Shoulder of Veal stuffed and stewed._--This is a very awkward
joint to carve to advantage, and equally so to cook; by the
following plan, it goes further than any other way.

Take the joint and lay it with the skin-side downwards, with a sharp thin knife carefully detach the meat from the blade-bone, then hold the shoulder edgewise and detach the meat from the other side of the bone, being careful not to make a hole in the skin; then cut the bone from the knuckle and take it out; you may at first be rather awkward about it, but after once or twice trying, it will become easy; you may also take out the other bone, but I prefer it in, as it keeps the shape better: then lard the lean part like the neck in (No. 304); mix some salt and a little mixed spice together, with which rub the meat from whence the bone has been cut, stuff with veal stuffing, or sausage-meat, or suet pudding; braise, garnish, and serve as (No. 289). This being the toughest part of the veal, it should be tried before taking up, to see if it is properly done, by thrusting a larding-needle in it; if it goes in easily it is done. This joint is excellent cold, and should be carved in thin slices crosswise.

313. _Calf's Head._--Choose one thick and fat, but not too large; soak for ten minutes in lukewarm water, then well powder with rosin, have plenty of scalding water ready, dip in the head, holding it by the ear, scrape the hair off with the back of a knife, which will come off easily if properly scraped, without scratching the cheek; when perfectly clean, take the eyes out, saw it in two lengthwise through the skull, without spoiling the brain, which take carefully out, and put to disgorge for a few hours in lukewarm water; pull the tongue out, break the jawbone, and remove the part which contains the teeth, put the head into plenty of water to disgorge for one hour; make the following stock, and boil for about two hours and a half, and it will be ready to serve.

The stock is made by putting into a braising-pan two carrots, three onions, a quarter of a pound of butter, six cloves, a bouquet of parsley, thyme, and bay-leaves, set it on the fire for about twenty minutes, keep stirring it round, then add a pint of water, and when warm mix a quarter of a pound of flour, add a gallon of water, one lemon in slices, and a quarter of a pound of salt, then lay the head in; take care it is well covered, or the part exposed will turn dark: simmer gently till tender.

LETTER No. XII

MY DEAR ELOISE,--Do not make any mistakes in the way you describe
the above receipts, which might be made very ridiculous if wrongly
explained. For example: I once had an old French Cookery Book in my
hand, which had the 15th edition stamped on its old brown leather
cheek, in which a receipt of "Tête de Veau à la poulette," that is,
a calf's head, with white sauce, in which small onions and
mushrooms are introduced, reads as follows--but, before describing
it, allow me five minutes to indulge in a hearty laugh at the
absurd manner in which it is explained: it reads thus: "First
choose your head as thick and fat as you can, then plunge it in two
gallons of water, which must be nearly boiling in a pan on the
fire; let your head remain about ten minutes, then take it out by
the ears, and, after remaining a short time, scrape your hair off
with the back of a knife without injuring your cheek, and pull your
eyes out; break your jawbone and saw your head in two without
smashing your brains, which take out carefully; set it in cold
water, to get clean and white; then pull out your tongue, scrape
and dry it, having previously boiled it with your head, which,
after two hours' ebullition, will feel as soft as possible, when
see that your head is in the centre of the dish; your tongue
divided in two and placed on each side of it: sharp sauce,
according to No.-- is allowed to be served with either head or
tongue." I assure you, dear, although I do not profess to be a
first-rate scholar in that fashionable language--French, that I
believe this to be as near as possible the true translation of the
original. Then follows calves' feet, which is nearly as absurd as
the former: "Pied de Veau an naturel," Calves Feet, the natural
way.--"Choose your fine feet in the rough state, and, as with your
head, place a pan of water on the fire; when hot, but not too much
so, put your feet in the water for about ten minutes, try if you
can easily clean them as your head with a knife, if not, add a
spoonful of salt in the water, and let them remain a few minutes
longer; then scrape like your head; when well cleaned wipe them
dry, and they are ready for dressing, which may be done in almost
twenty different ways. (See the series 'How to cook Pigs' Feet.')
When your feet are tender, set them on a dish, take out the big
bone, surround them with sausage-meat; wrap them up in caul, and
form a heart with them; then place your feet on a gridiron, let
them gently broil, and, when done, eat them for breakfast or
luncheon." (After which a gentle walk might give you an appetite
for dinner.)

_Calf's Head_ (No. 313) may be dressed thus:--Half of the head will make a good dish for a remove; lay it in the dish very hot, having previously drained it well; have ready about a pint of Hollandaise or cream sauce, No. 280, pour it over and serve.

It may be surrounded with a dozen new potatoes, if in season, or some quenelles, or quarters of hard-boiled eggs; a little chopped parsley thrown on the head when the sauce is over it, makes it look very inviting. It can also be served "à la poulette," by putting a pint of white sauce in a stewpan; you have peeled and cooked about fifty button onions in white broth, to which you have added a little sugar and butter, and a few mushrooms; add the broth, onions, and sauce together, and when on the point of boiling, add a liaison of two yolks of eggs and the juice of a lemon; stir it well round; it ought to be the thickness of cream sauce; pour over the head and serve.

It can also be egged and bread-crumbed, and placed in the cream for twenty minutes to get a nice brown color, and may be served with sauces, Nos. 150, 165.

MUTTON.--The sheep, when killed, is generally divided into two, by
cutting across about two ribs below the shoulder; these are called
the fore and hind-quarters: the former contains the head, neck,
breast, and shoulder; the latter, the leg and loin; or the two
loins together, the saddle or chine; or the leg and four ribs of
the loin, the haunch. The entrails are called the pluck, which are
the liver, lights, heart, sweetbread, and melt. When cut up, the
kernel at the tail should be removed, and that in the fat in the
thick part of the leg, and the pipe that runs along the bone of the
chine. The flavor depends on the breed and pasture; that is best
which has a dark-colored flesh, of a fine grain, well-mixed with
fat, which must be firm and white. Wether mutton is the best; the
meat of ewe mutton is of a paler color, and the fat yellow and
spongy. To keep a loin, saddle, or haunch, the kidney-fat should be
removed, and the place rubbed with a little salt. Mutton should
never be cooked unless it has hung forty-eight hours after it is
killed; and it can be kept for twenty-one days, and sometimes
longer in a severe winter.

314. _Haunch of Mutton._--Saw or break three inches from the knuckle-bone, remove all skin from the loin, put it on a spit, commencing at the knuckle, and bringing it out at the flap, avoiding the fillet of the loin; then cover it with three sheets of buttered paper, place it about eighteen inches from the fire, if a large one it will take two hours and a half; half an hour before being done, remove the paper, baste it with a little butter, and dredge it slightly; when done, dish it up with a frill round the knuckle, and pour a pint of hot gravy over. In summer time, French beans should be served with it, but always mashed potatoes.

315. _Saddle of Mutton._--The same rule in regard to choice appiles to this as to the haunch. Take off the skin, run a lark-spit through the spinal marrow-bone, which affix to a larger one with a holdfast at one end and string at the other; then tie the skin over the back, and place it down to roast; it will not take so long a time to roast in proportion as another joint, one about ten pounds will take about one hour and twenty minutes; remove the paper ten minutes before taking it from the fire, dredge to give it a nice color, and make gravy as for beef, No. 287, or serve with gravy, No. 177.

316. _Saddle of Mutton, à la Polonaise._--This is my economical dish, _par excellence_, and very much it is liked every time I use it. Take the remains of a saddle of mutton, of the previous day, cut out all the meat close to the bone, leaving about one inch wide on the outside, cut it with a portion of the fat into small dice; then put a spoonful of chopped onions in a stewpan, with a little butter; fry one minute, add the meat, with a tablespoonful of flour, season rather high with salt, pepper, and a little grated nutmeg; stir round, and moisten with a gill or a little more of broth, add a bay-leaf, put it on the stove for ten minutes, add two yolks of eggs, stir till rather thick, make about two pounds of mashed potatoes firm enough to roll, put the saddle-bone in the middle of the dish, and with the potatoes form an edging round the saddle, so as to give the shape of one, leaving the middle empty, fill it with your mince meat, which ought to be enough to do so; if you should not have enough with the remains of the saddle, the remains of any other joint of mutton may be used; egg all over, sprinkle bread-crumbs around, put in rather a hot oven, to get a nice yellow color, poach six eggs, and place on the top, and serve brown gravy round; white or brown sauce, if handy, is an improvement. You may easily fancy the economy of this well-looking and good dish; the remains of a leg, shoulder, loin, neck of mutton and lamb may be dressed the same way, keeping their shape of course.

317. _Roast Leg of Mutton._--Choose the same as the haunch. One about eight pounds weight will take about one hour and a half to roast: run the spit in at the knuckle, and bring it out at the thigh-bone; roast it some little distance from the fire at first, bringing it nearer as it gets done; baste it with a little butter whilst roasting, or cover it with a sheet of well-buttered paper, which remove just before it is quite cooked. The leg of doe mutton is the best for roasting; should it be ewe, and intended for roasting, I proceed thus two or three days before I want it. I make a small incision close to the knuckle, pushing a wooden skewer close down to the leg-bone as far as it will go; I then take one tablespoonful of port wine, if none handy I use catsup, and a teaspoonful of either treacle, apple or currant jelly, and mix them together; I then remove the skewer, and run the mixture in it, closing the hole with two cloves of garlic. This joint I prefer to dangle, rather than put on the spit.

318. _Boiled Leg of Mutton._--This I prefer of the Southdown breed, and ewe is equally as good as doe. Cut the end of the knuckle from the leg, put it into an oval pan, in which there is sufficient water to cover it, throw in about one ounce of salt, place it upon a sharp fire until it is on the point of boiling, then remove to the side, and in five minutes remove the scum, and then let it simmer gently; if the turnips are to be boiled with it, peel and slice them, and put them into the pan half an hour before the mutton is done; it must be again put on the fire for a few minutes, as the turnips have stopped the boiling; dress it upon a dish with the turnips round it, or mash separate, and with caper or gherkin sauce: the broth may be reduced for soup.

319. _Leg of Mutton à la Bretonne._--Choose one about six pounds weight, peel four cloves of garlic, make an incision with the point of a knife in four different parts around the knuckle, and place the garlic in it, hang it up for a day or two, and then roast it for one hour and a half. At the same time you have procured a quart of small dry French haricots, which after well washing put into a saucepan with half a gallon of water, add about half an ounce of salt, the same of butter, set them on the side of the fire to simmer for about three hours or till tender, when pour the liquor off into a basin, and keep the haricots hot; peel and cut two large onions into thin slices, put some of the fat of the dripping-pan into a frying-pan, put in the onions, and fry a light brown, add them to the haricots with the fat and gravy the mutton has produced in roasting, season with salt and pepper, toss them a little, and serve very hot on a large dish, put the leg on it, with a frill of paper on the knuckle. In case the leg is very fat do not add all of it to the haricots. This if well carved is an excellent dish for eight or nine persons; it is a dish very much esteemed in France, and is considered cheap food from the nourishment afforded by the haricots, which can be purchased at sixpence per quart.

Shoulder and loin may be dressed in the same way.

320. _Shoulder of Mutton_ is best if well hung; the spit should be run in at the flap and brought out at the knuckle; this should not be basted in roasting, but merely rubbed with a little butter; it is served occasionally with sauces, No. 158. This is sometimes boiled with onion sauce; or, as it is called, smothered in onions. It is also good by having the bone extracted, and its place filled with veal stuffing, and then put it on a trivet, in a baking-dish, with sliced potatoes under, and baked more or less in proportion to its size; one of six pounds will take one hour and a half--or as follows:

Put a small shoulder of mutton in a deep sauté-pan or baking-dish, season with a little pepper and salt, cover over with thin slices of fat bacon, then put in ten potatoes peeled and quartered, and the same quantity of apples, with half a pint of water, place in a moderate oven and bake for two hours, dress upon your dish, with the potatoes and apples round, skim all the fat from the gravy, which pour over and serve; it requires a little oil or butter over before baking.

321. _Shoulder of Mutton, Provincial Fashion._--Roast a fine shoulder of mutton; whilst roasting mince ten large onions very fine, put them into a stewpan, with two tablespoonfuls of salad-oil, pass them ten minutes over a good fire, keeping it stirred, then add a tablespoonful of flour, stir well in, and a pint of milk, season with a little pepper, salt, and sugar; when the onions are quite tender and the sauce rather thick, stir in the yolks of two eggs and take it off the fire; when the shoulder is done, spread the onions over the top, egg over, cover with bread-crumbs, put in the oven ten minutes, and salamander a light brown color, dress upon your dish, put the gravy from it in your stewpan, with a pat of butter, with which you have mixed a little flour, boil up, add a little scraped garlic, pour round the shoulder, which serve. The shoulder may also be dressed in the housewife's method, as directed for the leg. A little browning may be added.

322. _Loin of Mutton._--Take off the skin, separate the joints with a chopper; if a large size, cut the chine-bone with a saw, so as to allow it to be carved in smaller pieces, run a lark-spit from one extremity to the other, and affix it to a larger spit, and roast it like the haunch. A loin weighing six pounds will take one hour to roast.

323. _Leg of Mutton stewed with Vegetables._--Have a good leg, beat it a little with a rolling-pin, make an incision in the knuckle, in which put two cloves of garlic, then put it into a stewpan, with a pound of lean bacon cut in eight pieces, set over a moderate fire half an hour, moving it now and then until becoming a light brown color, season with pepper and salt, add twenty pieces of carrots of the same size as the bacon, fifteen middling-sized onions, and when done add two bay-leaves, two cloves, and two quarts of water, replace it upon a moderate fire, moving round occasionally, stew nearly three hours, dress upon your dish with the carrots and onions dressed tastefully around, take off as much of the fat from the gravy as possible, take out the bay-leaves and pour the garniture round the mutton, which serve very hot. It can be braised like No. 289. A few drops of browning may be required.

324. _Neck of Mutton._--This is a very _recherché_ dish, if off a good-sized sheep, and well hung; it must be nicely trimmed, sawing the bones at the tips of the ribs, which detach from the meat, folding the flap over; saw off the chine-bone, and carefully detach the remainder of the bone from the fillet; detach the skin from the upper part, fix the flap under with a couple of skewers, run a flat lark-spit from end to end, fix it to a larger one, cover it with buttered paper, and roast like the haunch; if of five pounds, nearly three-quarters of an hour to one hour. It should be served very hot, the plates and dish the same, and not one minute before it is wanted: serve gravy under.

325. _Boiled Neck of Mutton._--Take one with little fat upon it, divide the chops, taking care not to cut the fillet, put it into a pan with cold water sufficient to cover it, place in it one ounce of salt, one onion, and a small bunch of parsley, boil it gently; when done, dish it up, and serve it with either parsley and butter made from the liquor in which it was boiled, caper or onion sauce, mashed turnips separate. Proceed as under receipt with the broth.

326. _Sheep's Head._--Though this may be seen in every part of London inhabited by the working classes, and may be procured ready-cooked, I prefer always to prepare it at home, and very good it is. I choose a fine one, as fat as possible, and put it into a gallon of water to disgorge for two hours; wash it well, saw it in two from the top, take out the brain, cut away part of the uncovered part of the skull, and also the ends of the jaws, wash it well, put it into the stewpan, with two onions, one carrot, two turnips cut in slices, a little celery, four cloves, a bouquet of four sprigs of thyme, a bay-leaf, one ounce of salt, a quarter of an ounce of pepper, three quarts of water, set on the fire; when near boiling, add half a teacupful of pearl or Scotch barley; let it simmer for three hours, or till tender, which try with a fork; take out vegetables, cut in dice, remove bouquet, skim off the fat, and pour all into tureen. Or, lay the head on a dish, and serve with either onion sauce over, parsley and butter, or any sharp sauce; or egg and bread-crumb it over, put it in an oven for half an hour till getting a nice yellow color, and serve with sharp sauce under. Or, with the brain, thus: having boiled it for ten minutes in a little vinegar, salt, and water, cut it in pieces, warm it in parsley and butter, season it a little, and put it under the head and serve.

327. _Sheep's Head and Liver._--Boil half a sheep's liver for thirty minutes in a quart of water, cut it into small dice, put two ounces of butter in the stewpan, and set it on the fire, then add a tablespoonful of chopped onions, cook it a few minutes, add the liver, season with salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, a spoonful of flour, half-pint of broth, stir when boiling, simmer for a few minutes, lay on dish, and put the head over just as it is out of the broth, or bread-crumb it, and put it in the oven.

LAMB.--The same rules for cutting up should be observed as in the
sheep. The fore-quarter consists of a shoulder, neck, and breast
together; if cut up, the shoulder and ribs. The hind-quarter is the
leg and loin. The head and pluck consist of the liver, lights,
heart, nut and melt, as also the fry, which is the sweetbread, bits
and skirts, and part of the liver. The fore-quarter should be
fresh, the hind-quarter should hang, it should be of a pale color
and fat. The vein in the fore-quarter ought to be bluish and firm;
if yellow or green, it is very stale. To ascertain if the
hind-quarter is fresh, pass your finger under the kidney, and if
there is a faint smell it is not fresh. If there is but little
flesh on the shoulder it is not fine lamb; those that have short
wool I have found to be the best flavored. Nothing differs so much
in flavor and goodness as this: much depends upon the kind of
pasture on which the ewe is fed; that which is obtained when it is
the dearest has but little flavor, and requires the addition of
lemon and cayenne to make it palatable.

328. _Neck of Lamb à la Jardinière._--Plain roast the neck, as you would that of mutton; dish it up with sauce, and, whilst it is roasting, cut one middling-sized carrot in small dice, the same quantity of turnip, and thirty button onions; wash all in cold water, put them in a small stewpan, with one ounce of butter and half a teaspoonful of sugar, place on the fire till no liquid remains in the stewpan; add to it a gill of brown sauce, half a one of broth, add a small bouquet of parsley and bay-leaf; after once boiling, set it to simmer on the corner of the stove, skim off all the fat; when ready, taste if very palatable; it must be a nice brown color, and the sauce lightly adhere to the back of the spoon; serve on the dish, place the neck over: white sauce may be used instead of brown, only add a spoonful of liaison when ready to serve. This sauce is equally good with almost any kind of meat, game, and poultry: it will often be referred to, therefore be particular in making it; you can shape the vegetables in twenty different ways, by using either green peas, French beans, Brussels sprouts; sprey-grass may be added, when in season, but should be boiled separately, and added just previous to serving. Should you have no sauce-water cold, a little glaze may be used; or, for white sauce, use water and milk.

329. _Saddle of Lamb, Russian fashion._--Roast a small saddle of lamb, keeping it pale; having had it covered with paper, take ten good-sized boiled potatoes, mash them with about two ounces of butter, a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter ditto of pepper, a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, and a little grated nutmeg; mix all well together with a fork, adding half a gill of milk and one egg; when cold, roll them into a long shape the size of plover's eggs, egg and bread-crumb twice, and fry light colored; dress the saddle, surround it with the potatoes, make a sauce of melted butter and maître d'hôtel butter, No. 285, put in it, and pour it round, and serve. All joints of lamb can be dressed thus.

330. _Leg or Shoulder of Lamb with Peas._--These must be plain roasted; when done, serve with peas in the bottom of the dish, prepared as No. 169.

331. _Leg or Shoulder with French Beans._--Plain roast as before; prepare beans as directed. (See Vegetables.)

332. _Boiled Leg of Lamb with Spinach._--Procure a very small leg, and cut the end of the knuckle-bone, tie it up in a cloth and place it in cold water, with two ounces of salt in it, boil it gently according to size; when done, remove the cloth, and dish it up with spinach under it, prepared as directed. (See Vegetables.)

333. _Shoulder of Lamb braised._--Take the blade bone from a shoulder of lamb, and have ready ten long strips of fat bacon, which season rather highly, with pepper, salt, and a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, place the pieces, one after the other, in your larding pin, which draw quickly through the fleshy part of the shoulder, leaving the bacon in the meat; after having used all the bacon, roll the meat round, and tie it up with a piece of string; then put it into a stewpan containing a quarter of a pound of butter over a slow fire, stirring it occasionally until of a light golden color, when pour in a quart of water or broth, and add forty button onions, and a bunch of parsley; let simmer very slowly until the onions are quite tender, when take up the meat, pull off the string, and dress it upon a dish with the onions round; take the parsley out of the liquor, from which carefully skim off all the fat, and reduce it until forming a thinnish glaze, when pour it over the meat and serve. Mushrooms may be added ten minutes before sending to table.

334. _Breast of Lamb broiled._--Saw off the breast from a rib of lamb, leaving the neck of sufficient size to roast or for cutlets; then put two onions, half a carrot, and the same of turnip, cut into thin slices, in a stewpan with two bay-leaves, a few sprigs of parsley and thyme, half an ounce of salt, and three pints of water, lay in the breast, which let simmer until tender, and the bones leave with facility, when take it from the stewpan, pull out all the bones, and press it between two dishes; when cold, season with a little salt and pepper, egg and bread-crumb it lightly over, and broil gently (over a moderate fire) of a nice yellowish color, turning it very carefully; when sufficiently browned upon one side, serve with plain gravy in the dish and mint sauce separately, or with stewed peas or any other vegetable sauce; tomato sauce is likewise very good served with it.

335. _Lamb's Head._--See Sheep's Head (No. 324). This will take half the time to cook.

336. _Lamb's Fry._--Take about a pound and boil for ten minutes in half a gallon of water, take it out and dry on a cloth; have some fresh crumbs, mix with them half a spoonful of chopped parsley, salt, pepper; egg the fry lightly with a paste-brush, dip it in the crumbs, fry for five minutes, serve very hot on a clean napkin in a dish, with fried parsley over.

337. _Lamb's Head with Hollandaise._--If you want it very white, make stock as for sheep's feet, put it to stew when done, lay on dish with about twelve new potatoes (boiled) round it, pour over some cream sauce (No. 280), and serve.

338. _Lamb's Head, with Brain or Liver._--Blanch the brain or liver, and mince them as for sheep's head, introducing only the yolk of an egg; mix with a little milk, stir in quick, add a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, the juice of half a lemon, lay it on the dish with the head over, and serve.

PORK.--The flesh of no other animal depends so much upon feeding as
that of pork. The greatest care ought to be observed in feeding it,
at least twenty-one days previous to its being killed; it should
fast for twenty-four hours before. No animal is more used for
nourishment, and none more indispensable in the kitchen; employed
either fresh or salt, all is useful, even to its bristles and its
blood; it is the superfluous riches of the farmer, and helps to pay
the rent of the cottager. It is cut up the same as the ox. The
fore-quarter is the fore-loin and spring; if it is a large pig, the
sparerib may be cut off. The hind-quarter is the leg and loin.
There is also the head and haslet (which is the liver, kidney,
craw, and skirts), and also chitterlings, which are cleansed for
sausages and black puddings. For boiling or roasting it should
never be older than six months, and the leg must not weigh more
than from six to seven pounds. The short-legged, thick-necked, and
small-headed pigs are the best breed, a cross from the Chinese. If
fresh and young, the flesh and fat should be white and firm, smooth
and dry, and the lean break if pinched between the fingers, or you
can nip the skin with the nails; the contrary if old and stale.

339. _Leg of Pork._--Choose the pork as described at the commencement of this series, if a leg, one weighing about seven pounds; cut an incision in the knuckle near the thigh, into which put a quantity of sage and onions, previously passed in butter, sew the incision up with pack-thread, score the rind of the pork in lines across, half an inch apart, place upon a spit, running it in just under the rind, and bringing it out at the knuckle. If stuffed the day previous to roasting, it would improve its flavor; roast (if weighing seven pounds) about two hours and a half, and serve with apple sauce in a boat.

340. _Chine of Pork._--Score it well, stuff it thick with pork stuffing, roast it gently, and serve with apple sauce.

341. _Sparerib of Pork._--When spitted, rub some flour over the rind, roast it before a clear fire, not too strong, or cover it with paper; about ten minutes before taking it up, throw some powdered sage over it, and froth it up with some butter in a spoon, and serve with gravy under.

342. _Loin or Neck of Pork à la Piémontaise._--The neck or loin must be plain roasted; you have peeled and cut four onions in dice, put them into a stewpan, with two ounces of butter, stir over the fire until rather brown, then add a tablespoonful of flour, mix well, add a good pint of broth, if any, or water, with an ounce of glaze, boil ten minutes, add two tablespoonfuls of French mustard, with a little pepper, salt, and sugar, pour the sauce upon the dish, and dress your joint upon it; serve with a little apple sauce separate in a boat.

343. _Loin or Neck of Pork, Normandy fashion._--Procure a neck or loin, put it in a common earthen dish, having previously scored the rind, rub over with a little oil, place about twenty potatoes, cut in halves or in quarters, in the dish with the pork, ten onions peeled, and twenty apples, peeled and quartered, place in a warm oven for an hour and a half or more, then dress it upon your dish with the apples, onions, and potatoes around, and serve.

344. _Bacon and Ham._--Bacon-pigs are cut up differently for hams, bacon, &c., but a poleaxe should never be used for killing them, as it spoils the head. To be good, the fat must be firm, with a slight red tinge, the lean a dark red, and stick close to the bone; the rind thin, if young; if old (should it be well fed it is sometimes better), it will be thick. For hams, choose one short in the hock; run the knife close under the bone, when it comes out, if not smeared and has a pleasant smell, it is good.

345. _Ham._--This useful and popular dish, which is equally a favorite in the palace and the cottage, may be dressed in upwards of fifty different ways, with as many different dishes, which are described in their place. They should be well soaked in water, and boiled gently for three or four hours. If to serve hot, take the skin off, except from the knuckle, which cut to fancy; trim the fat to a nice appearance, glaze and serve, or throw over some sifted raspings of bread mixed with a little chopped parsley. Serve where recommended.

346. _Bacon._--A piece of good streaky bacon, not too salt, should be put into cold water and boiled for one hour and a half, and served with broad beans, when in season, round it, or any young peas.

347. _Sucking Pig_ is merely plain roasted, stuffed with veal stuffing, but before putting it upon the spit it requires to be floured and rubbed very dry, otherwise the skin would not eat crisp; the usual method of serving it is to cut off the head, and divide the body and head of the pig in halves lengthwise; pour over some sauce made of the brains and a little brown sauce, or of white melted butter, nicely seasoned with salt, pepper, and sugar; serve apple sauce separate in a boat, if approved of.

348. _Hind Quarter of Sucking Pig (Yorkshire fashion)._--Cut off the skin, cover with paper, and roast before a quick fire about three quarters of an hour; ten minutes before being ready, remove the paper and baste it; serve with gravy under, and mint sauce and salad.

349. _Salt Pork._--Pork is salted in the same manner as described for beef, omitting the sal-prunella, but of course not requiring so long a time; a leg weighing seven pounds would be well salted in a week, as also would a hand and spring weighing about ten pounds, and either would require two hours boiling, putting them in a stewpan, with cold water, and serving with carrots and greens and pease pudding.

350. _Pig's Cheek (a new method)._--Procure a pig's cheek nicely pickled, boil well until it feels very tender, tie half a pint of split peas in a cloth, put them into a stewpan of boiling water, boil about half an hour, take them out, pass through a hair sieve, put them into a stewpan, with an ounce of butter, a little pepper and salt, and four eggs, stir them over the fire until the eggs are partially set, then spread it over the pig's cheek, egg with a paste-brush, sprinkle bread-crumbs over, place in the oven ten minutes, brown it with the salamander, and serve.

351. _Pickled Pork (Belly part)._--Choose a nice streaky piece of about four pounds, it will take about three quarters of an hour boiling; serve, garnish with greens round it.

352. _Hand of Pork._--Choose one not too salt; boil it for one hour. Serve as above.

VENISON is cut up the same as mutton, with the exception of the
saddle, which is seldom or never cut; the flesh should be dark,
fine-grained and firm, and a good coating of fat on the back. It
should be well hung and kept in a dry, cold place. By running a
skewer in along the bone, you will know when it is fit for eating;
examine it carefully every morning to cut out any fly-blows.

353. _Haunch of Venison._--A good haunch of venison, weighing from about twenty to twenty-five pounds, will take from three to four hours roasting before a good solid fire; trim the haunch by cutting off part of the knuckle and sawing off the chine-bone; fold the flap over, then envelop it in a flour and water paste rather stiff, and an inch thick, tie it up in strong paper, four sheets in thickness, place it in your cradle spit so that it will turn quite even, place it at first very close to the fire until the paste is well crusted, pouring a few ladlefuls of hot dripping over occasionally to prevent the paper catching fire, then put it rather further from the fire, which must be quite clear, solid, and have sufficient frontage to throw the same heat on every part of the venison; when it has roasted the above time take it up, remove it from the paste and paper, run a thin skewer into the thickest part to ascertain if done; if it resists the skewer it is not done, and must be tied up and put down again, but if the fire is good, that time will sufficiently cook it; glaze the top well, salamander until a little brown, put a frill upon the knuckle, and serve very hot, with strong gravy, and plenty of French beans separate.

354. _Neck of Venison_ should be cut like a neck of mutton, taking the breast off, leaving the neck about nine inches wide; detach the flesh from the chine-bone, and saw it off, leaving only the cutlet bones, then pass a lark spit through it, cover it with paste and paper the same as the haunch, and fix on spit, and roast, if about eight pounds, for two hours before a good fire.

POULTRY.

This is the best and most delicious of the various matters with
which man furnishes himself as food; although containing but little
nourishment, it gives a delightful variety to our repasts: from the
sparrow to the turkey, we find everywhere, in this numerous class,
that which gives a meal equally as good for the invalid as the
robust.

Increasing every day in luxuries, we have arrived at a point
unknown even to Lucullus; we are not contented with the beautiful
qualities which Nature gives this species, but, under pretence of
improving them, we not only deprive them of their liberty by
keeping them in solitude and in darkness, but force them to eat
their food, and thus bring them to a degree of fatness which Nature
never intended. Even the bird which saved the capital of Rome is
treated with still greater indignity,--thrust into warm ovens and
nearly baked alive to produce those beautiful and delicious livers
so well known to gourmets.[5]

The best way of killing poultry is to take the bird by the neck,
placing the thumb of the right hand just at the back of the head,
closing the head in your hand, your left hand holding the bird,
then press your thumb down hard and pull the head and neck
contrariwise; the neck will break instantaneously, and the bird
will be quite dead in a few seconds, then hang it a short time by
the legs for the blood to flow into the head, which renders the
flesh much whiter. In France they are usually killed by cutting the
throat close to the head; both methods are good with regard to the
whiteness of the flesh, but I prefer the English method, not being
so barbarous.

To pluck either game or poultry have the bird upon a board with its
head towards you, and pull the feathers away from you, which is the
direction they lie in; many persons pull out the feathers in a
contrary direction, by which means they are likely to tear the skin
to pieces, which would very much disfigure the bird for the table.

To draw poultry after it is well plucked, cut a long incision at
the back of the neck, then take out the thin skin from under the
outer with the crop, cut the neck bone off close to the body of the
bird, but leave the skin a good length, make an incision under the
tail just large enough for the gizzard to pass through, no larger;
then put your finger into the bird at the breast and detach all the
intestines, take care not to break the gall-bladder, squeeze the
body of the bird and force out the whole from the incision at the
tail; it is then ready for trussing, the method of doing which will
be given in the various Receipts throughout this series. The above
method of drawing poultry is equally applicable to game.

TURKEY.--The flesh of this bird depends greatly upon its feeding;
it might be made much more valuable for table if proper attention
was paid to it. A young one should have his legs black and smooth
and spurs short, his eyes look fresh and feet limber.

It is singular that this bird should take its name from a country
in which it was never seen; in other countries in Europe it is
called the Indian cock, because, on the first discovery of America
by Columbus, it was supposed to be part of the continent of India,
and thus it received the name of the West Indies; and this bird,
being brought over on the first voyage, was thus named. By many it
is supposed to have been brought over by the Jesuits in Spain and
Portugal. It is familiarly called so. It is also probable that they
were the first who domesticated it. I have seen it stated that it
was known to the Romans, and was served at the marriage of
Charlemagne. From my researches I rather think they confound it
with the pheasant. It has more flavor than any other of our
domestic birds, and is, consequently, held in higher estimation and
enjoys a higher price. Do not fear these long receipts, as each one
contains several.

355. _Plain Roasted Turkey, with Sausages._--This well-known dish, which has the joyous recollection of Christmas attached to it, and its well-known cognomen of 'an alderman in chains,' brings to our mind's eye the famed hospitality of this mighty city. The following is my plan of cooking it.--It must be first trussed as follows: Having first emptied it, break the leg-bone close to the foot, and draw out the sinews from the thigh; cut off the neck close to the back, leaving the skin long; wipe the inside with a wet cloth, cut the breast-bone through on each side close to the back, and draw the legs close up; fold a cloth up several times, place it on the breast, and beat it down until it lies flat; put a skewer in the joint of the wing, and another through the middle of the leg and body, one through the small part of the leg and body, close to the side-bones, and another through the extremity of the two legs. The liver and gizzard should be placed between the pinions of the wings, and the points turned on the back. When thus trussed, singe all the hair off that may remain, take about one pound of stuffing (see Receipt), and put it under the skin at the neck, tie the skin under, but not too tight or it may burst in roasting, put it on to a small-sized spit and fasten it with a holdfast, or hang it neck downwards from a bottle-jack, put it about eighteen inches from a good roasting-fire, let it turn about ten minutes, when the skin is firm and dry you press into the bowl of a wooden spoon, so that it sticks, about one ounce of butter, and rub the turkey all over with it; when all melted, remove the turkey eight inches further from the fire: one of about six pounds will take two hours to roast without pouring any fat over it. In case your fire is too fierce and likely to break the skin, draw it back still more; it will, with proper care, be of a golden color. I do not object to the gizzard being placed under the wing when roasting, but never the liver, which I cook in the dripping-pan, as the gravy which would run from it would spoil the color of the breast. When done, remove it, cut the strings, lay it on your dish, and pour under half a pint of good brown gravy, or make some with glaze; or, whilst the bird is roasting, butter the bottom of a small stewpan, pick and slice two onions, lay them at the bottom, cut the neck in small pieces, add half a spoonful of salt, a quarter ditto of pepper, a little turnip, one clove, set on a slow fire till the onions are of a brown color, then add a pint of water, let it simmer for nearly one hour, then pass it through a sieve into a basin, skim off the fat, return the gravy again into a stewpan, give it a boil, and, when the turkey is ready to send to table, pour it under; if a little beef or veal handy, add it to the gravy if you require much.

This plan of roasting is adapted for all birds, and all my receipts for plain roasting of poultry will refer to this, with the alteration of the time which each takes to cook.

For _Sausages_, I seldom broil them; I prick them with a needle, rub the bottom of the frying-pan with a little butter, put twelve sausages in it, and set it on a slow fire and fry gently for about fifteen minutes, turning them when required (by this plan they will not burst), serve very hot round the turkey, or on a separate dish, of smoking-hot mashed potatoes; to vary the gravy I have tried the following plan: take off the fat which is in the frying-pan into a basin, then add the brown gravy, mix a good teaspoonful of arrow-root in a cup with a wineglassful of cold water, pour in the pan, boil a few minutes, pass it through a sieve, and serve with the turkey. The gravy this way is excellent.

356. _Turkey with flat Sausage Cake._--Roast as before, fry thirty oval flat sausages (see Receipt), the same quantity of the same sized pieces of bacon, a quarter of an inch thick, make a border of mashed potatoes about the size of a finger, one inch inside the edge of the dish, dress your sausages and bacon on it as a crown alternately, put your turkey in the middle, and gravy over, or glaze, if handy; plain boiled tongue may, of course, be served with the turkey, or separate on a dish of greens; if any remains of tongue from a previous day, it may be served instead of the sausages, cut the same shape as sausages and warmed in a pan; if so, put a nice green Brussels sprout between each piece. Bread sauce is generally served with this dish; for my own part, I never eat it.