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THE WHITE HOUSE COOK BOOK
_COOKING, TOILET AND HOUSEHOLD RECIPES,_
_MENUS, DINNER-GIVING, TABLE ETIQUETTE,_
_CARE OF THE SICK, HEALTH SUGGESTIONS,_
_FACTS WORTH KNOWING, Etc., Etc._
THE WHOLE COMPRISING
A COMPREHENSIVE CYCLOPEDIA OF INFORMATION FOR THE HOME
BY
MRS. F.L. GILLETTE
AND
HUGO ZIEMANN, Steward of the White house
1887
TO THE WIVES OF OUR PRESIDENTS, THOSE NOBLE WOMEN WHO HAVE GRACED THE
WHITE HOUSE, AND WHOSE NAMES AND MEMORIES ARE DEAR TO ALL AMERICANS,
THIS VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR.
PUBLISHERS' PREFACE
In presenting to the public the "WHITE HOUSE COOK BOOK," the
publishers believe they can justly claim that it more fully represents
the progress and present perfection of the culinary art than any
previous work. In point of authorship, it stands preeminent. Hugo
Ziemann was at one time caterer for that Prince Napoleon who was
killed while fighting the Zulus in Africa. He was afterwards steward
of the famous Hotel Splendide in Paris. Later he conducted the
celebrated Brunswick Cafe in New York, and still later he gave to the
Hotel Richelieu, in Chicago, a cuisine which won the applause of even
the gourmets of foreign lands. It was here that he laid the famous
"spread" to which the chiefs of the warring factions of the Republican
Convention sat down in June, 1888, and from which they arose with
asperities softened, differences harmonized and victory organized.
Mrs. F.L. Gillette is no less proficient and capable, having made a
life-long and thorough study of cookery and housekeeping, especially
as adapted to the practical wants of average American homes.
The book has been prepared with great care. Every recipe has been
_tried_ and _tested_, and can be relied upon as one of the _best_ of
its kind. It is comprehensive, filling completely, it is believed, the
requirements of housekeepers of all classes. It embodies several
original and commendable features, among which may be mentioned the
_menus_ for the holidays and for one week in each month in the year,
thus covering all varieties of seasonable foods; the convenient
classification and arrangement of topics; the simplified method of
explanation in preparing an article, in the order of manipulation,
thereby enabling the most inexperienced to clearly comprehend it.
The subject of carving has been given a prominent place, not only
because of its special importance in a work of this kind, but
particularly because it contains entirely new and original designs,
and is so far a departure from the usual mode of treating the subject.
Interesting information is given concerning the _White House_; how its
hospitality is conducted, the menus served on special occasions, views
of the interior, portraits of all the ladies of the White House, etc.
Convenience has been studied in the make-up of the book. The type is
large and plain; it is sewed by patent flexible process, so that when
opened it will not close of itself, and it is bound in enameled cloth,
adapted for use in the kitchen.
THE PUBLISHERS.
CONTENTS.
ARTICLES REQUIRED FOR THE KITCHEN 588
BISCUITS, ROLLS, MUFFINS, ETC. 249
BREAD 238
BUTTER AND CHEESE 219
CAKES 282
CANNED FRUITS 438
CARVING 7
CATSUPS 176
COFFEE, TEA AND BEVERAGES 448
COLORING FOR FRUIT, ETC. 444
CONFECTIONERY 446
CUSTARDS, CREAMS AND DESSERTS 344
DINNER GIVING 600
DUMPLINGS AND PUDDINGS 381
DYEING OR COLORING 591
EGGS AND OMELETS 225
FACTS WORTH KNOWING 566
FILLINGS FOR LAYER CAKES 287
FISH 49
FOR THE SICK 510
FRENCH WORDS IN COOKING 587
FROSTING OR ICING 284
HEALTH SUGGESTIONS 521
HOUSEKEEPERS' TIME-TABLE 542
ICE-CREAM AND ICES 376
MACARONI 216
MANAGEMENT OF STATE DINNER AT WHITE HOUSE 507
MEASURES AND WEIGHTS IN ORDINARY USE 603
MEATS 107
MENUS 478
MISCELLANEOUS 587
MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES 543
MODES OF FRYING 48
MUTTON AND LAMB 136
PASTRY, PIES AND TARTS 320
PICKLES 179
PORK 144
POULTRY AND GAME 81
PRESERVES, JELLIES, ETC. 423
SALADS 168
SANDWICHES 236
SAUCES AND DRESSING 156
SAUCES FOR, PUDDING 417
SHELL FISH 67
SMALL POINTS ON TABLE ETIQUETTE 595
SOUPS 27
SOUPS WITHOUT MEATS 41
SPECIAL MENUS 503
TOAST 276
TOILET RECIPES AND ITEMS 577
VARIETIES OF SEASONABLE FOOD 473
VEGETABLES 191
[Illustration: HELEN HERRON TAFT. Copyright, Photo Clinediust,
Washington.]
WHITE HOUSE COOK BOOK.
CARVING.
Carving is one important acquisition in the routine of daily living,
and all should try to attain a knowledge or ability to do it well, and
withal gracefully.
When carving use a chair slightly higher than the ordinary size, as it
gives a better purchase on the meat, and appears more graceful than
when standing, as is often quite necessary when carving a turkey, or a
very large joint. More depends on skill than strength. The platter
should be placed opposite, and sufficiently near to give perfect
command of the article to be carved, the knife of medium size, sharp
with a keen edge. Commence by cutting the slices thin, laying them
carefully to one side of the platter, then afterwards placing the
desired amount on each guest's plate, to be served in turn by the
servant.
In carving fish, care should be taken to help it in perfect flakes;
for if these are broken the beauty of the fish is lost. The carver
should acquaint himself with the choicest parts and morsels; and to
give each guest an equal share of those _tidbits_ should be his maxim.
Steel knives and forks should on no account be used in helping fish,
as these are liable to impart a _very_ disagreeable flavor. A
fish-trowel of silver or plated silver is the proper article to use.
Gravies should be sent to the table very _hot_, and in helping one to
gravy or melted butter, place it on a vacant side of the plate, not
_pour_ it over their meat, fish or fowl, that they may use only as
much as they like.
When serving fowls, or meats, accompanied with stuffing, the guests
should be asked if they would have a portion, as it is not every one
to whom the flavor of stuffing is agreeable; in filling their plates,
avoid heaping one thing upon another, as it makes a bad appearance.
A word about the care of carving knives: a fine steel knife should
not come in contact with intense heat, because it destroys its temper,
and therefore impairs its cutting qualities. Table carving knives
should not be used in the kitchen, either around the stove, or for
cutting bread, meats, vegetables, etc.; a fine whetstone should be
kept for sharpening, and the knife cleaned carefully to avoid dulling
its edge, all of which is quite essential to successful carving.
* * * * *
[Illustration]
BEEF.
HIND-QUARTER.
No. 1. Used for choice roasts, the porterhouse and sirloin steaks.
No. 2. Rump, used for steaks, stews and corned beef.
No. 3. Aitch-bone, used for boiling-pieces, stews and pot roasts.
No. 4. Buttock or round, used for steaks, pot roasts, beef _a la
mode_; also a prime boiling-piece.
No. 5. Mouse-round, used for boiling and stewing.
No. 6. Shin or leg, used for soups, hashes, etc.
No. 7. Thick flank, cut with under fat, is a prime boiling-piece, good
for stews and corned beef, pressed beef.
No. 8. Veiny piece, used for corned beef, dried beef.
No. 9. Thin flank, used for corned beef and boiling-pieces.
FORE-QUARTER.
No. 10. Five ribs called the fore-rib. This is considered the primest
piece for roasting; also makes the finest steaks.
No. 11. Four ribs, called the middle ribs, used for roasting.
No. 12. Chuck ribs, used for second quality of roasts and steaks.
No. 13. Brisket, used for corned beef, stews, soups and spiced beef.
No. 14. Shoulder-piece, used for stews, soups, pot-roasts, mince-meat
and hashes.
Nos. 15, 16. Neck, clod or sticking-piece used for stocks, gravies,
soups, mince-pie meat, hashes, bologna sausages, etc.
No. 17. Shin or shank, used mostly for soups and stewing.
No. 18. Cheek.
The following is a classification of the qualities of meat, according
to the several joints of beef, when cut up.
_First Class_.--Includes the sirloin with the kidney suet (1), the
rump steak piece (2), the fore-rib (11).
_Second Class_.--The buttock or round (4), the thick flank (7), the
middle ribs (11).
_Third Class_.--The aitch-bone (3), the mouse-round (5), the thin
flank (8, 9), the chuck (12), the shoulder-piece (14), the brisket
(13).
_Fourth Class_.--The clod, neck and sticking-piece (15, 16).
_Fifth Class_.--Shin or shank (17).
[Illustration]
VEAL.
HIND-QUARTER.
No. 1. Loin, the choicest cuts used for roasts and chops.
No. 2. Fillet, used for roasts and cutlets.
No. 3. Loin, chump-end used for roasts and chops.
No. 4. The hind-knuckle or hock, used for stews, pot-pies, meat-pies.
FORE-QUARTER.
No. 5. Neck, best end used for roasts, stews and chops.
No. 6. Breast, best end used for roasting, stews and chops.
No. 7. Blade-bone, used for pot-roasts and baked dishes.
No. 8. Fore-knuckle, used for soups and stews.
No. 9. Breast, brisket-end used for baking, stews and pot-pies.
No. 10. Neck, scrag-end used for stews, broth, meat-pies, etc.
In cutting up veal, generally, the hind-quarter is divided into loin
and leg, and the fore-quarter into breast, neck and shoulder.
_The Several Parts of a Moderately-sized, Well-fed Calf_, about eight
weeks old, are nearly of the following weights:--Loin and chump, 18
lbs.; fillet, 12-1/2 lbs.; hind-knuckle, 5-1/2 lbs.; shoulder, 11
lbs.; neck, 11 lbs.; breast, 9 lbs., and fore-knuckle, 5 lbs.; making
a total of 144 lbs. weight.
[Illustration]
MUTTON.
No. 1. Leg, used for roasts and for boiling.
No. 2. Shoulder, used for baked dishes and roasts.
No. 3. Loin, best end used for roasts, chops.
No. 4. Loin, chump-end used for roasts and chops.
No. 5. Rack, or rib chops, used for French chops, rib chops, either
for frying or broiling; also used for choice stews.
No. 6. Breast, used for roast, baked dishes, stews, chops.
No. 7. Neck or scrag-end, used for cutlets, stews and meat-pies.
NOTE.--A saddle of muton or double loin is two loins cut off before
the carcass is split open down the back. French chops are a small rib
chop, the end of the bone trimmed off and the meat and fat cut away
from the thin end, leaving the round piece of meat attached to the
larger end, which leaves the small rib-bone bare. Very tender and
sweet.
Mutton is _prime_ when cut from a carcass which has been fed out of
doors, and allowed to run upon the hillside; they are best when about
three years old. The fat will then be abundant, white and hard, the
flesh juicy and firm, and of a clear red color.
For mutton roasts, choose the shoulder, the saddle, or the loin or
haunch. The leg should be boiled. Almost any part will do for broth.
Lamb born in the middle of the winter, reared under shelter, and fed
in a great measure upon milk, then killed in the spring, is considered
a great delicacy, though lamb is good at a year old. Like all young
animals, lamb ought to be thoroughly cooked, or it is most
unwholesome.
[Illustration]
PORK.
No. 1. Leg, used for smoked hams, roasts and corned pork.
No. 2. Hind-loin, used for roasts, chops and baked dishes.
No. 3. Fore-loin or ribs, used for roasts, baked dishes or chops.
No. 4. Spare-rib, used for roasts, chops, stews.
No. 5. Shoulder, used for smoked shoulder, roasts and corned pork.
No. 6. Brisket and flank, used for pickling in salt and smoked bacon.
The cheek is used for pickling in salt, also the shank or shin. The
feet are usually used for souse and jelly.
For family use the leg is the most economical, that is when fresh, and
the loin the richest. The best pork is from carcasses weighing from
fifty to about one hundred and twenty-five pounds. Pork is a white and
close meat, and it is almost impossible to over-roast or cook it too
much; when underdone it is exceedingly unwholesome.
[Illustration]
VENISON.
No. 1. Shoulder, used for roasting; it may be boned and stuffed, then
afterwards baked or roasted.
No. 2. Fore-loin, used for roasts and steaks.
No. 3. Haunch or loin, used for roasts, steaks, stews. The ribs cut
close may be used for soups. Good for pickling and making into smoked
venison.
No. 4. Breast, used for baking dishes, stewing.
No. 5. Scrag or neck, used for soups.
The choice of venison should be judged by the fat, which, when the
venison is young, should be thick, clear and close, and the meat a
very dark red. The flesh of a female deer about four years old, is the
sweetest and best of venison.
Buck venison, which is in season from June to the end of September, is
finer than doe venison, which is in season from October to December.
Neither should be dressed at any other time of year, and no meat
requires so much care as venison in killing, preserving and dressing.
[Illustration:]
SIRLOIN OF BEEF.
This choice roasting-piece should be cut with one good firm stroke
from end to end of the joint, at the upper part, in thin, long, even
slices in the direction of the line from 1 to 2, cutting across the
grain, serving each guest with some of the fat with the lean; this may
be done by cutting a small, thin slice from underneath the bone from 5
to 6, through the tenderloin.
Another way of carving this piece, and which will be of great
assistance in doing it well, is to insert the knife just above the
bone at the bottom, and run sharply along, dividing the meat from the
bone at the bottom and end, thus leaving it perfectly flat; then carve
in long, thin slices the usual way. When the bone has been removed and
the sirloin rolled before it is cooked, it is laid upon the platter on
one end, and an even, thin slice is carved across the grain of the
upper surface.
Roast ribs should be carved in thin, even slices from the thick end
towards the thin in the same manner as the sirloin; this can be more
easily and cleanly done if the carving knife is first run along
between the meat and the end and rib-bones, thus leaving it free from
bone to be cut into slices.
_Tongue_.--To carve this it should be cut crosswise, the middle being
the best; cut in very _thin_ slices, thereby improving its delicacy,
making it more tempting; as is the case of all well-carved meats. The
root of the tongue is usually left on the platter.
[Illustration]
BREAST OF VEAL.
This piece is quite similar to a fore-quarter of lamb after the
shoulder has been taken off. A breast of veal consists of two parts,
the rib-bones and the gristly brisket. These parts may be separated by
sharply passing the carving knife in the direction of the line from 1
to 2; and when they are entirely divided, the rib-bones should be
carved in the direction of the line from 5 to 6, and the brisket can
be helped by cutting slices from 3 to 4.
The carver should ask the guests whether they have a preference for
the brisket or ribs; and if there be a sweetbread served with the
dish, as is frequently with this roast of veal, each person should
receive a piece.
Though veal and lamb contain less nutrition than beef and mutton, in
proportion to their weight, they are often preferred to these latter
meats on account of their delicacy of texture and flavor. A whole
breast of veal weighs from nine to twelve pounds.
[Illustration]
A FILLET OF VEAL.
A fillet of veal is one of the prime roasts of veal; it is taken from
the leg above the knuckle; a piece weighing from ten to twelve pounds
is a good size and requires about four hours for roasting. Before
roasting, it is dressed with a force meat or stuffing placed in the
cavity from where the bone was taken out and the flap tightly secured
together with skewers; many bind it together with tape.
To carve it, cut in even thin slices off from the whole of the upper
part or top, in the same manner as from a rolled roast of beef, as in
the direction of the figs. 1 and 2; this gives the person served some
of the dressing with each slice of meat.
Veal is very unwholesome unless it is cooked thoroughly, and when
roasted should be of a rich brown color. Bacon, fried pork,
sausage-balls, with greens, are among the accompaniments of roasted
veal, also a cut lemon.
[Illustration]
NECK OF VEAL.
The best end of a neck of veal makes a very good roasting-piece; it,
however, is composed of bone and ribs that make it quite difficult to
carve, unless it is done properly. To attempt to carve each chop and
serve it, you would not only place _too_ large a piece upon the plate
of the person you intend to serve, but you would waste much time, and
should the vertebrae have not been removed by the butcher, you would be
compelled to exercise such a degree of strength that would make one's
appearance very ungraceful, and possibly, too, throwing gravy over
your neighbor sitting next to you. The correct way to carve this roast
is to cut diagonally from fig. 1 to 2, and help in slices of moderate
thickness; then it may be cut from 3 to 4, in order to separate the
small bones; divide and serve them, having first inquired if they are
desired.
This joint is usually sent to the table accompanied by bacon, ham,
tongue, or pickled pork, on a separate dish and with a cut lemon on a
plate. There are also a number of sauces that are suitable with this
roast.
[Illustration]
LEG OF MUTTON.
The best mutton, and that from which most nourishment is obtained is
that of sheep from three to six years old, and which have been fed on
dry, sweet pastures; then mutton is in its _prime_, the flesh being
firm, juicy, dark colored and full of the richest gravy. When mutton
is two years old, the meat is flabby, pale and savorless.
In carving a roasted leg, the best slices are found by cutting quite
down to the bone, in the direction from 1 to 2, and slices may be
taken from either side.
Some very good cuts are taken from the broad end from 5 to 6, and the
fat on this ridge is very much liked by many. The cramp-bone is a
delicacy, and is obtained by cutting down to the bone at 4, and
running the knife under it in a semicircular direction to 3. The
nearer the knuckle the drier the meat, but the under side contains the
most finely grained meat, from which slices may be cut lengthwise.
When sent to the table a frill of paper around the knuckle will
improve its appearance.
[Illustration]
FORE-QUARTER OF LAMB.
The first cut to be made in carving a fore-quarter of lamb is to
separate the shoulder from the breast and ribs; this is done by
passing a sharp carving knife lightly around the dotted line as shown
by the figs. 3, 4 and 5, so as to cut through the skin, and then, by
raising with a little force the shoulder, into which the fork should
be firmly fixed, it will easily separate with just a little more
cutting with the knife; care should be taken not to cut away too much
of the meat from the breast when dividing the shoulder from it, as
that would mar its appearance. The shoulder may be placed upon a
separate dish for convenience. The next process is to divide the ribs
from the brisket by cutting through the meat in the line from 1 to 2;
then the ribs may be carved in the direction of the line 6 to 7, and
the brisket from 8 to 9. The carver should always ascertain whether
the guest prefers ribs, brisket, or a piece of the shoulder.
[Illustration]
HAM.
The carver in cutting a ham must be guided according as he desires to
practice economy, or have at once fine slices out of the prime part.
Under the first supposition, he will commence at the knuckle end, and
cut off thin slices toward the thick and upper part of the ham.
To reach the choicer portion of the ham, the knife, which must be very
sharp and thin, should be carried quite down to the bone through the
thick fat in the direction of the line from 1 to 2. The slices should
be even and thin, cutting both lean and fat together, always cutting
down to the bone. Some cut a circular hole in the middle of a ham
gradually enlarging it outwardly. Then again many carve a ham by first
cutting from 1 to 2, then across the other way from 3 to 4. Remove the
skin after the ham is cooked and send to the table with dots of dry
pepper or dry mustard on the top, a tuft of fringed paper twisted
about the knuckle, and plenty of fresh parsley around the dish. This
will always insure an inviting appearance.
_Roast Pig_.--The modern way of serving a pig is not to send it to the
table whole, but have it carved partially by the cook; first, by
dividing the shoulder from the body; then the leg in the same manner;
also separating the ribs into convenient portions. The head may be
divided and placed on the same platter. To be served as hot as
possible.
A Spare Rib of Pork is carved by cutting slices from the fleshy part,
after which the bones should be disjointed and separated.
A leg of pork may be carved in the same manner as a ham.
[Illustration: HAUNCH OF VENISON]
HAUNCH OF VENISON
A haunch of venison is the _prime_ joint, and is carved very similar
to almost any roasted or boiled leg; it should be first cut crosswise
down to the bone following the line from 1 to 2; then turn the platter
with the knuckle farthest from you, put in the point of the knife, and
cut down as far as you can, in the directions shown by the dotted
lines from 3 to 4; then there can be taken out as many slices as is
required on the right and left of this. Slices of venison should be
cut thin, and gravy given with them, but as there is a special sauce
made with red wine and currant jelly to accompany this meat, do not
serve gravy before asking the guest if he pleases to have any.
The fat of this meat is like mutton, apt to cool soon, and become hard
and disagreeable to the palate; it should, therefore, be served always
on warm plates, and the platter kept over a hot-water dish, or spirit
lamp. Many cooks dish it up with a white paper frill pinned around the
knuckle bone.
A haunch of mutton is carved the same as a haunch of venison.
[Illustration]
TURKEY.
A turkey having been relieved from strings and skewers used in
trussing should be placed on the table with the head or neck at the
carver's right hand. An expert carver places the fork in the turkey,
and does not remove it until the whole is divided. First insert the
fork firmly in the lower part of the breast, just forward of fig. 2,
then sever the legs and wings on both sides, if the whole is to be
carved, cutting neatly through the joint next to the body, letting
these parts lie on the platter. Next, cut downward from the breast
from 2 to 3, as many even slices of the white meat as may be desired,
placing the pieces neatly on one side of the platter. Now unjoint the
legs and wings at the middle joint, which can be done very skillfully
by a little practice. Make an opening into the cavity of the turkey
for dipping out the inside dressing, by cutting a piece from the rear
part 1, 1, called the apron. Consult the tastes of the guests as to
which part is preferred; if no choice is expressed, serve a portion of
both light and dark meat. One of the most delicate parts of the turkey
are two little muscles, lying in small dish-like cavities on each side
of the back, a little behind the leg attachments; the next most
delicate meat fills the cavities in the neck bone, and next to this,
that on the second joints. The lower part of the leg (or drumstick, as
it is called) being hard, tough and stringy, is rarely ever helped to
any one, but allowed to remain on the dish.
[Illustration]
ROAST GOOSE.
To carve a goose, first begin by separating the leg from the body, by
putting the fork into the small end of the limb, pressing it closely
to the body, then passing the knife under at 2, and turning the leg
back as you cut through the joint. To take off the wing, insert the
fork in the small end of the pinion, and press it close to the body;
put the knife in at fig. 1, and divide the joint. When the legs and
wings are off, the breast may be carved in long, even slices, as
represented in the lines from 1 to 2. The back and lower side bones,
as well as the two lower side bones by the wing, may be cut off; but
the best pieces of the goose are the breast and thighs, after being
separated from the drumsticks. Serve a little of the dressing from the
inside, by making a circular slice in the apron at fig. 3. A goose
should never be over a year old; a tough goose is very difficult to
carve, and certainly most difficult to eat.
FOWLS.
First insert the knife between the leg and the body, and cut to the
bone; then turn the leg back with the fork, and if the fowl is tender
the joint will give away easily. The wing is broken off the same way,
only dividing the joint with the knife, in the direction from 1 to 2.
The four quarters having been removed in this way, take off the
merry-thought and the neck-bones; these last are to be removed by
putting the knife in at figs. 3 and 4, pressing it hard, when they
will break off from the part that sticks to the breast. To separate
the breast from the body of the fowl, cut through the tender ribs
close to the breast, quite down to the tail. Now turn the fowl over,
back upwards; put the knife into the bone midway between the neck and
the rump, and on raising the lower end it will separate readily. Turn
now the rump from you, and take off very neatly the two side bones,
and the fowl is carved. In separating the thigh from the drumstick,
the knife must be inserted exactly at the joint, for if not accurately
hit, some difficulty will be experienced to get them apart; this is
easily acquired by practice. There is no difference in carving roast
and boiled fowls if full grown; but in very young fowls the breast is
usually served whole; the wings and breast are considered the best
parts, but in young ones the legs are the most juicy. In the case of a
capon or large fowl, slices may be cut off at the breast, the same as
carving a pheasant.
[Illustration]
ROAST DUCK.
A young duckling may be carved in the same manner as a fowl, the legs
and wings being taken off first on either side. When the duck is full
size, carve it like a goose; first cutting it in slices from the
breast, beginning close to the wing and proceeding upward towards the
breast bone, as is represented by the lines 1 to 2. An opening may be
made by cutting out a circular slice, as shown by the dotted lines at
number 3.
Some are fond of the feet, and when dressing the duck, these should be
neatly skinned and never removed. Wild duck is highly esteemed by
epicures; it is trussed like a tame duck, and carved in the same
manner, the breast being the choicest part.
PARTRIDGES.
Partridges are generally cleaned and trussed the same way as a
pheasant, but the custom of cooking them with the heads on is going
into disuse somewhat. The usual way of carving them is similar to a
pigeon, dividing it into two equal parts. Another method is to cut it
into three pieces, by severing a wing and leg on either side from the
body, by following the lines 1 to 2, thus making two servings of those
parts, leaving the breast for a third plate. The third method is to
thrust back the body from the legs, and cut through the middle of the
breast, thus making four portions that may be served. Grouse and
prairie-chicken are carved from the breast when they are large, and
quartered or halved when of medium size.
[Illustration]
PHEASANT.
Place your fork firmly in the centre of the breast of this large game
bird and cut deep slices to the bone at figs. 1 and 2; then take off
the leg in the line from 3 and 4, and the wing 3 and 5, severing both
sides the same. In taking off the wings, be careful not to cut too
near the neck; if you do you will hit upon the neck-bone, from which
the wing must be separated. Pass the knife through the line 6, and
under the merry-thought towards the neck, which will detach it. Cut
the other parts as in a fowl. The breast, wings and merry-thought of a
pheasant are the most highly prized, although the legs are considered
very finely flavored. Pheasants are frequently roasted with the head
left on; in that case, when dressing them, bring the head round under
the wing, and fix it on the point of a skewer.
PIGEONS.
A very good way of carving these birds is to insert the knife at fig.
1, and cut both ways to 2 and 3, when each portion may be divided into
two pieces, then served. Pigeons, if not too large, may be cut in
halves, either across or down the middle, cutting them into two equal
parts; if young and small they may be served entirely whole.
Tame pigeons should be cooked as soon as possible after they are
killed, as they very quickly lose their flavor. Wild pigeons, on the
contrary, should hang a day or two in a cool place before they are
dressed. Oranges cut into halves are used as a garnish for dishes of
small birds, such as pigeons, quail, woodcock, squabs, snipe, etc.
These small birds are either served whole or split down the back,
making two servings.
[Illustration]
MACKEREL.
The mackerel is one of the most beautiful of fish, being known by its
silvery whiteness. It sometimes attains to the length of twenty
inches, but usually, when fully grown, is about fourteen or sixteen
inches long, and about two pounds in weight. To carve a baked
mackerel, first remove the head and tail by cutting downward at 1 and
2; then split them down the back, so as to serve each person a part of
each side piece. The roe should be divided in small pieces and served
with each piece of fish. Other whole fish may be carved in the same
manner. The fish is laid upon a little sauce or folded napkin, on a
hot dish, and garnished with parsley.
BOILED SALMON.
This fish is seldom sent to the table whole, being _too_ large for any
ordinary sized family; the middle cut is considered the choicest to
boil. To carve it, first run the knife down and along the upper side
of the fish from 1 to 2, then again on the lower side from 3 to 4.
Serve the thick part, cutting it lengthwise in slices in the direction
of the line from 1 to 2, and the thin part breadthwise, or in the
direction from 5 to 6. A slice of the thick with one of the thin,
where lies the fat, should be served to each guest. Care should be
taken when carving not to break the flakes of the fish, as that
impairs its appearance. The flesh of the salmon is rich and delicious
in flavor. Salmon is in season from the first of February to the end
of August.
SOUPS.
Consomme, or Stock, forms the basis of all meat soups, and also of all
principal sauces. It is, therefore, essential to the success of these
culinary operations to know the most complete and economical method of
extracting from a certain quantity of meat the best possible stock or
broth. Fresh, uncooked beef makes the best stock, with the addition of
cracked bones, as the glutinous matter contained in them renders it
important that they should be boiled with the meat, which adds to the
strength and thickness of the soup. They are composed of an earthy
substance--to which they owe their solidity--of gelatine, and a fatty
fluid, something like marrow. _Two ounces_ of them contain as much
gelatine as _one pound_ of meat; but, in them, this is so encased in
the earthy substance, that boiling water can dissolve only the surface
of the whole bones, but by breaking them they can be dissolved more.
When there is an abundance of it, it causes the stock, when cold, to
become a jelly. The flesh of old animals contains more flavor than the
flesh of young ones. Brown meats contain more flavor than white.
Mutton is too strong in flavor for good stock, while veal, although
quite glutinous, furnishes very little nutriment.
Some cooks use meat that has once been cooked; this renders little
nourishment and destroys the flavor. It might answer for ready soup,
but for stock to keep it is not as good, unless it should be roasted
meats. Those contain higher fragrant properties; so by putting the
remains of roast meats in the stock-pot you obtain a better flavor.
The shin bone is generally used, but the neck or "sticking-piece," as
the butchers call it, contains more of the substance that you want to
extract, makes a stronger and more nutritious soup, than any other
part of the animal. Meats for soup should always be put on to cook in
_cold_ water, in a covered pot, and allowed to simmer slowly for
several hours, in order that the essence of the meat may be drawn out
thoroughly, and should be carefully skimmed to prevent it from
becoming turbid, never allowed to _boil fast_ at any time, and if more
water is needed, use boiling water from the tea-kettle; cold or
lukewarm water spoils the flavor. Never salt it before the meat is
tender (as that hardens and toughens the meat), especially if the meat
is to be eaten. Take off every particle of scum as it rises, and
before the vegetables are put in.
Allow a little less than a quart of water to a pound of meat and bone,
and a teaspoonful of salt. When done, strain through a colander. If
for clear soups, strain again through a hair sieve, or fold a clean
towel in a colander set over an earthen bowl, or any dish large enough
to hold the stock. As stated before, stock is not as good when made
entirely from cooked meats, but in a family where it requires a large
joint roasted every day, the bones, and bits and underdone pieces of
beef, or the bony structure of turkey or chicken that has been left
from carving, bones of roasted poultry, these all assist in imparting
a rich dark color to soup, and would be sufficient, if stewed as
above, to furnish a family, without buying fresh meat for the purpose;
still, with the addition of a little fresh meat it would be more
nutritious. In cold weather you can gather them up for several days
and put them to cook in cold water, and when done, strain, and put
aside until needed.
Soup will be as good the second day as the first if heated to the
boiling point. It should never be left in the pot, but should be
turned into a dish or shallow pan, and set aside to get cold. Never
cover it up, as that will cause it to turn sour very quickly.
Before heating a second time, remove all the fat from the top. If this
be melted in, the flavor of the soup will certainly be spoiled.
Thickened soups require nearly double the seasoning used for thin
soups or broth.
Coloring is used in some brown soups, the chief of which is brown
burnt sugar, which is known as caramel by French cooks.
Pounded spinach leaves give a fine green color to soup. Parsley, or
the green leaves of celery put in soup, will serve instead of spinach.
Pound a large handful of spinach in a mortar, then tie it in a cloth,
and wring out all the juice; put this in the soup you wish to color
green five minutes before taking it up.
Mock turtle, and sometimes veal and lamb soups, should be this color.
Okras gives a green color to soup.
To color soup red, skin six red tomatoes, squeeze out the seeds, and
put them into the soup with the other vegetables--or take the juice
only, as directed for spinach.
For white soups, which are of veal, lamb or chicken, none but white
vegetables are used; rice, pearl barley, vermicelli, or macaroni, for
thickening.
Grated carrot gives a fine amber color to soup; it must be put in as
soon as the soup is free from scum.
Hotel and private-house stock is quite different.
Hotels use meat in such large quantities that there is always more or
less trimmings and bones of meat to add to fresh meats; that makes
very strong stock, which they use in most all soups and gravies and
other made dishes.
The meat from which soup has been made is good to serve cold thus:
Take out all the bones, season with pepper and salt, and catsup, if
liked, then chop it small, tie it in a cloth, and lay it between two
plates, with a weight on the upper one; slice it thin for luncheon or
supper; or make sandwiches of it; or make a hash for breakfast; or
make it into balls, with the addition of a little wheat flour and an
egg, and serve them fried in fat, or boil in the soup.
An agreeable flavor is sometimes imparted to soup by sticking some
cloves into the meat used for making stock; a few slices of onions
fried very brown in butter are nice; also flour browned by simply
putting it into a saucepan over the fire and stirring it constantly
until it is a dark brown.
Clear soups must be perfectly transparent, and thickened soups about
the consistency of cream. When soups and gravies are kept from day to
day in hot weather, they should be warmed up every day, and put into
fresh-scalded pans or tureens, and placed in a cool cellar. In
temperate weather, every other day may be sufficient.
HERBS AND VEGETABLES USED IN SOUPS.
Of vegetables the principal ones are carrots, tomatoes, asparagus,
green peas, okra, macaroni, green corn, beans, rice, vermicelli,
Scotch barley, pearl barley, wheat flour, mushroom, or mushroom
catsup, parsnips, beetroot, turnips, leeks, garlic, shallots and
onions; sliced onions fried with butter and flour until they are
browned, then rubbed through a sieve, are excellent to heighten the
color and flavor of brown sauces and soups. The herbs usually used in
soups are parsley, common thyme, summer savory, knotted marjoram, and
other seasonings, such as bay-leaves, tarragon, allspice, cinnamon,
nutmeg, cloves, mace, black and white pepper, red pepper, lemon peel
and juice, orange peel and juice. The latter imparts a finer flavor
and the acid much milder. These materials, with wine, and the various
catsups, combined in various proportions, are, with other ingredients,
made into almost an endless variety of excellent soups and gravies.
Soups that are intended for the principal part of a meal certainly
ought not to be flavored like sauces, which are only intended to give
relish to some particular dish.
STOCK.
Six pounds of shin of beef, or six pounds of knuckle of veal; any
bones, trimmings of poultry, or fresh meat; one-quarter pound of lean
bacon or ham, two ounces of butter, two large onions, each stuck with
cloves; one turnip, three carrots, one head of celery, two ounces of
salt, one-half teaspoonful of whole pepper, one large blade of mace,
one bunch of savory herbs except sage, four quarts and one-half-pint
of cold water.
Cut up the meat and bacon, or ham, into pieces of about three inches
square; break the bones into small pieces, rub the butter on the
bottom of the stewpan; put in one-half a pint of water, the broken
bones, then meat and all other ingredients. Cover the stewpan, and
place it on a sharp fire, occasionally stirring its contents. When the
bottom of the pan becomes covered with a pale, jelly-like substance,
add the four quarts of cold water, and simmer very gently for five or
six hours. As we have said before, do not let it boil quickly. When
nearly cooked, throw in a tablespoonful of salt to assist the scum to
rise. Remove every particle of scum whilst it is doing, and strain it
through a fine hair sieve; when cool remove all grease. This stock
will keep for many days in cold weather.
Stock is the basis of many of the soups afterwards mentioned, and this
will be found quite strong enough for ordinary purposes. Keep it in
small jars, in a cool place. It makes a good gravy for hash meats;
one tablespoonful of it is sufficient to impart a fine flavor to a
dish of macaroni and various other dishes. Good soups of various kinds
are made from it at short notice; slice off a portion of the jelly,
add water, and whatever vegetables and thickening preferred. It is
best to partly cook the vegetables before adding to the stock, as much
boiling injures the flavoring of the soup. Season and boil a few
moments and serve hot.
[Illustration: FRANCES FOLSOM CLEVELAND.]
WHITE STOCK.
White stock is used in the preparation of white soups, and is made by
boiling six pounds of a knuckle of veal, cut up in small pieces,
poultry trimmings, and four slices of lean ham. Proceed according to
directions given in STOCK, on opposite page.
TO CLARIFY STOCK.
Place the stock in a clean saucepan, set it over a brisk fire. When
boiling, add the white of one egg to each quart of stock, proceeding
as follows: beat the whites of the eggs up well in a little water;
then add a little hot stock; beat to a froth and pour gradually into
the pot; then beat the whole hard and long; allow it to boil up once,
and immediately remove and strain through a thin flannel cloth.
BEEF SOUP.
Select a small shin of beef of moderate size, crack the bone in small
pieces, wash and place it in a kettle to boil, with five or six quarts
of _cold_ water. Let it boil about two hours, or until it begins to
get tender, then season it with a tablespoonful of salt, and a
teaspoonful of pepper; boil it one hour longer, then add to it one
carrot, two turnips, two tablespoonfuls of rice or pearl barley, one
head of celery, and a teaspoonful of summer savory powdered fine; the
vegetables to be minced up in small pieces like dice. After these
ingredients have boiled a quarter of an hour, put in two potatoes cut
up in small pieces, let it boil half an hour longer; take the meat
from the soup, and if intended to be served with it, take out the
bones and lay it closely and neatly on a dish, and garnish with sprigs
of parsley.
Serve made mustard and catsup with it. It is very nice pressed and
eaten cold with mustard and vinegar, or catsup. Four hours are
required for making this soup. Should any remain over the first day,
it may be heated, with the addition of a little boiling water, and
served again. Some fancy a glass of brown sherry added just before
being served. Serve very hot.
VEAL SOUP. (Excellent.)
Put a knuckle of veal into three quarts of cold water, with a small
quantity of salt, and one small tablespoonful of uncooked rice. Boil
slowly, hardly above simmering, four hours, when the liquor should be
reduced to half the usual quantity; remove from the fire. Into the
tureen put the yolk of one egg, and stir well into it a teacupful of
cream, or, in hot weather, new milk; add a piece of butter the size of
a hickory nut; on this strain the soup, boiling hot, stirring all the
time. Just at the last, beat it well for a minute.
SCOTCH MUTTON BROTH.
Six pounds neck of mutton, three quarts water, five carrots, five
turnips, two onions, four tablespoonfuls barley, a little salt. Soak
mutton in water for an hour, cut off scrag, and put it in stewpan with
three quarts of water. As soon as it boils, skim well, and then simmer
for one and one-half hours. Cut best end of mutton into cutlets,
dividing it with two bones in each; take off nearly all fat before you
put it into broth; skim the moment the meat boils, and every ten
minutes afterwards; add carrots, turnips and onions, all cut into two
or three pieces, then put them into soup soon enough to be thoroughly
done; stir in barley; add salt to taste; let all stew together for
three and one-half hours; about one-half hour before sending it to
table, put in little chopped parsley and serve.
Cut the meat off the scrag into small pieces, and send it to table in
the tureen with the soup. The other half of the mutton should be
served on a separate dish, with whole turnips boiled and laid round
it. Many persons are fond of mutton that has been boiled in soup.
You may thicken the soup with rice or barley that has first been
soaked in cold water, or with green peas, or with young corn, cut down
from the cob, or with tomatoes, scalded, peeled and cut into pieces.
GAME SOUP.
Two grouse or partridges, or, if you have neither, use a pair of
rabbits; half a pound of lean ham; two medium-sized onions; one pound
of lean beef; fried bread; butter for frying; pepper, salt and two
stalks of white celery cut into inch lengths; three quarts of water.
Joint your game neatly; cut the ham and onions into small pieces, fry
all in butter to a light brown. Put into a soup-pot with the beef, cut
into strips, add a little pepper. Pour on the water; heat slowly, and
stew gently two hours. Take out the pieces of bird, and cover in a
bowl; cook the soup an hour longer; strain; cool; drop in the celery
and simmer ten minutes. Pour upon fried bread in the tureen.
Venison soup made the same, with the addition of a tablespoonful of
brown flour wet into a paste with cold water, adding a tablespoonful
of catsup, Worcestershire, or other pungent sauce, and a glass of
Madeira or brown sherry.
CONSOMME SOUP.
Take good strong stock (see pages 27 and 30), remove all fat from the
surface, and for each quart of the stock allow the white and shell of
one egg and a tablespoonful of water, well whipped together. Pour this
mixture into a saucepan containing the stock; place it over the fire
and heat the contents gradually, stirring often to prevent the egg
from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. Allow it to boil gently
until the stock looks perfectly clear under the egg, which will rise
and float upon the surface in the form of a thick white scum. Now
remove it and pour it into a folded towel laid in a colander set over
an earthen bowl, allowing it to run through without moving or
squeezing it. Season with more salt if needed, and quickly serve very
hot. This should be a clear amber color.
JULIENNE SOUP.
Cut carrots and turnips into quarter-inch pieces the shape of dice;
also celery into thin slices. Cover them with boiling water; add a
teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful pepper, and cook until soft.
In another saucepan have two quarts of boiling stock (see pages 27 and
30), to which add the cooked vegetables, the water and more seasoning
if necessary. Serve hot.
In the spring and summer season use asparagus, peas and string
beans--all cut into small uniform thickness.
CREAM OF SPINACH.
Pick, wash and boil enough spinach to measure a pint, when cooked,
chopped and pounded into a soft paste. Put it into a stewpan with four
ounces of fresh butter, a little grated nutmeg, a teaspoonful of salt.
Cook and stir it about ten minutes. Add to this two quarts of strong
stock (see pages 27 and 30); let boil up, then rub it through a
strainer. Set it over the fire again, and, when on the point of
boiling, mix with it a tablespoonful of butter, and a teaspoonful of
granulated sugar.
CHICKEN CREAM SOUP.
An old chicken for soup is much the best. Cut it up into quarters, put
it into a soup kettle with half a pound of corned ham, and an onion;
add four quarts of cold water. Bring slowly to a gentle boil, and keep
this up until the liquid has diminished one-third, and the meat drops
from the bones; then add half a cup of rice. Season with salt, pepper
and a bunch of chopped parsley.
Cook slowly until the rice is tender, then the meat should be taken
out. Now stir in two cups of rich milk thickened with a little flour.
The chicken could be fried in a spoonful of butter and a gravy made,
reserving some of the white part of the meat, chopping it and adding
it to the soup.
PLAIN ECONOMICAL SOUP.
Take a cold roast-beef bone, pieces of beefsteak, the rack of a cold
turkey or chicken. Put them into a pot with three or four quarts of
water, two carrots, three turnips, one onion, a few cloves, pepper and
salt. Boil the whole gently four hours; then strain it through a
colander, mashing the vegetables so that they will all pass through.
Skim off the fat, and return the soup to the pot. Mix one
tablespoonful of flour with two of water, stir it into the soup and
boil the whole ten minutes. Serve this soup with sippits of toast.
Sippits are bits of dry toast cut into a triangular form.
A seasonable dish about the holidays.
[Illustration: EDITH CAREW ROOSEVELT.]
OX-TAIL SOUP.
Two ox-tails, two slices of ham, one ounce of butter, two carrots, two
turnips, three onions, one leek, one head of celery, one bunch of
savory herbs, pepper, a tablespoonful of salt, two tablespoonfuls of
catsup, one-half glass of port wine, three quarts of water.
Cut up the tails, separating them at the joints; wash them, and put
them in a stewpan with the butter. Cut the vegetables in slices and
add them with the herbs. Put in one-half pint of water, and stir it
over a quick fire till the juices are drawn. Fill up the stewpan with
water, and, when boiling, add the salt. Skim well, and simmer very
gently for four hours, or until the tails are tender. Take them out,
skim and strain the soup, thicken with flour, and flavor with the
catsup and port wine. Put back the tails, simmer for five minutes and
serve.
Another way to make an appetizing ox-tail soup. You should begin to
make it the day before you wish to eat the soup. Take two tails, wash
clean, and put in a kettle with nearly a gallon of cold water; add a
small handful of salt; when the meat is well cooked, take out the
bones. Let this stand in a cool room, covered, and next day, about an
hour and a half before dinner, skim off the crust or cake of fat which
has risen to the top. Add a little onion, carrot, or any vegetables
you choose, chopping them fine first; summer savory may also be added.
CORN SOUP.
Cut the corn from the cob, and boil the cobs in water for at least an
hour, then add the grains, and boil until they are thoroughly done;
put one dozen ears of corn to a gallon of water, which will be reduced
to three quarts by the time the soup is done; then pour on a pint of
new milk, two well-beaten eggs, salt and pepper to your taste;
continue the boiling a while longer, and stir in, to season and
thicken it a little, a tablespoonful of good butter rubbed up with two
tablespoonfuls of flour. Corn soup may also be made nicely with water
in which a pair of grown fowls have been boiled or parboiled, instead
of having plain water for the foundation.
SPLIT PEA SOUP. No. 1.
Wash well a pint of split peas and cover them well with cold water,
adding a third of a teaspoonful of soda; let them remain in it over
night to swell. In the morning put them in a kettle with a close
fitting cover. Pour over them three quarts of cold water, adding half
a pound of lean ham or bacon cut into slices or pieces; also a
teaspoonful of salt and a little pepper, and some celery chopped fine.
When the soup begins to boil, skim the froth from the surface. Cook
slowly from three to four hours, stirring occasionally till the peas
are all dissolved, adding a little more boiling water to keep up the
quantity as it boils away. Strain through a colander, and leave out
the meat. It should be quite quick. Serve with small squares of
toasted bread, cut up and added. If not rich enough, add a small piece
of butter.
CREAM OF ASPARAGUS.
For making two quarts of soup, use two bundles of fresh asparagus. Cut
the tops from one of the bunches and cook them twenty minutes in
salted water, enough to cover them. Cook the remainder of the
asparagus about twenty minutes in a quart of stock or water. Cut an
onion into thin slices and fry in three tablespoonfuls of butter ten
minutes, being careful not to scorch it; then add the asparagus that
has been boiled in the stock; cook this five minutes, stirring
constantly; then add three tablespoonfuls of dissolved flour, cook
five minutes longer. Turn this mixture into the boiling stock and boil
twenty minutes. Rub through a sieve; add the milk and cream and the
asparagus heads. If water is used in place of stock, use all cream.
GREEN PEA SOUP.
Wash a small quarter of lamb in cold water, and put it into a soup-pot
with six quarts of cold water; add to it two tablespoonfuls of salt,
and set it over a moderate fire--let it boil gently for two hours,
then skim it clear; add a quart of shelled peas, and a teaspoonful of
pepper; cover it, and let it boil for half an hour; then having
scraped the skins from a quart of small young potatoes, add them to
the soup; cover the pot and let it boil for half an hour longer; work
quarter of a pound of butter and a dessertspoonful of flour together,
and add them to the soup ten or twelve minutes before taking it off
the fire.
Serve the meat on a dish with parsley sauce over it, and the soup in a
tureen.
DRIED BEAN SOUP.
Put two quarts of dried white beans to soak the night before you make
the soup, which should be put on as early in the day as possible.
Take two pounds of the lean of fresh beef--the coarse pieces will do.
Cut them up and put them into your soup-pot with the bones belonging
to them (which should be broken in pieces), and a pound of lean bacon,
cut very small. If you have the remains of a piece of beef that has
been roasted the day before, and so much underdone that the juices
remain in it, you may put it into the pot and its bones along with it.
Season the meat with pepper only, and pour on it six quarts of water.
As soon as it boils, take off the scum, and put in the beans (having
first drained them) and a head of celery cut small, or a tablespoonful
of pounded celery seed. Boil it slowly till the meat is done to
shreds, and the beans all dissolved. Then strain it through a colander
into the tureen, and put into it small squares of toasted bread with
the crust cut off.
TURTLE SOUP FROM BEANS.
Soak over night one quart of black beans; next day boil them in the
proper quantity of water, say a gallon, then dip the beans out of the
pot and strain them through a colander. Then return the flour of the
beans, thus pressed, into the pot in which they were boiled. Tie up in
a thin cloth some thyme, a teaspoonful of summer savory and parsley,
and let it boil in the mixture. Add a tablespoonful of cold butter,
salt and pepper. Have ready four hard-boiled yolks of eggs quartered,
and a few force meat balls; add this to the soup with a sliced lemon,
and half a glass of wine just before serving the soup.
This approaches so near in flavor to the real turtle soup that few are
able to distinguish the difference.
PHILADELPHIA PEPPER POT.
Put two pounds of tripe and four calves' feet into the soup-pot and
cover them with cold water; add a red pepper, and boil closely until
the calves' feet are boiled very tender; take out the meat, skim the
liquid, stir it, cut the tripe into small pieces, and put it back into
the liquid; if there is not enough liquid, add boiling water; add half
a teaspoonful of sweet marjoram, sweet basil, and thyme, two sliced
onions, sliced potatoes, salt. When the vegetables have boiled until
almost tender, add a piece of butter rolled in flour, drop in some egg
balls, and boil fifteen minutes more. Take up and serve hot.
SQUIRREL SOUP.
Wash and quarter three or four good sized squirrels; put them on, with
a small tablespoonful of salt, directly after breakfast, in a gallon
of cold water. Cover the pot close, and set it on the back part of
the stove to simmer gently, _not_ boil. Add vegetables just the same
as you do in case of other meat soups in the summer season, but
especially good will you find corn, Irish potatoes, tomatoes and Lima
beans. Strain the soup through a coarse colander when the meat has
boiled to shreds, so as to get rid of the squirrels' troublesome
little bones. Then return to the pot, and after boiling a while
longer, thicken with a piece of butter rubbed in flour. Celery and
parsley leaves chopped up are also considered an improvement by many.
Toast two slices of bread, cut them into dice one-half inch square,
fry them in butter, put them into the bottom of your tureen, and then
pour the soup boiling hot upon them. Very good.
TOMATO SOUP. No. 1.
Place in a kettle four pounds of beef. Pour over it one gallon of cold
water. Let the meat and water boil slowly for three hours, or until
the liquid is reduced to about one-half. Remove the meat and put into
the broth a quart of tomatoes, and one chopped onion; salt and pepper
to taste. A teaspoonful of flour should be dissolved and stirred in,
then allowed to boil half an hour longer. Strain and serve hot. Canned
tomatoes in place of fresh ones may be used.
TOMATO SOUP. No. 2.
Place over the fire a quart of peeled tomatoes, stew them soft with a
pinch of soda. Strain it so that no seeds remain, set it over the fire
again, and add a quart of hot boiled milk; season with salt and
pepper, a piece of butter the size of an egg, add three tablespoonfuls
of rolled cracker, and serve hot. Canned tomatoes may be used in place
of fresh ones.
TOMATO SOUP. No. 3.
Peel two quarts of tomatoes, boil them in a saucepan with an onion,
and other soup vegetables; strain and add a level tablespoonful of
flour dissolved in a third of a cup of melted butter; add pepper and
salt. Serve very hot over little squares of bread fried brown and
crisp in butter.
An excellent addition to a cold meat lunch.
MULLAGATAWNY SOUP. (As made in India.)
Cut four onions, one carrot, two turnips, and one head of celery into
three quarts of liquor, in which one or two fowls have been boiled;
keep it over a brisk fire till it boils, then place it on a corner of
the fire, and let it simmer twenty minutes; add one tablespoonful of
currie powder, and one tablespoonful of flour; mix the whole well
together, and let it boil three minutes; pass it through a colander;
serve with pieces of roast chicken in it; add boiled rice in a
separate dish. It must be of good yellow color, and not too thick. If
you find it too thick, add a little boiling water and a teaspoonful of
sugar. Half veal and half chicken answers as well.
A dish of rice, to be served separately with this soup, must be thus
prepared: put three pints of water in a saucepan and one tablespoonful
of salt; let this boil. Wash well, in three waters, half a pound of
rice; strain it, and put it into the boiling water in saucepan. After
it has come to the boil--which it will do in about two minutes--let it
boil twenty minutes; strain it through a colander, and pour over it
two quarts of cold water. This will separate the grains of rice. Put
it back in the saucepan, and place it near the fire until hot enough
to send to the table. This is also the proper way to boil rice for
curries. If these directions are strictly carried out every grain of
the rice will separate, and be thoroughly cooked.
MOCK TURTLE SOUP, OF CALF'S HEAD.
Scald a well-cleansed calf's head, remove the brain, tie it up in a
cloth, and boil an hour, or until the meat will easily slip from the
bone; take out, save the broth; cut it in small square pieces, and
throw them into cold water; when cool, put it in a stewpan, and cover
with some of the broth; let it boil until quite tender, and set aside.
In another stewpan melt some butter, and in it put a quarter of a
pound of lean ham, cut small, with fine herbs to taste; also parsley
and one onion; add about a pint of the broth; let it simmer for two
hours, and then dredge in a small quantity of flour; now add the
remainder of the broth, and a quarter bottle of Madeira or sherry; let
all stew quietly for ten minutes and rub it through a medium sieve;
add the calf's head, season with a very little cayenne pepper, a
little salt, the juice of one lemon, and, if desired, a quarter
teaspoonful pounded mace and a dessert-spoon sugar.
Having previously prepared force meat balls, add them to the soup, and
five minutes after serve hot.
GREEN TURTLE SOUP.
One turtle, two onions, a bunch of sweet herbs, juice of one lemon,
five quarts of water, a glass of Madeira.
After removing the entrails, cut up the coarser parts of the turtle
meat and bones. Add four quarts of water, and stew four hours with the
herbs, onions, pepper and salt. Stew very slowly, do not let it cease
boiling during this time. At the end of four hours strain the soup,
and add the finer parts of the turtle and the green fat, which has
been simmered one hour in two quarts of water. Thicken with brown
flour; return to the soup-pot, and simmer gently for an hour longer.
If there are eggs in the turtle, boil them in a separate vessel for
four hours, and throw into the soup before taking up. If not, put in
force meat balls; then the juice of the lemon, and the wine; beat up
at once and pour out.
Some cooks add the finer meat before straining, boiling all together
five hours; then strain, thicken and put in the green fat, cut into
lumps an inch long. This makes a handsomer soup than if the meat is
left in.
Green turtle can now be purchased preserved in air-tight cans.
_Force Meat Balls for the Above._--Six tablespoonfuls of turtle meat
chopped very fine. Rub to a paste, with the yolk of two hard-boiled
eggs, a tablespoonful of butter, and, if convenient, a little oyster
liquor. Season with cayenne, mace, half a teaspoonful of white sugar
and a pinch of salt. Bind all with a well-beaten egg; shape into small
balls; dip in egg, then powdered cracker; fry in butter, and drop into
the soup when it is served.
MACARONI SOUP.
To a rich beef or other soup, in which there is no seasoning other
than pepper or salt, take half a pound of small pipe macaroni, boil it
in clear water until it is tender, then drain it and cut it in pieces
of an inch length; boil it for fifteen minutes in the soup and serve.
TURKEY SOUP.
Take the turkey bones and boil three-quarters of an hour in water
enough to cover them; add a little summer savory and celery chopped
fine. Just before serving, thicken with a little flour (browned), and
season with pepper, salt and a small piece of butter. This is a cheap
but good soup, using the remains of cold turkey which might otherwise
be thrown away.
GUMBO OR OKRA SOUP.
Fry out the fat of a slice of bacon or fat ham, drain it off, and in
it fry the slices of a large onion brown; scald, peel and cut up two
quarts fresh tomatoes, when in season (use canned tomatoes otherwise),
and cut thin one quart okra; put them, together with a little chopped
parsley, in a stew-kettle with about three quarts of hot broth of any
kind; cook slowly for three hours, season with salt and pepper. Serve
hot.
In chicken broth the same quantity of okra pods, used for thickening
instead of tomatoes, forms a chicken gumbo soup.
TAPIOCA CREAM SOUP.
One quart of white stock; one pint of cream or milk; one onion; two
stalks celery; one-third of a cupful of tapioca; two cupfuls of cold
water; one tablespoonful of butter; a small piece of mace; salt,
pepper. Wash the tapioca and soak over night in cold water. Cook it
and the stock together very gently for one hour. Cut the onion and
celery into small pieces, and put on to cook for twenty minutes with
the milk and mace. Strain on the tapioca and stock. Season with salt
and pepper, add butter and serve.
SOUPS WITHOUT MEAT.
ONION SOUP.
One quart of milk, six large onions, yolks of four eggs, three
tablespoonfuls of butter, a large one of flour, one cup full of cream,
salt, pepper. Put the butter in a frying pan. Cut the onions into thin
slices and drop in the butter. Stir until they begin to cook; then
cover tight and set back where they will simmer, but not burn, for
half an hour. Now put the milk on to boil, and then add the dry flour
to the onions and stir constantly for three minutes over the fire;
then turn the mixture into the milk and cook fifteen minutes. Rub the
soup through a strainer, return to the fire, season with salt and
pepper. Beat the yolks of the eggs well, add the cream to them and
stir into the soup. Cook three minutes, stirring constantly. If you
have no cream, use milk, in which case add a tablespoonful of butter
at the same time. Pour over fried croutons in a soup tureen.
This is a refreshing dish when one is fatigued.
WINTER VEGETABLE SOUP.
Scrape and slice three turnips and three carrots and peel three
onions, and fry all with a little butter until a light yellow; add a
bunch of celery and three or four leeks cut in pieces; stir and fry
all the ingredients for six minutes; when fried, add one clove of
garlic, two stalks of parsley, two cloves, salt, pepper and a little
grated nutmeg; cover with three quarts of water and simmer for three
hours, taking off the scum carefully. Strain and use. Croutons,
vermicelli, Italian pastes, or rice may be added.
VERMICELLI SOUP.
Swell quarter of a pound of vermicelli in a quart of warm water, then
add it to a good beef, veal, lamb, or chicken soup or broth, with
quarter of a pound of sweet butter; let the soup boil for fifteen
minutes after it is added.
SWISS WHITE SOUP.
A sufficient quantity of broth for six people; boil it; beat up three
eggs well, two spoonfuls of flour, one cup milk; pour these gradually
through a sieve into the boiling soup; salt and pepper.
SPRING VEGETABLE SOUP.
Half pint green peas, two shredded lettuces, one onion, a small bunch
of parsley, two ounces butter, the yolks of three eggs, one pint of
water, one and a half quarts of soup stock. Put in a stewpan the
lettuce, onion, parsley and butter, with one pint of water, and let
them simmer till tender. Season with salt and pepper. When done,
strain off the vegetables, and put two-thirds of the liquor with the
stock. Beat up the yolks of the eggs with the other third, toss it
over the fire, and at the moment of serving add this with the
vegetables to the strained-off soup.
CELERY SOUP.
Celery soup may be made with _white stock_. Cut down the white of half
a dozen heads of celery into little pieces and boil it in four pints
of white stock, with a quarter of a pound of lean ham and two ounces
of butter. Simmer gently for a full hour, then strain through a sieve,
return the liquor to the pan, and stir in a few spoonfuls of cream
with great care. Serve with toasted bread, and if liked, thicken with
a little flour. Season to taste.
IRISH POTATO SOUP.
Peel and boil eight medium-sized potatoes with a large onion sliced,
some herbs, salt and pepper; press all through a colander; then thin
it with rich milk and add a lump of butter, more seasoning, if
necessary; let it heat well and serve hot.
PEA SOUP.
Put a quart of dried peas into five quarts of water; boil for four
hours; then add three or four large onions, two heads of celery, a
carrot, two turnips, all cut up rather fine. Season with pepper and
salt. Boil two hours longer, and if the soup becomes too thick add
more water. Strain through a colander and stir in a tablespoonful of
cold butter. Serve hot, with small pieces of toasted bread placed in
the bottom of the tureen.
NOODLES FOR SOUP.
Beat up one egg light, add a pinch of salt, and flour enough to make a
_very stiff_ dough; roll out very thin, like thin pie crust, dredge
with flour to keep from sticking. Let it remain on the bread board to
dry for an hour or more; then roll it up into a tight scroll, like a
sheet of music. Begin at the end and slice it into slips as thin as
straws. After all are cut, mix them lightly together, and to prevent
them sticking, keep them floured a little until you are ready to drop
them into your soup which should be done shortly before dinner, for if
boiled _too long_ they will go to pieces.
FORCE MEAT BALLS FOR SOUP.
One cupful of cooked veal or fowl meat, minced; mix with this a
handful of fine bread crumbs, the yolks of four hard-boiled eggs
rubbed smooth together with a tablespoon of milk; season with pepper
and salt; add a half teaspoon of flour, and bind all together with two
beaten eggs; the hands to be well floured, and the mixture to be made
into little balls the size of a nutmeg; drop into the soup about
twenty minutes before serving.
EGG BALLS FOR SOUP.
Take the yolks of six hard-boiled eggs and half a tablespoonful of
wheat flour, rub them smooth with the yolks of two raw eggs and a
teaspoonful of salt; mix all well together; make it in balls, and drop
them into the boiling soup a few minutes before taking it up.
Used in green turtle soup.
EGG DUMPLINGS FOR SOUP.
To half a pint of milk put two well-beaten eggs, and as much wheat
flour as will make a smooth, rather _thick_ batter free from lumps;
drop this batter, a tablespoonful at a time, into boiling soup.
_Another Mode._--One cupful of sour cream and one cupful of sour milk,
three eggs, well beaten, whites and yolks separately; one teaspoonful
of salt, one level teaspoonful of soda, dissolved in a spoonful of
water, and enough flour added to make a _very stiff_ batter. To be
dropped by spoonfuls into the broth and boiled twenty minutes, or
until no raw dough shows on the outside.
SUET DUMPLINGS FOR SOUP.
Three cups of sifted flour in which three teaspoonfuls of baking
powder have been sifted; one cup of finely chopped suet, well rubbed
into the flour, with a teaspoonful of salt. Wet all with sweet milk to
make a dough as stiff as biscuit. Make into small balls as large as
peaches, well floured. Drop into the soup three-quarters of an hour
before being served. This requires steady boiling, being closely
covered, and the cover not to be removed until taken up to serve. A
very good form of pot-pie.
SOYER'S RECIPE FOR FORCE MEATS.
Take 1-1/2 lbs. of lean veal from the fillet, and cut it in long thin
slices; scrape with a knife till nothing but the fibre remains; put it
in a mortar, pound it ten minutes or until in a puree; pass it through
a wire sieve (use the remainder in stock), then take 1 lb. of good
fresh beef suet, which skin, shred and chop very fine; put it in a
mortar and pound it, then add 6 oz. of panada (that is, bread soaked
in milk, and boiled till nearly dry) with the suet; pound them well
together, and add the veal, season with 1 teaspoonful of salt, 1/4
teaspoonful of pepper, 1/2 that of nutmeg; work all well together;
then add four eggs by degrees, continually pounding the contents of
the mortar. When well mixed, take a small piece in a spoon, and poach
it in some boiling water, and if it is delicate, firm, and of a good
flavor, it is ready for use.
CROUTONS FOR SOUP.
In a frying pan have the depth of an inch of boiling fat; also have
prepared slices of stale bread cut up into little half-inch squares;
drop into the frying pan enough of these bits of bread to cover the
surface of the fat. When browned, remove with a skimmer and drain; add
to the hot soup and serve.
Some prefer them prepared in this manner:
Take very thin slices of bread, butter them well; cut them up into
little squares three-fourths of an inch thick, place them in a baking
pan, buttered side up, and brown in a quick oven.
FISH STOCK.
Place a saucepan over the fire with a good-sized piece of sweet butter
and a sliced onion; put into that some sliced tomatoes, then add as
many different kinds of fish as you can get--oysters, clams, smelts,
pawns, crabs, shrimps and all kinds of pan-fish; cook all together
until the onions are well browned; then add a bunch of sweet herbs,
salt and pepper, and sufficient water to make the required amount of
stock. After this has cooked for half an hour pound it with a wooden
pestle, then strain and cook again until it jellies.
FISH SOUP.
Select a large, fine fish, clean it thoroughly, put it over the fire
with a sufficient quantity of water, allowing for each pound of fish
one quart of water; add an onion cut fine and a bunch of sweet herbs.
When the fish is cooked, and is quite tasteless, strain all through a
colander, return to the fire, add some butter, salt and pepper to
taste. A small tablespoonful of Worcestershire sauce may be added if
liked. Serve with small squares of fried bread and thin slices of
lemon.
LOBSTER SOUP, OR BISQUE.
Have ready a good broth made of three pounds of veal boiled slowly in
as much water as will cover it, till the meat is reduced to shreds. It
must then be well strained.
Having boiled one fine middle-sized lobster, extract all the meat from
the body and claws. Bruise part of the coral in a mortar, and also an
equal quantity of the meat. Mix them well together. Add mace, cayenne,
salt and pepper, and make them up into force meat balls, binding the
mixture with the yolk of an egg slightly beaten.
Take three quarts of the veal broth and put it into the meat of the
lobster cut into mouthfuls. Boil it together about twenty minutes.
Then thicken it with the remaining coral (which you must first rub
through a sieve), and add the force meat balls and a little butter
rolled in flour. Simmer it gently for ten minutes, but do not let it
come to a boil, as that will injure the color. Serve with small dice
of bread fried brown in butter.
OYSTER SOUP, No. 1.
Two quarts of oysters, one quart of milk, two tablespoonfuls of
butter, one teacupful of hot water; pepper, salt.
Strain all the liquor from the oysters; add the water, and heat. When
near the boil, add the seasoning, then the oysters. Cook about five
minutes from the time they begin to simmer, until they "ruffle." Stir
in the butter, cook one minute, and pour into the tureen. Stir in the
boiling milk and send to table. Some prefer all water in place of
milk.
[Illustration: IDA SAXTON McKINLEY.]
OYSTER SOUP. No. 2.
Scald one gallon of oysters in their own liquor. Add one quart of rich
milk to the liquor, and when it comes to a boil, skim out the oysters
and set aside. Add the yolks of four eggs, two good tablespoonfuls of
butter, and one of flour, all mixed well together, but in this
order--first, the milk, then, after beating the eggs, add a little of
the hot liquor to them gradually, and stir them rapidly into the soup.
Lastly, add the butter and whatever seasoning you fancy besides plain
pepper and salt, which must both be put in to taste with caution.
Celery salt most persons like extremely; others would prefer a little
marjoram or thyme; others again mace and a bit of onion. Use your own
discretion in this regard.
CLAM SOUP. (French Style.)
Mince two dozen hard shell clams very fine. Fry half a minced onion in
an ounce of butter; add to it a pint of hot water, a pinch of mace,
four cloves, one allspice and six whole pepper corns. Boil fifteen
minutes and strain into a saucepan; add the chopped clams and a pint
of clam-juice or hot water; simmer slowly two hours; strain and rub
the pulp through a sieve into the liquid. Return it to the saucepan
and keep it lukewarm. Boil three half-pints of milk in a saucepan
(previously wet with cold water, which prevents burning) and whisk it
into the soup. Dissolve a teaspoonful of flour in cold milk, add it to
the soup, taste for seasoning; heat it gently to near the boiling
point; pour into a tureen previously heated with hot water, and serve
with or without pieces of fried bread--called _croutons_ in kitchen
French.
CLAM SOUP.
Twenty-five clams chopped fine. Put over the fire the liquor that was
drained from them, and a cup of water; add the chopped clams and boil
half an hour; then season to taste with pepper and salt and a piece of
butter as large as an egg; boil up again and add one quart of milk
boiling hot, stir in a tablespoon of flour made to a cream with a
little cold milk, or two crackers rolled fine. Some like a little mace
and lemon juice in the seasoning.
MODES OF FRYING
The usual custom among professional cooks is to entirely immerse the
article to be cooked in boiling fat, but from inconvenience most
households use the half-frying method of frying in a small amount of
fat in a frying pan. For the first method a shallow iron frying
kettle, large at the top and small at the bottom, is best to use. The
fat should half fill the kettle, or an amount sufficient to float
whatever is to be fried; the heat of the fat should get to such a
degree that, when a piece of bread or a teaspoonful of the batter is
dropped in it, it will become brown almost instantly, but should not
be so hot as to burn the fat. Some cooks say that the fat should be
smoking, but my experience is, that is a mistake, as that soon ruins
the fat. As soon as it begins to smoke it should be removed a little
to one side, and still be kept at the boiling point. If fritters,
crullers, croquettes, etc., are dropped into fat that is too hot, it
crusts over the outside before the inside has fully risen, making a
heavy, hard article, and also ruining the fat, giving it a burnt
flavor.
Many French cooks prefer beef fat or suet to lard for frying purposes,
considering it more wholesome and digestible, does not impart as much
flavor, or adhere or soak into the article cooked as pork fat.
In families of any size, where there is much cooking required, there
are enough drippings and fat remnants from roasts of beef, skimmings
from the soup kettle, with the addition of occasionally a pound of
suet from the market, to amply supply the need. All such remnants and
skimmings should be clarified about twice a week, by boiling them all
together in water. When the fat is all melted, it should be strained
with the water and set aside to cool. After the fat on the top has
hardened, lift the cake from the water on which it lies, scrape off
all the dark particles from the bottom, then melt over again the fat;
while hot strain into a small clean stone jar or bright tin pail, and
then it is ready for use. Always after frying anything, the fat should
stand until it settles and has cooled somewhat; then turn off
carefully so as to leave it clear from the sediment that settles at
the bottom.
Refined cotton-seed oil is now being adopted by most professional
cooks in hotels, restaurants and many private households for culinary
purposes, and will doubtless in future supersede animal fats,
especially for frying, it being quite as delicate a medium as frying
with olive oil. It is now sold by leading grocers, put up in packages
of two and four quarts.
The second mode of frying, using a frying pan with a small quantity of
fat or grease, to be done properly, should, in the first place, have
the frying pan hot over the fire, and the fat in it _actually boiling_
before the article to be cooked is placed in it, the intense heat
quickly searing up the pores of the article and forming a brown crust
on the lower side, then turning over and browning the other the same
way.
Still, there is another mode of frying; the process is somewhat
similar to broiling, the hot frying pan or spider replacing the hot
fire. To do this correctly, a thick bottomed frying pan should be
used. Place it over the fire, and when it is so hot that it will siss,
oil over the bottom of the pan with a piece of suet, that is if the
meat is all lean; if not, it is not necessary to grease the bottom of
the pan. Lay in the meat quite flat, and brown it quickly, first on
one side, then on the other; when sufficiently cooked, dish on a _hot_
platter and season the same as broiled meats.
FISH.
In selecting fish, choose those only in which the eye is full and
prominent, the flesh thick and firm, the scales bright and fins stiff.
They should be thoroughly cleaned before cooking.
The usual modes of cooking fish are boiled, baked, broiled, fried and
occasionally stewed. Steaming fish is much superior to boiling, but
the ordinary conveniences in private houses do not admit of the
possibility of enjoying this delicate way of cooking it. Large fish
are generally boiled, medium-sized ones baked or boiled, the smaller
kinds fried or broiled. Very large fish, such as cod, halibut, etc.,
are cut in steaks or slices for frying or broiling. The heads of some
fish, as the cod, halibut, etc., are considered tidbits by many. Small
fish, or pan-fish, as they are usually called, are served without the
heads, with the exception of brook-trout and smelts; these are usually
cooked whole, with the heads on. Bake fish slowly, basting often with
butter and water. Salmon is considered the most nutritious of all
fish. When boiling fish, by adding a little vinegar and salt to the
water, it seasons and prevents the nutriment from being drawn out; the
vinegar acting on the water hardens the water.
Fill the fish with a nicely prepared stuffing of rolled cracker or
stale bread crumbs, seasoned with butter, pepper, salt, sage and any
other aromatic herbs fancied; sew up; wrap in a well-floured cloth,
tied closely with twine, and boil or steam. The garnishes for boiled
fish are: for turbot, fried smelts; for other boiled fish, parsley,
sliced beets, lemon or sliced boiled egg. Do not use the knives,
spoons, etc., that are used in cooking fish, for other food, as they
will be apt to impart a fishy flavor.
Fish to be boiled should be put into _cold water_ and set on the fire
to cook very gently, or the outside will break before the inner part
is done. Unless the fish are small, they should never be put into warm
water; nor should water, either hot or cold, be poured _on_ to the
fish, as it is liable to break the skin; if it should be necessary to
add a little water while the fish is cooking, it ought to be poured in
gently at the side of the vessel.
Fish to be broiled should lie, after they are dressed, for two or
three hours, with their inside well sprinkled with salt and pepper.
Salt fish should be soaked in water before boiling, according to the
time it has been in salt. When it is hard and dry, it will require
thirty-six hours soaking before it is dressed, and the water must be
changed three or four times. When fish is not very salt, twenty-four
hours, or even one night, will suffice.
When frying fish the fire must be hot enough to bring the fat to such
a degree of heat as to sear the surface and make it impervious to the
fat, and at the same time seal up the rich juices. As soon as the fish
is browned by this sudden application of heat, the pan may be moved to
a cooler place on the stove, that the process may be finished more
slowly.
Fat in which fish has been fried is just as good to use again for the
same purpose, but it should be kept by itself and not put to any other
use.
TO FRY FISH.
Most of the smaller fish (generally termed pan-fish) are usually
fried. Clean well, cut off the head, and, if quite large, cut out the
backbone, and slice the body crosswise into five or six pieces; season
with salt and pepper. Dip in Indian meal or wheat flour, or in beaten
egg, and roll in bread or fine cracker crumbs--trout and perch should
not be dipped in meal; put into a thick bottomed iron frying pan, the
flesh side down, with hot lard or drippings; fry slowly, turning when
lightly browned. The following method may be deemed preferable: Dredge
the pieces with flour; brush them over with beaten egg; roll in bread
crumbs, and fry in hot lard or drippings sufficient to cover, the same
as frying crullers. If the fat is very hot, the fish will fry without
absorbing it, and it will be palatably cooked. When browned on one
side, turn it over in the fat and brown the other, draining when done.
This is a particularly good way to fry slices of large fish. Serve
with tomato sauce; garnish with slices of lemon.
PAN-FISH.
Place them in a thick bottomed frying pan with heads all one way. Fill
the spaces with smaller fish. When they are fried quite brown and
ready to turn, put a dinner plate over them, drain off the fat; then
invert the pan, and they will be left unbroken on the plate. Put the
lard back into the pan, and when _hot_ slip back the fish. When the
other side is brown, drain, turn on a plate as before, and slip them
on a warm platter, to be sent to the table. Leaving the heads on and
the fish a crispy-brown, in perfect shape, improves the appearance if
not the flavor. Garnish with slices of lemon.
_Hotel Lafayette, Philadelphia._
BAKED PICKEREL.
Carefully clean and wipe the fish, and lay in a dripping pan with
enough hot water to prevent scorching. A perforated sheet of tin,
fitting loosely, or several muffin rings may be used to keep it off
the bottom. Lay it in a circle on its belly, head and tail touching,
and tied, or as directed in note on fish; bake slowly, basting often
with butter and water. When done, have ready a cup of sweet cream or
rich milk to which a few spoons of hot water has been added; stir in
two large spoons of melted butter and a little chopped parsley; heat
all by setting the cup in boiling water; add the gravy from the
dripping-pan, and let it boil up once; place the fish in a hot dish
and pour over it the sauce. Or an egg sauce may be made with drawn
butter; stir in the yolk of an egg quickly, and then a teaspoon of
chopped parsley. It can be stuffed or not, just as you please.
BOILED SALMON.
The middle slice of salmon is the best. Sew up neatly in a
mosquito-net bag, and boil a quarter of an hour to the pound in hot
salted water. When done, unwrap with care, and lay upon a hot dish,
taking care not to break it. Have ready a large cupful of drawn
butter, very rich, in which has been stirred a tablespoonful of minced
parsley and the juice of a lemon. Pour half upon the salmon and serve
the rest in a boat. Garnish with parsley and sliced eggs.
BROILED SALMON.
Cut slices from an inch to an inch and an half thick, dry them in a
cloth, season with salt and pepper, dredge them in sifted flour, and
broil on a gridiron rubbed with suet.
_Another Mode._--Cut the slices one inch thick, and season them with
pepper and salt; butter a sheet of white paper, lay each slice on a
separate piece, envelop them in it with their ends twisted; broil
gently over a clear fire, and serve with anchovy or caper sauce. When
higher seasoning is required, add a few chopped herbs and a little
spice.
FRESH SALMON FRIED.
Cut the slices three-quarters of an inch thick, dredge them with
flour, or dip them in egg and crumbs; fry a light brown. This mode
answers for all fish cut into steaks. Season well with salt and
pepper.
SALMON AND CAPER SAUCE.
Two slices of salmon, one-quarter pound butter, one-half teaspoonful
of chopped parsley, one shallot; salt and pepper to taste.
Lay the salmon in a baking dish, place pieces of butter over it, and
add the other ingredients, rubbing a little of the seasoning into the
fish; place it in the oven and baste it frequently; when done, take
it out and drain for a minute or two; lay it in a dish, pour caper
sauce over it and serve. Salmon dressed in this way, with tomato
sauce, is very delicious.
BROILED SALT SALMON OR OTHER SALT FISH.
Soak salmon in tepid or cold water twenty-four hours, changing water
several times, or let stand under faucet of running water. If in a
hurry, or desiring a very salt relish, it may do to soak a short time,
having water warm, and changing, parboiling slightly. At the hour
wanted, broil sharply. Season to suit taste, covering with butter.
This recipe will answer for all kinds of salt fish.
PICKLED SALMON.
Take a fine, fresh salmon, and, having cleaned it, cut it into large
pieces, and boil it in salted water as if for eating. Then drain it,
wrap it in a dry cloth, and set it in a cold place till next day. Then
make the pickle, which must be in proportion to the quantity of fish.
To one quart of the water in which the salmon was boiled, allow two
quarts of the best vinegar, one ounce of whole black pepper, one
nutmeg grated and a dozen blades of mace. Boil all these together in a
kettle closely covered to prevent the flavor from evaporating. When
the vinegar thus prepared is quite cold, pour it over the salmon, and
put on the top a tablespoonful of sweet oil, which will make it keep
the longer.
Cover it closely, put it in a dry, cool place, and it will be good for
many months. This is the nicest way of preserving salmon, and is
approved by all who have tried it.
SMOKED SALMON.
Smoked salmon to be broiled should be put upon the gridiron first,
with the flesh side to the fire.
Smoked salmon is very nice when shaved like smoked beef, and served
with coffee or tea.
FRICASSEE SALMON.
This way of cooking fresh salmon is a pleasant change from the
ordinary modes of cooking it. Cut one and one-half pounds of salmon
into pieces one inch square; put the pieces in a stewpan with half a
cupful of water, a little salt, a little white pepper, one clove, one
blade of mace, three pieces of sugar, one shallot and a heaping
teaspoonful of mustard mixed smoothly with half a teacupful of
vinegar. Let this boil up once and add six tomatoes peeled and cut
into tiny pieces, a few sprigs of parsley finely minced, and one
wine-glassful of sherry. Let all simmer gently for three-quarters of
an hour. Serve very hot, and garnish with dry toast cut in triangular
pieces. This dish is good, very cold, for luncheon or breakfast.
SALMON PATTIES.
Cut cold, cooked salmon into dice. Heat about a pint of the dice in
half a pint of cream. Season to taste with cayenne pepper and salt.
Fill the shells and serve. Cold, cooked fish of any kind may be made
into patties in this way. Use any fish sauce you choose--all are
equally good.
FISH AND OYSTER PIE.
Any remains of cold fish, such as cod or haddock, 2 dozen oysters,
pepper and salt to taste, bread crumbs, sufficient for the quantity of
fish; 1/2 teaspoonful of grated nutmeg, 1 teaspoonful of finely
chopped parsley.
Clear the fish from the bones, and put a layer of it in a pie-dish,
which sprinkle with pepper and salt; then a layer of bread crumbs,
oysters, nutmeg and chopped parsley. Repeat this till the dish is
quite full. You may form a covering either of bread crumbs, which
should be browned, or puff-paste, which should be cut off into long
strips, and laid in cross-bars over the fish, with a line of the paste
first laid round the edge. Before putting on the top, pour in some
made melted butter, or a little thin white sauce, and the
oyster-liquor, and bake.
_Time_.--If of cooked fish, 1/4 hour; if made of fresh fish and
puff-paste, 3/4 hour.
STEAMED FISH.
Secure the tail of the fish in its mouth, the body in a circle; pour
over it half a pint of vinegar, seasoned with pepper and salt; let it
stand an hour in a cool place; pour off the vinegar, and put it in a
steamer over boiling water, and steam twenty minutes, or longer for
large fish. When the meat easily separates from the bone it is done.
Drain well and serve on a very clean white napkin, neatly folded and
placed on the platter; decorate the napkin around the fish with sprigs
of curled parsley, or with fanciful beet cuttings, or alternately with
both.
TO BROIL A SHAD.
Split and wash the shad and afterwards dry it in a cloth. Season it
with salt and pepper. Have ready a bed of clear, bright coals. Grease
your gridiron well, and as soon as it is hot, lay the shad upon it,
the flesh side down; cover with a dripping-pan and broil it for about
a quarter of an hour, or more, according to the thickness. Butter it
well and send it to the table. Covering it while broiling gives it a
more delicious flavor.
BAKED SHAD.
Many people are of the opinion that the very best method of cooking a
shad is to bake it. Stuff it with bread crumbs, salt, pepper, butter
and parsley, and mix this up with the beaten yolk of egg; fill the
fish with it, and sew it up or fasten a string around it. Pour over it
a little water and some butter, and bake as you would a fowl. A shad
will require from an hour to an hour and a quarter to bake. Garnish
with slices of lemon, water cress, etc.
_Dressing for Baked Shad._--Boil up the gravy in which the shad was
baked, put in a large tablespoonful of catsup, a tablespoonful of
brown flour which has been wet with cold water, the juice of a lemon,
and a glass of sherry or Madeira wine. Serve in a sauce boat.
TO COOK A SHAD ROE.
Drop into boiling water and cook gently for twenty minutes; then take
from the fire and drain. Butter a tin plate and lay the drained roe
upon it. Dredge well with salt and pepper and spread soft butter over
it; then dredge thickly with flour. Cook in the oven for half an hour,
basting frequently with salt, pepper, flour, butter and water.
TO COOK SHAD ROE. (Another Way.)
First partly boil them in a small covered pan, take out and season
them with salt, a little pepper, dredge with flour and fry as any
fish.
BOILED BASS.
After thoroughly cleaning it place in a saucepan with enough water to
cover it; add two tablespoonfuls of salt; set the saucepan over the
fire, and when it has boiled about five minutes try to pull out one of
the fins; if it loosens easily from the body carefully take the fish
out of the water, lay it on a platter, surround it with half a dozen
hard-boiled eggs, and serve it with a sauce.
BOILED BLUEFISH.
Boiled the same as BASS.
BAKED BLUEFISH.
Baked the same as BAKED SHAD--see page 55.
FRIED EELS.
After cleaning the eels well, cut them in pieces two inches long; wash
them and wipe them dry; roll them in wheat flour or rolled cracker,
and fry, as directed for other fish, in hot lard or beef dripping,
salted. They should be browned all over and thoroughly done.
Eels are sometimes dipped in batter and then fried, or into egg and
bread crumbs. Serve with crisped parsley.
SHEEPSHEAD WITH DRAWN BUTTER.
Select a medium-sized fish, clean it thoroughly, and rub a little salt
over it; wrap it in a cloth and put it in a steamer; place this over a
pot of fast-boiling water and steam one hour; then lay it whole upon a
hot side-dish, garnish with tufts of parsley and slices of lemon, and
serve with drawn butter, prepared as follows: Take two ounces of
butter and roll it into small balls, dredge these with flour; put
one-fourth of them in a saucepan, and as they begin to melt, whisk
them; add the remainder, one at a time, until thoroughly smooth; while
stirring, add a tablespoonful of lemon juice, half a tablespoonful of
chopped parsley; pour into a hot sauce boat and serve.
BAKED WHITE FISH.
Thoroughly clean the fish; cut off the head or not, as preferred; cut
out the backbone from the head to within two inches of the tail, and
stuff with the following: Soak stale bread in water, squeeze dry; cut
in pieces a large onion, fry in butter, chop fine; add the bread, two
ounces of butter, salt, pepper and a little parsley or sage; heat
through, and when taken off the fire, add the yolks of two well-beaten
eggs; stuff the fish rather full, sew up with fine twine, and wrap
with several coils of white tape. Rub the fish over slightly with
butter; just cover the bottom of a baking pan with hot water, and
place the fish in it, standing back upward, and bent in the form of an
S. Serve with the following dressing: Reduce the yolks of two
hard-boiled eggs to a smooth paste with two tablespoonfuls good salad
oil; stir in half a teaspoon English mustard, and add pepper and
vinegar to taste.
HALIBUT BOILED.
The cut next to the tail-piece is the best to boil. Rub a little salt
over it, soak it for fifteen minutes in vinegar and cold water, then
wash it and scrape it until quite clean; tie it in a cloth and boil
slowly over a moderate fire, allowing seven minutes' boiling to each
pound of fish; when it is half-cooked, turn it over in the pot; serve
with drawn butter or egg sauce.
Boiled halibut minced with boiled potatoes and a little butter and
milk makes an excellent breakfast dish.
STEAMED HALIBUT.
Select a three-pound piece of white halibut, cover it with a cloth and
place it in a steamer; set the steamer over a pot of fast-boiling
water and steam two hours; place it on a hot dish surrounded with a
border of parsley and serve with egg sauce.
FRIED HALIBUT. No. 1.
Select choice, firm slices from this large and delicate looking fish,
and, after carefully washing and drying with a soft towel, with a
sharp knife take off the skin. Beat up two eggs and roll out some
brittle crackers upon the kneading board until they are as fine as
dust. Dip each slice into the beaten egg, then into the cracker crumbs
(after you have salted and peppered the fish), and place them in a hot
frying pan half full of boiling lard, in which a little butter has
been added to make the fish brown nicely; turn and brown both sides,
remove from frying pan and drain. Serve hot.
FRIED HALIBUT. No. 2.
First fry a few thin slices of salt pork until brown in an iron frying
pan; then take it up on a hot platter and keep it warm until the
halibut is fried. After washing and drying two pounds of sliced
halibut, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, dredge it well with flour,
put it into the hot pork drippings and fry brown on both sides; then
serve the pork with the fish.
Halibut broiled in slices is a very good way of cooking it, broiled
the same as Spanish mackerel.
BAKED HALIBUT.
Take a nice piece of halibut weighing five or six pounds and lay it in
salt water for two hours. Wipe it dry and score the outer skin. Set it
in a dripping pan in a moderately hot oven and bake an hour, basting
often with butter and water heated together in a sauce pan or tin cup.
When a fork will penetrate it easily, it is done. It should be a fine,
brown color. Take the gravy in the dripping pan, add a little boiling
water, should there not be enough, stir in a tablespoonful of walnut
catsup, a teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce, the juice of a lemon,
and thicken with brown flour, previously wet with cold water. Boil up
once and put in a sauce boat.
HALIBUT BROILED.
Broil the same as other fish, upon a buttered gridiron, over a clear
fire, first seasoning with salt and pepper, placed on a hot dish when
done, buttered well and covered closely.
FRIED BROOK TROUT.
These delicate fish are usually fried, and form a delightful breakfast
or supper dish. Clean, wash and dry the fish, split them to the tail,
salt and pepper them, and flour them nicely. If you use lard instead
of the fat of fried salt pork, put in a piece of butter to prevent
their sticking, and which causes them to brown nicely. Let the fat be
hot; fry quickly to a delicate brown. They should be sufficiently
browned on one side before turning on the other. They are nice served
with slices of fried pork, fried crisp. Lay them side by side on a
heated platter, garnish and send hot to the table. They are often
cooked and served with their heads on.
FRIED SMELTS.
Fried with their heads on the same as brook trout. Many think that
they make a much better appearance as a dish when cooked whole with
the heads on, and nicely garnished for the table.
BOILED WHITE FISH.
_Taken from Mrs. A. W. Ferry's Cook Book, Mackinac, 1824._
The most delicate mode of cooking white fish. Prepare the fish as for
broiling, laying it open; put it into a dripping pan with the back
down; nearly cover with water; to one fish two tablespoonfuls of salt;
cover tightly and simmer (not boil) one-half hour. Dress with gravy, a
little butter and pepper, and garnish with hard-boiled eggs.
BAKED WHITE FISH. (Bordeaux Sauce.)
Clean and stuff the fish. Put it in a baking pan and add a liberal
quantity of butter, previously rolled in flour, to the fish. Put in
the pan half a pint of claret, and bake for an hour and a quarter.
Remove the fish and strain the gravy; add to the latter a gill more of
claret, a teaspoonful of brown flour and a pinch of cayenne, and serve
with the fish.
_Plankington House, Milwaukee._
BAKED SALMON TROUT.
This deliciously flavored game-fish is baked precisely as shad or
white fish, but should be accompanied with cream gravy to make it
perfect. It should be baked slowly, basting often with butter and
water. When done have ready in a saucepan a cup of cream, diluted with
a few spoonfuls of hot water, for fear it might clot in heating, in
which have been stirred cautiously two tablespoonfuls of melted
butter, a scant tablespoonful of flour, and a little chopped parsley.
Heat this in a vessel set within another of boiling water, add the
gravy from the dripping-pan, boil up once to thicken, and when the
trout is laid on a suitable hot dish, pour this sauce around it.
Garnish with sprigs of parsley.
This same fish boiled, served with the same cream gravy (with the
exception of the fish gravy), is the proper way to cook it.
TO BAKE SMELTS.
Wash and dry them thoroughly in a cloth, and arrange them nicely in a
flat baking-dish; the pan should be buttered, also the fish; season
with salt and pepper, and cover with bread or cracker crumbs. Place a
piece of butter over each. Bake for fifteen or twenty minutes. Garnish
with fried parsley and cut lemon.
BROILED SPANISH MACKEREL.
Split the fish down the back, take out the backbone, wash it in cold
water, dry it with a clean, dry cloth, sprinkle it lightly with salt
and lay it on a buttered gridiron, over a clear fire, with the flesh
side downward, until it begins to brown; then turn the other side.
Have ready a mixture of two tablespoonfuls of butter melted, a
tablespoonful of lemon juice, a teaspoonful of salt, some pepper. Dish
up the fish hot from the gridiron on a hot dish, turn over the mixture
and serve it while hot.
Broiled Spanish mackerel is excellent with other fish sauces. Boiled
Spanish mackerel is also very fine with most of the fish sauces, more
especially "Matre d'Hotel Sauce."
BOILED SALT MACKEREL.
Wash and clean off all the brine and salt; put it to soak with the
meat side down, in cold water over night; in the morning rinse it in
one or two waters. Wrap each up in a cloth and put it into a kettle
with considerable water, which should be cold; cook about thirty
minutes. Take it carefully from the cloth, take out the backbones and
pour over a little melted butter and cream; add a light sprinkle of
pepper. Or make a cream sauce like the following:
Heat a small cup of milk to scalding. Stir into it a teaspoonful of
cornstarch wet up with a little water. When this thickens, add two
tablespoonfuls of butter, pepper, salt and chopped parsley, to taste.
Beat an egg light, pour the sauce gradually over it, put the mixture
again over the fire, and stir one minute, not more. Pour upon the
fish, and serve it with some slices of lemon, or a few sprigs of
parsley or water-cress, on the dish as a garnish.
BAKED SALT MACKEREL.
When the mackerel have soaked over night, put them in a pan and pour
on boiling water enough to cover. Let them stand a couple of minutes,
then drain them off, and put them in the pan with a few lumps of
butter; pour on a half teacupful of sweet cream, or rich milk, and a
little pepper; set in the oven and let it bake a little until brown.
FRIED SALT MACKEREL.
Select as many salt mackerel as required; wash and cleanse them well,
then put them to soak all day in _cold_ water, changing them every two
hours; then put them into fresh water just before retiring. In the
morning drain off the water, wipe them dry, roll them in flour, and
fry in a little butter on a hot, thick-bottomed frying pan. Serve with
a little melted butter poured over, and garnish with a little parsley.
BOILED FRESH MACKEREL.
Fresh mackerel are cooked in water salted, and a little vinegar added;
with this exception they can be served in the same way as the salt
mackerel. Broiled ones are very nice with the same cream sauce, or you
can substitute egg sauce.
POTTED FRESH FISH.
After the fish has laid in salt water six hours, take it out, and to
every six pounds of fish take one-quarter cupful each of salt, black
pepper and cinnamon, one-eighth cupful of allspice, and one
teaspoonful of cloves.
Cut the fish in pieces and put into a half gallon stone baking-jar,
first a layer of fish, then the spices, flour, and then spread a thin
layer of butter on, and continue so until the dish is full. Fill the
jar with equal parts of vinegar and water, cover with tightly fitting
lid, so that the steam cannot escape; bake five hours, remove from the
oven, and when it is cold it is to be cut in slices and served. This
is a tea or lunch dish.
SCALLOPED CRABS.
Put the crabs into a kettle of boiling water, and throw in a handful
of salt. Boil from twenty minutes to half an hour. Take them from the
water when done and pick out all the meat; be careful not to break the
shell. To a pint of meat put a little salt and pepper; taste, and if
not enough add more, a little at a time, till suited. Grate in a very
little nutmeg and add one spoonful of cracker or bread crumbs, two
eggs well beaten, and two tablespoonfuls of butter (even full); stir
all well together; wash the shells clean, and fill each shell full of
the mixture; sprinkle crumbs over the top and moisten with the liquor;
set in the oven till of a nice brown; a few minutes will do it. Send
to the table hot, arranged on large dishes. They are eaten at
breakfast or supper.
FISH IN WHITE SAUCE.
Flake up cold boiled halibut and set the plate into the steamer, that
the fish may heat without drying. Boil the bones and skin of the fish
with a slice of onion and a _very_ small piece of red pepper; a bit of
this the size of a kernel of coffee will make the sauce quite as hot
as most persons like it. Boil this stock down to half a pint; thicken
with one teaspoonful of butter and one teaspoonful of flour, mixed
together. Add one drop of extract of almond. Pour this sauce over your
halibut and stick bits of parsley over it.
FRESH STURGEON STEAK MARINADE.
Take one slice of sturgeon two inches thick; let it stand in hot water
five minutes; drain, put it in a bowl and add a gill of vinegar, two
tablespoonfuls of melted butter, half a teaspoonful of salt, a
saltspoonful of black pepper and the juice of half a lemon; let it
stand six hours, turning it occasionally; drain and dry on a napkin;
dip it in egg; roll in bread crumbs and fry, or rather boil, in very
hot fat. Beat up the yolks of two raw eggs, add a teaspoonful of
French mustard, and by degrees, half of the marinade, to make a smooth
sauce, which serve with the fish.
POTTED FISH.
Take out the backbone of the fish; for one weighing two pounds take a
tablespoonful of allspice and cloves mixed; these spices should be put
into little bags of not too thick muslin; put sufficient salt directly
upon each fish; then roll in cloth, over which sprinkle a little
cayenne pepper; put alternate layers of fish, spice and sage in an
earthen jar; cover with the best cider vinegar; cover the jar closely
with a plate, and over this, put a covering of dough, rolled out to
twice the thickness of pie crust. Make the edges of paste, to adhere
closely to the sides of the jar, so as to make it air tight. Put the
jar into a pot of cold water and let it boil from three to five hours,
according to quantity. Ready when cold.
MAYONNAISE FISH.
Take a pound or so of cold boiled fish (halibut, rock or cod), not
chop, but cut, into pieces an inch in length. Mix in a bowl a dressing
as follows: The yolks of four boiled eggs rubbed to a smooth paste
with salad oil or butter; add to these salt, pepper, mustard, two
teaspoonfuls of white sugar, and, lastly, six tablespoonfuls of
vinegar. Beat the mixture until light, and just before pouring it over
the fish, stir in lightly the frothed white of a raw egg. Serve the
fish in a glass dish, with half the dressing stirred in with it.
Spread the remainder over the top, and lay lettuce leaves (from the
core of the head of lettuce) around the edges, to be eaten with it.
FISH CHOWDER. (Rhode Island.)
Fry five or six slices of fat pork crisp in the bottom of the pot you
are to make your chowder in; take them out and chop them into small
pieces, put them back into the bottom of the pot with their own gravy.
(This is much better than having the slices whole.)
Cut four pounds of fresh cod or sea-bass into pieces two inches
square, and lay enough of these on the pork to cover it. Follow with a
layer of chopped onions, a little parsley, summer savory and pepper,
either black or cayenne. Then a layer of split Boston, or butter, or
whole cream crackers, which have been soaked in warm water until
moistened through, but not ready to break. Above this put a layer of
pork and repeat the order given above--onions, seasoning (not too
much), crackers and pork, until your materials are exhausted. Let the
topmost layer be buttered crackers well soaked. Pour in enough cold
water to barely cover all. Cover the pot, stew gently for an hour,
watching that the water does not sink too low. Should it leave the
upper layer exposed, replenish cautiously from the boiling tea-kettle.
When the chowder is thoroughly done, take out with a perforated
skimmer and put into a tureen. Thicken the gravy with a tablespoonful
of flour and about the same quantity of butter; boil up and pour over
the chowder. Serve sliced lemon, pickles and stewed tomatoes with it,
that the guests may add if they like.
CODFISH BALLS.
Take a pint bowl of codfish picked very fine, two pint bowls of whole
raw peeled potatoes, sliced thickly; put them together in plenty of
cold water and boil until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked; remove
from the fire and drain off all the water. Mash them with the potato
masher, add a piece of butter the size of an egg, one well-beaten egg,
and three spoonfuls of cream or rich milk. Flour your hands and make
into balls or cakes. Put an ounce each of butter and lard into a
frying pan; when hot, put in the balls and fry a nice brown. Do not
freshen the fish before boiling with the potatoes. Many cooks fry them
in a quantity of lard similar to boiled doughnuts.
STEWED CODFISH. (Salt.)
Take a thick, white piece of salt codfish, lay it in cold water for a
few minutes to soften it a little, enough to render it more easily to
be picked up. Shred it in very small bits, put it over the fire in a
stew pan with cold water; let it come to a boil, turn off this water
carefully, and add a pint of milk to the fish, or more according to
quantity. Set it over the fire again and let it boil slowly about
three minutes, now add a good-sized piece of butter, a shake of pepper
and a thickening of a tablespoonful of flour in enough cold milk to
make a cream. Stew five minutes longer, and just before serving stir
in two well-beaten eggs. The eggs are an addition that could be
dispensed with, however, as it is very good without them. An excellent
breakfast dish.
CODFISH A LA MODE.
Pick up a teacupful of salt codfish very fine and freshen--the
desiccated is nice to use; two cups mashed potatoes, one pint cream or
milk, two well-beaten eggs, half a cup butter, salt and pepper; mix;
bake in an earthen baking dish from twenty to twenty-five minutes;
serve in the same dish, placed on a small platter, covered with a fine
napkin.
BOILED FRESH COD.
Sew up the piece of fish in thin cloth, fitted to shape; boil in
salted water (boiling from the first), allowing about fifteen minutes
to the pound. Carefully unwrap and pour over it warm oyster sauce. A
whole one boiled the same.
_Hotel Brighton._
SCALLOPED FISH.
Pick any cold fresh fish, or salt codfish, left from the dinner, into
fine bits, carefully removing all the bones.
Take a pint of milk in a suitable dish and place it in a saucepan of
boiling water; put into it a few slices of onion cut very fine, a
sprig of parsley minced fine, add a piece of butter as large as an
egg, a pinch of salt, a sprinkle of white pepper, then stir in two
tablespoonfuls of cornstarch, or flour, rubbed in a little cold milk;
let all boil up and remove from the fire. Take a dish you wish to
serve it in, butter the sides and bottom. Put first a layer of the
minced fish, then a layer of the cream, then sprinkle over that some
cracker or bread crumbs, then a layer of fish again, and so on until
the dish is full; spread cracker or bread crumbs last on the top to
prevent the milk from scorching.
This is a very good way to use up cold fish, making a nice breakfast
dish, or a side dish for dinner.
FISH FRITTERS.
Take a piece of salt codfish, pick it up very fine, put it into a
saucepan, with plenty of _cold_ water; bring it to a boil, turn off
the water, and add another of cold water; let this boil with the fish
about fifteen minutes, very slowly; strain off this water, making the
fish quite dry, and set aside to cool. In the meantime, stir up a
batter of a pint of milk, four eggs, a pinch of salt, one large
teaspoonful of baking powder in flour, enough to make thicker than
batter cakes. Stir in the fish and fry like any fritters. Very fine
accompaniment to a good breakfast.
BOILED SALT CODFISH. (New England Style.)
Cut the fish into square pieces, cover with cold water, set on the
back part of the stove; when hot, pour off water and cover again with
cold water; let it stand about four hours and simmer, not boil; put
the fish on a platter, then cover with a drawn-butter gravy and serve.
Many cooks prefer soaking the fish over night.
BOILED CODFISH AND OYSTER SAUCE.
Lay the fish in cold, salted water half an hour before it is time to
cook it, then roll it in a clean cloth dredged with flour; sew up the
edges in such a manner as to envelop the fish entirely, yet have but
_one_ thickness of cloth over any part. Put the fish into boiling
water slightly salted; add a few whole cloves and peppers and a bit of
lemon peel; pull gently on the fins, and when they come out easily the
fish is done. Arrange neatly on a folded napkin, garnish and serve
with oyster sauce. Take six oysters to every pound of fish and scald
(blanch) them in a half-pint of hot oyster liquor; take out the
oysters and add to the liquor, salt, pepper, a bit of mace and an
ounce of butter; whip into it a gill of milk containing half of a
teaspoonful of flour. Simmer a moment; add the oysters, and send to
table in a sauce boat. Egg sauce is good with this fish.
BAKED CODFISH.
If salt fish, soak, boil and pick the fish, the same as for
fish-balls. Add an equal quantity of mashed potatoes, or cold, boiled,
chopped potatoes, a large piece of butter, and warm milk enough to
make it quite soft. Put it into a buttered dish, rub butter over the
top, shake over a little sifted flour, and bake about thirty minutes,
and until a rich brown. Make a sauce of drawn butter, with two
hard-boiled eggs sliced, served in a gravy boat.
CODFISH STEAK. (New England Style.)
Select a medium-sized fresh codfish, cut it in steaks crosswise of the
fish, about an inch and a half thick; sprinkle a little salt over
them, and let them stand two hours. Cut into dice a pound of salt fat
pork, fry out all the fat from them and remove the crisp bits of pork;
put the codfish steaks in a pan of corn meal, dredge them with it, and
when the pork fat is smoking hot, fry the steaks in it to a dark brown
color on both sides. Squeeze over them a little lemon juice, add a
dash of freshly ground pepper, and serve with hot, old-fashioned,
well-buttered Johnny Cake.
SALMON CROQUETTES.
One pound of cooked salmon (about one and a half pints when chopped),
one cup of cream, two tablespoonfuls of butter, one tablespoonful of
flour, three eggs, one pint of crumbs, pepper and salt; chop the
salmon fine, mix the flour and butter together, let the cream come to
a boil, and stir in the flour and butter, salmon and seasoning; boil
one minute; stir in one well-beaten egg, and remove from the fire;
when cold make into croquettes; dip in beaten egg, roll in crumbs and
fry. Canned salmon can be used.
SHELL-FISH
STEWED WATER TURTLES, OR TERRAPINS.
Select the largest, thickest and fattest, the females being the best;
they should be alive when brought from market. Wash and put them alive
into boiling water, add a little salt, and boil them until thoroughly
done, or from ten to fifteen minutes, after which take off the shell,
extract the meat, and remove carefully the sand-bag and gall; also all
the entrails; they are unfit to eat, and are no longer used in cooking
terrapins for the best tables. Cut the meat into pieces, and put it
into a stewpan with its eggs, and sufficient fresh butter to stew it
well. Let it stew till quite hot throughout, keeping the pan carefully
covered, that none of the flavor may escape, but shake it over the
fire while stewing. In another pan make a sauce of beaten yolk of egg,
highly flavored with Madeira or sherry, and powdered nutmeg and mace,
a gill of currant jelly, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and salt to taste,
enriched with a large lump of fresh butter. Stir this sauce well over
the fire, and when it has almost come to a boil take it off. Send the
terrapins to the table hot in a covered dish, and the sauce separately
in a sauce tureen, to be used by those who like it, and omitted by
those who prefer the genuine flavor of the terrapins when simply
stewed with butter. This is now the usual mode of dressing terrapins
in Maryland, Virginia, and many other parts of the South, and will be
found superior to any other. If there are no eggs in the terrapin,
"egg balls" may be substituted. (See recipe.)
STEWED TERRAPIN, WITH CREAM.
Place in a saucepan, two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter and one of
dry flour; stir it over the fire until it bubbles; then gradually stir
in a pint of cream, a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter of a teaspoonful
of white pepper, the same of grated nutmeg, and a very small pinch of
cayenne. Next, put in a pint of terrapin meat and stir all until it is
scalding hot. Move the saucepan to the back part of the stove or
range, where the contents will keep hot but not boil; then stir in
four well-beaten yolks of eggs; do not allow the terrapin to boil
after adding the eggs, but pour it immediately into a tureen
containing a gill of good Madeira and a tablespoonful of lemon juice.
Serve hot.
STEWED TERRAPIN.
Plunge the terrapins alive into boiling water, and let them remain
until the sides and lower shell begin to crack--this will take less
than an hour; then remove them and let them get cold; take off the
shell and outer skin, being careful to save all the blood possible in
opening them. If there are eggs in them put them aside in a dish; take
all the inside out, and be very careful not to break the gall, which
must be immediately removed or it will make the rest bitter. It lies
within the liver. Then cut up the liver and all the rest of the
terrapin into small pieces, adding the blood and juice that have
flowed out in cutting up; add half a pint of water; sprinkle a little
flour over them as you place them in the stewpan; let them stew slowly
ten minutes, adding salt, black and cayenne pepper, and a very small
blade of mace; then add a gill of the best brandy and half a pint of
the very best sherry wine; let it simmer over a slow fire very gently.
About ten minutes or so, before you are ready to dish them, add half a
pint of rich cream, and half a pound of sweet butter, with flour, to
prevent boiling; two or three minutes before taking them off the fire
peel the eggs carefully and throw them in whole. If there should be no
eggs use the yolks of hens' eggs, hard boiled. This recipe is for four
terrapins.
_Rennert's Hotel, Baltimore._
[Illustration: BASTING THE TURKEY.]
OILED LOBSTER.
Put a handful of salt into a large kettle or pot of boiling water.
When the water boils very hard put in the lobster, having first
brushed it and tied the claws together with a bit of twine. Keep it
boiling from twenty minutes to half an hour, in proportion to its
size. If boiled too long the meat will be hard and stringy. When it is
done take it out, lay it on its claws to drain, and then wipe it dry.
It is scarcely necessary to mention that the head of a lobster and
what are called the lady fingers are not to be eaten.
Very large lobsters are not the best, the meat being coarse and tough.
The male is best for boiling; the flesh is firmer and the shell a
brighter red. It may readily be distinguished from the female; the
tail is narrower, and the two uppermost fins within the tail are stiff
and hard. Those of the hen lobster are not so, and the tail is
broader.
Hen lobsters are preferred for sauce or salad, on account of their
coral. The head and small claws are never used.
They should be alive and freshly caught when put into the boiling
kettle. After being cooked and cooled, split open the body and tail
and crack the claws, to extract the meat. The sand pouch found near
the throat should be removed. Care should be exercised that none of
the feathery, tough, gill-like particles found under the body shell
get mixed with the meat, as they are indigestible and have caused much
trouble. They are supposed to be the cause of so-called poisoning from
eating lobster.
Serve on a platter. Lettuce and other concomitants of a salad should
also be placed on the table or platter.
SCALLOPED LOBSTER.
Butter a deep dish and cover the bottom with fine bread crumbs; put on
this a layer of chopped lobster, with pepper and salt; so on,
alternately, until the dish is filled, having crumbs on top. Put on
bits of butter, moisten with milk and bake about twenty minutes.
DEVILED LOBSTER.
Take out all the meat from a boiled lobster, reserving the coral;
season highly with mustard, cayenne, salt and some kind of table
sauce; stew until well mixed and put it in a covered saucepan, with
just enough hot water to keep from burning; rub the coral smooth,
moistening with vinegar until it is thin enough to pour easily, then
stir it into the saucepan. The dressing should be prepared before the
meat is put on the fire, and which ought to boil but once before the
coral is put in; stir in a heaping teaspoonful of butter, and when it
boils again it is done and should be taken up at once, as too much
cooking toughens the meat.
LOBSTER CROQUETTES.
Take any of the lobster remaining from table and pound it until the
dark, light meat and coral are well mixed; put with it not quite as
much fine bread crumbs; season with pepper, salt and a very little
cayenne pepper; add a little melted butter, about two tablespoonfuls
if the bread is rather dry; form into egg-shaped or round balls; roll
them in egg, then in fine crumbs, and fry in boiling lard.
LOBSTER PATTIES.
Cut some boiled lobster in small pieces; then take the small claws and
the spawn, put them in a suitable dish, and jam them to a paste with a
potato masher. Now add to them a ladleful of gravy or broth, with a
few bread crumbs; set it over the fire and boil; strain it through a
strainer, or sieve, to the thickness of a cream, and put half of it to
your lobsters, and save the other half to sauce them with after they
are baked. Put to the lobster the bigness of an egg of butter, a
little pepper and salt; squeeze in a lemon, and warm these over the
fire enough to melt the butter, set it to cool, and sheet your patty
pan or a plate or dish with good puff paste, then put in your lobster,
and cover it with a paste; bake it within three-quarters of an hour
before you want it; when it is baked, cut up your cover, and warm up
the other half of your sauce above mentioned, with a little butter, to
the thickness of cream, and pour it over your patty, with a little
squeezed lemon; cut your cover in two, and lay it on the top, two
inches distant, so that what is under may be seen. You may bake
crawfish, shrimps or prawns the same way; and they are all proper for
plates or little dishes for a second course.
LOBSTER A LA NEWBURG.
Take one whole lobster, cut up in pieces about as large as a hickory
nut. Put in the same pan with a piece of butter size of a walnut,
season with salt and pepper to taste, and thicken with heavy cream
sauce; add the yolk of one egg and two oz. of sherry wine.
Cream sauce for above is made as follows: 1 oz. butter, melted in
saucepan; 2 oz. flour, mixed with butter, thin down to proper
consistency with boiling cream.
_Rector's Oyster House, Chicago._
BAKED CRABS.
Mix with the contents of a can of crabs, bread crumbs or pounded
crackers. Pepper and salt the whole to taste; mince some cold ham;
have the baking pan well buttered, place therein first a layer of the
crab meat, prepared as above, then a layer of the minced ham, and so
on, alternately until the pan is filled. Cover the top with bread
crumbs and bits of butter, and bake.
DEVILED CRABS.
Half a dozen fresh crabs, boiled and minced, two ounces of butter, one
small teaspoonful of mustard powder; cayenne pepper and salt to taste.
Put the meat into a bowl and mix carefully with it an equal quantity
of fine bread crumbs. Work the butter to a light cream, mix the
mustard well with it, then stir in very carefully, a handful at a
time, the mixed crabs, a tablespoonful of cream and crumbs. Season to
taste with cayenne pepper and salt; fill the crab shells with the
mixture, sprinkle bread crumbs over the tops, put three small pieces
of butter upon the top of each, and brown them quickly in a hot oven.
They will puff in baking and will be found very nice. Half the
quantity can be made. A crab shell will hold the meat of two crabs.
CRAB CROQUETTES.
Pick the meat of boiled crabs and chop it fine. Season to taste with
pepper, salt and melted butter. Moisten it well with rich milk or
cream, then stiffen it slightly with bread or cracker crumbs. Add two
or three well-beaten eggs to bind the mixture. Form the croquettes,
egg and bread, crumb them and fry them delicately in boiling lard. It
is better to use a wire frying basket for croquettes of all kinds.
TO MAKE A CRAB PIE.
Procure the crabs alive, and put them in boiling water, along with
some salt. Boil them for a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes,
according to the size. When cold pick the meat from the claws and
body. Chop all together, and mix it with crumbs of bread, pepper and
salt, and a little butter. Put all this into the shell and brown in a
hot oven. A crab shell will hold the meat of two crabs.
CRABS. (Soft Shell.)
Crabs may be boiled as lobsters. They make a fine dish when stewed.
Take out the meat from the shell, put it into a saucepan with butter,
pepper, salt, a pinch of mace and a very little water; dredge with
flour and let simmer five minutes over a slow fire. Serve hot; garnish
the dish with the claws laid around it.
The usual way of cooking them is frying them in plenty of butter and
lard mixed; prepare them the same as frying fish. The spongy substance
from the sides should be taken off, also the sand bag. Fry a nice
brown and garnish with parsley.
OYSTERS.
Oysters must be fresh and fat to be good. They are in season from
September to May.
The small ones, such as are sold by the quart, are good for pies,
fritters, or stews; the largest of this sort are nice for frying or
pickling for family use.
FRIED OYSTERS.
Take large oysers from their own liquor into a thickly folded napkin
to dry them; then make hot an ounce each of butter and lard in a
thick-bottomed frying pan. Season the oysters with pepper and salt,
then dip each one into egg and cracker crumbs rolled fine, until it
will take up no more. Place them in the hot grease and fry them a
delicate brown, turning them on both sides by sliding a broad-bladed
knife under them. Serve them crisp and hot.
_Boston Oyster House._
Some prefer to roll oysters in corn meal and others use flour, but
they are much more crisp with egg and cracker crumbs.
OYSTERS FRIED IN BATTER.
_Ingredients._--One-half pint of oysters, two eggs, one-half pint of
milk, sufficient flour to make the batter; pepper and salt to taste;
when liked, a little nutmeg; hot lard.
Scald the oysters in their own liquor, beard them, and lay them on a
cloth to drain thoroughly. Break the eggs into a basin, mix the flour
with them, add the milk gradually, with nutmeg and seasoning, and put
the oysters in a batter. Make some lard hot in a deep frying pan; put
in the oysters one at a time; when done, take them up with a sharp
pointed skewer and dish them on a napkin. Fried oysters are frequently
used for garnishing boiled fish, and then a few bread crumbs should be
added to the flour.
STEWED OYSTERS. (In Milk or Cream.)
Drain the liquor from two quarts of oysters; mix with it a small
teacupful of hot water, add a little salt and pepper and set it over
the fire in a saucepan. Let it boil up once, put in the oysters, let
them come to a boil, and when they "ruffle" add two tablespoonfuls of
butter. The instant it is melted and well stirred in, put in a pint of
boiling milk and take the saucepan from the fire. Serve with oyster or
cream crackers. Serve while hot.
If thickening is preferred, stir in a little flour or two
tablespoonfuls of cracker crumbs.
PLAIN OYSTER STEW.
Same as milk or cream stew, using only oyster liquor and water instead
of milk or cream, adding more butter after taking up.
OYSTER SOUP.
For oyster soup, see SOUPS.
DRY OYSTER STEW.
Take six to twelve large oysters and cook them in half a pint of their
own liquor; season with butter and white pepper; cook for five
minutes, stirring constantly. Serve in hot soup plates or bowls.
_Fulton Market, New York._
BOSTON FRY.
Prepare the oysters in egg batter and fine cracker meal; fry in butter
over a slow fire for about ten minutes; cover the hollow of a hot
platter with tomato sauce; place the oysters in it, but not covering;
garnished with chopped parsley sprinkled over the oysters.
_Boston Oyster House._
BROILED OYSTERS.
Dry a quart of oysters in a cloth, dip each in melted butter well
peppered; then in beaten egg, or not, then in bread or cracker crumbs
also peppered. Broil on a wire broiler over live coals three to five
minutes. Dip over each a little melted butter. Serve hot.
ROAST OYSTERS IN THE SHELL. No. 1.
Select the large ones, those usually termed "Saddle Rocks," formerly
known as a distinct variety, but which are now but the large oysters
selected from any beds; wash and wipe them, and place with the upper
or deep shell down, to catch the juice, over or on live coals. When
they open their shells, remove the shallow one, being careful to save
all the juice in the other; place them, shells and all, on a hot
platter, and send to the table hot to be seasoned by each person with
butter and pepper to taste. If the oysters are fine, and they are just
cooked enough and served hot, this is, _par excellence_, the style.
OYSTER ROAST. No. 2.
Put one quart of oysters in a basin with their own liquor and let them
boil three or four minutes; season with a little salt, pepper and a
heaping spoonful of butter. Serve on buttered toast.
STEAMED OYSTERS.
Wash and drain a quart of counts or select oysters; put them in a
shallow pan and place in a steamer over boiling water; cover and steam
till they are plump, with the edges ruffled, but no longer. Place to a
heated dish, with butter, pepper, and salt, and serve.
_Baltimore Style_
STEAMED OYSTERS IN THE SHELL.
Wash and place them in an air-tight vessel, laying them the upper
shell downward, so that the liquor will not run out when they open.
Place this dish or vessel over a pot of boiling water where they will
get the steam. Boil them rapidly until the shells open, about fifteen
to twenty minutes. Serve at once while hot, seasoned with butter, salt
and pepper.
PAN OYSTERS. No. 1.
Cut some stale bread into thin slices, taking off all the crust, round
the slices to fit patty-pans; toast, butter, place them in the pans
and moisten with three or four teaspoonfuls of oyster liquor; place on
the toast a layer of oysters, sprinkle with pepper, and put a small
piece of butter on top of each pan; place all the pans in a
baking-pan, and place in the oven, covering tightly. They will cook in
seven or eight minutes if the oven is hot; or, cook till the beards
are ruffled; remove the cover, sprinkle lightly with salt, replace,
and cook one minute longer. Serve in patty pans. They are delicious.
_New York Style._
PAN OYSTERS. No. 2.
Lay in a thin pie tin or dripping-pan, half a pint of large oysters,
or more if required; have the pan large enough so that each oyster
will lie flat on the bottom; put in over them a little oyster liquor,
but not enough to float; place them carefully in a hot oven and just
heat them through thoroughly--do not bake them--which will be in three
to five minutes, according to fire; take them up and place on toast;
first moistened with the hot juice from the pan. Are a very good
substitute for oysters roasted in the shell, the slow cooking bringing
out the flavor.
_French Restaurant, New Orleans, La._
OYSTER FRITTERS.
Select plump, good-sized oysters; drain off the juice, and to a cup of
this juice add a cup of milk, a little salt, four well-beaten eggs,
and flour enough to make batter like griddle-cakes.
Envelope an oyster in a spoonful of this batter (some cut them in
halves or chop them fine), then fry in butter and lard, mixed in a
frying pan the same as we fry eggs, turning to fry brown on both
sides. Send to the table very hot.
_Delmonico._
Most cooks fry oyster fritters the same as crullers, in a quantity of
hot lard, but this is not always convenient; either way they are
excellent.
OYSTER PATTIES.
Line patty-pans with thin pastry, pressing it well to the tin. Put a
piece of bread or a ball of paper in each. Cover them with paste and
brush them over with the white of an egg. Cut an inch square of thin
pastry, place on the centre of each, glaze this also with egg, and
bake in a quick oven fifteen to twenty minutes. Remove the bread or
paper when half cold.
Scald as many oysters as you require (allowing two for each patty,
three if small) in their own liquor. Cut each in four and strain the
liquor. Put two tablespoonfuls of butter and two of flour into a thick
saucepan; stir them together over the fire till the flour smells
cooked, and then pour half a pint of oyster liquor and half a pint of
milk into the flour and butter. (If you have cream use it instead of
milk.) Stir till it is a thick, smooth sauce. Put the oysters into it
and let them boil once. Beat the yolks of two eggs. Remove the oysters
for one minute from the fire, then stir the eggs into them till the
sauce looks like thick custard.
Fill the patties with this oyster fricassee, taking care to make it
hot by standing in boiling water before dinner on the day required,
and to make the patty cases hot before you fill them.
FULTON MARKET ROAST.
It is still known in New York from the place at which it was and is
still served. Take nine large oysters out of the shell; wash, dry and
roast over a charcoal fire, on a broiler. Two minutes after the shells
open they will be done. Take them off quickly, saving the juice in a
small shallow, tin pan; keep hot until all are done; butter them and
sprinkle with pepper.
This is served for one person when calling for a roast of this kind.
It is often poured over a slice of toast.
SCALLOPED OYSTERS.
Have ready about a pint of fine cracker crumbs. Butter a deep earthen
dish; put a layer of the cracker crumbs on the bottom; wet this with
some of the oyster liquor; next have a layer of oysters; sprinkle with
salt and pepper, and lay small bits of butter upon them; then add
another layer of cracker crumbs and oyster juice; then oysters,
pepper, salt and butter, and so on, until the dish is full; the top
layer to be cracker crumbs. Beat up an egg in a cup of milk and turn
over all. Cover the dish and set it in the oven for thirty or
forty-five minutes. When baked through, uncover the top, set on the
upper grate and brown.
OYSTER POT-PIE.
Scald a quart can of oysters in their own liquor; when it boils, skim
out the oysters and set them aside in a warm place. To the liquor add
a pint of hot water; season well with salt and pepper, a generous
piece of butter, thicken with flour and cold milk. Have ready nice
light biscuit dough, rolled twice as thick as pie crust; cut out into
inch squares, drop them into the boiling stew, cover closely, and cook
forty minutes. When taken up, stir the oysters into the juice and
serve all together in one dish. A nice side _entree_.
_Prince's Bay, S. I._
BOSTON OYSTER PIE.
Having buttered the inside of a _deep_ pie plate, line it with puff
paste, or common pie crust, and prepare another sheet of paste for the
lid; put a clean towel into the dish (folded so as to support the
lid), set it into the oven and bake the paste well; when done, remove
the lid and take out the towel. While the paste is baking, prepare the
oysters. Having picked off carefully every bit of shell that may be
found about them, drain the liquor into a pan and put the oysters into
a stewpan with barely enough of the liquor to keep them from burning;
season them with pepper, salt and butter; add a little sweet cream or
milk, and one or two crackers rolled fine; let the oysters simmer, but
_not boil_, as that will shrivel them. Remove the upper crust of
pastry and fill the dish with the oysters and gravy. Replace the cover
and serve hot.
Some prefer baking the upper crust on a pie plate, the same size as
the pie, then slipping it off on top of the pie after the same pie is
filled with the oysters.
MOCK OYSTERS.
Grate the corn, while green and tender, with a coarse grater, into a
deep dish. For two ears of corn, allow one egg; beat the whites and
yolks separately, and add them to the corn, with one tablespoonful of
wheat flour and one of butter, a teaspoonful of salt and pepper to
taste. Drop spoonfuls of this batter into a frying pan with hot butter
and lard mixed, and fry a light brown on both sides.
In taste, they have a singular resemblance to fried oysters. The corn
_must_ be _young_.
FRICASSEED OYSTERS.
Take a slice of raw ham, which has been pickled, but not smoked, and
soak in boiling water for half an hour; cut it in quite small pieces,
and put in a saucepan with two-thirds of a pint of veal or chicken
broth, well strained; the liquor from a quart of oysters, one small
onion, minced fine, a little chopped parsley, sweet marjoram, and
pepper; let them simmer for twenty minutes, and then boil rapidly for
two or three minutes; skim well and add one scant tablespoon of
cornstarch, mixed smoothly in one-third cup of milk; stir constantly,
and when it boils add the oysters and one ounce of butter; after
which, just let it come to a boil, and remove the oysters to a deep
dish; beat one egg, and add to it gradually some of the hot broth,
and, when cooked, stir it into the pan; season with salt, and pour the
whole over the oysters. When placed upon the table, squeeze the juice
of a lemon over it.
Small Oyster Pies.
For each pie take a tin plate half the size of an ordinary dinner
plate; butter it, and cover the bottom with a puff paste, as for pies;
lay on it five or six select oysters, or enough to cover the bottom;
butter them and season with a little salt and plenty of pepper; spread
over this an egg batter, and cover with a crust of the paste, making
small openings in it with a fork. Bake in a hot oven fifteen to twenty
minutes, or until the top is nicely browned.
_Boston Oyster House._
STEWED CLAMS.
Wash clean as many round clams as required; pile them in a large iron
pot, with half a cupful of hot water in the bottom, and put over the
fire; as soon as the shells open take out the clams, cut off the hard,
uneatable "fringe" from each with strong, clean scissors, put them
into a stewpan with the broth from the pot, and boil slowly till they
are quite tender; pepper well and thicken the gravy with flour stirred
into melted butter.
Or, you may get two dozen freshly opened _very_ small clams. Boil a
pint of milk, a dash of white pepper and a small pat of butter. Now
add the clams. Let them come to a boil and serve. Longer boiling will
make the clams almost indigestible.
ROAST CLAMS IN THE SHELL.
Roast in a pan over a hot fire, or in a hot oven, or, at a "Clam
Bake," on hot stones; when they open, empty the juice into a saucepan;
add the clams, with butter, pepper and a very little salt.
_Rye Beach._
CLAM FRITTERS.
Take fifty small or twenty-five large sand clams from their shells; if
large, cut each in two, lay them on a thickly-folded napkin; put a
pint bowl of wheat flour into a basin, add to it three well-beaten
eggs, half a pint of sweet milk and nearly as much of their own
liquor; beat the batter until it is smooth and perfectly free from
lumps, then stir in the clams. Put plenty of lard or beef fat into a
thick-bottomed frying pan, let it become boiling hot; put in the
batter by the spoonful; let them fry gently; when one side is a
delicate brown turn the other.
CLAM CHOWDER.
The materials needed are fifty round clams (quahogs), a large bowl of
salt pork cut up fine, the same of onions finely chopped, and the same
(or more, if you desire) of potatoes cut into eighths or sixteenths of
original size; wash the clams very thoroughly and put them in a pot
with half a pint of water; when the shells are open they are done;
then take them from the shells and chop fine, saving all the clam
water for the chowder; fry out the pork very gently, and when the
scraps are a good brown take them out and put in the chopped onions to
fry; they should be fried in a frying pan, and the chowder kettle be
made very clean before they are put in it, or the chowder will burn.
(The chief secret in chowder-making is to fry the onions so delicately
that they will be missing in the chowder.)
Add a quart of hot water to the onions; put in the clams, clam-water
and pork scraps. After it boils, add the potatoes, and when they are
cooked, the chowder is finished. Just before it is taken up, thicken
it with a cup of powdered crackers, and add a quart of fresh milk. If
too rich, add more water. No seasoning is needed but good black
pepper.
With the addition of six sliced tomatoes, or half a can of the canned
ones, this is the best recipe of this kind, and is served in many of
our best restaurants. _New Bedford Recipe_.
SCALLOPED CLAMS.
Purchase a dozen large soft clams in the shell and three dozen opened
clams. Ask the dealer to open the first dozen, care being used not to
injure the shells, which are to be used in cooking the clams. Clean
the shells well, and put two soft clams on each half shell; add to
each a dash of white pepper, and half a teaspoonful of minced celery.
Cut a slice of fat bacon into the smallest dice, add four of these to
each shell, strew over the top a thin layer of cracker dust; place a
piece of table butter on top, and bake in the oven until brown. They
are delightful when properly prepared.
SCALLOPS.
If bought in the shell boil them and take out the hearts, which is the
only part used. Dip them in beaten egg and fry in the same manner as
oysters.
Some prefer them stewed the same as oysters.
FROGS FRIED.
Frog are usually fried, and are considered a great delicacy. Only the
hind-legs and quarters are used. Clean them well, season, and fry in
egg batter, or dip in beaten egg and fine cracker crumbs, the same as
oysters.
FROGS STEWED.
Wash and skin the quarters, parboil them about three minutes, drain
them. Now put into a stewpan two ounces of butter. When it is melted,
lay in the frogs, and fry about two minutes, stirring them to prevent
burning; shake over them a tablespoonful of sifted flour and stir it
into them; add a sprig of parsley, a pinch of powdered summer savory,
a bay leaf, three slices of onion, salt and pepper, a cup of hot water
and one of cream. Boil gently until done; remove the legs, strain and
mix into the gravy the yolks of two eggs, well beaten to a cream; put
the legs in a suitable dish, pour over the gravy and serve.
POULTRY AND GAME
In choosing poultry, select those that are fresh and fat, and the
surest way to determine whether they are young is to try the skin
under the leg or wing. If it is easily broken, it is young; or, turn
the wing backwards, if the joint yields readily, it is tender. When
poultry is young the skin is thin and tender, the legs smooth, the
feet moist and limber, and the eyes full and bright. The body should
be thick and the breast fat. Old turkeys have long hairs, and the
flesh is purplish where it shows under the skin on the legs and back.
About March they deteriorate in quality.
Young ducks and geese are plump, with light, semi-transparent fat,
soft breast bone, tender flesh, leg-joints which will break by the
weight of the bird, fresh-colored and brittle beaks, and windpipes
that break when pressed between the thumb and forefinger. They are
best in fall and winter.
Young pigeons have light red flesh upon the breast, and full,
fresh-colored legs; when the legs are thin and the breast very dark
the birds are old.
Fine game birds are always heavy for their size; the flesh of the
breast is firm and plump and the skin clear; and if a few feathers be
plucked from the inside of the leg and around the vent, the flesh of
freshly-killed birds will be fat and fresh-colored; if it is dark and
discolored, the game has been hung a long time. The wings of good
ducks, geese, pheasants and woodcock are tender to the touch; the tips
of the long wing feathers of partridges are pointed in young birds and
round in old ones. Quail, snipe and small birds should have full,
tender breasts. Poultry should never be cooked until six or eight
hours after it has been killed, but it should be picked and drawn as
soon as possible. Plunge it in a pot of scalding hot water; then pluck
off the feathers, taking care not to tear the skin; when it is picked
clean, roll up a piece of white paper, set fire to it and singe off
all the hairs. The head, neck and feet should be cut off, and the
ends of the legs skewered to the body, and a string tied tightly
around the body. When roasting a chicken or small fowl there is danger
of the legs browning or becoming too hard to be eaten. To avoid this,
take strips of cloth, dip them into a little melted lard, or even just
rub them over with lard, and wind them around the legs. Remove them in
time to allow the legs to brown delicately.
Fowls, and also various kinds of game, when bought at our city
markets, require a more thorough cleansing than those sold in country
places, where as a general thing the meat is wholly dressed. In large
cities they lay for some length of time with the intestines undrawn,
until the flavor of them diffuses itself all through the meat,
rendering it distasteful. In this case, it is safe, after taking out
the intestines, to rinse out in several waters, and in next to the
last water, add a teaspoonful of baking soda, say to a quart of water.
This process neutralizes all sourness, and helps to destroy all
unpleasant taste in the meat.
Poultry may be baked so that its wings and legs are soft and tender,
by being placed in a deep roasting pan with close cover, thereby
retaining the aroma and essences by absorption while confined. These
pans are a recent innovation, and are made double with a small opening
in the top for giving vent to the accumulation of steam and gases when
required. Roast meats of any kind can also be cooked in the same
manner, and it is a great improvement on the old plan.
ROAST TURKEY.
Select a young turkey; remove all the feathers carefully, singe it
over a burning newspaper on the top of the stove; then "draw" it
nicely, being very careful not to break any of the internal organs;
remove the crop carefully; cut off the head, and tie the neck close to
the body by drawing the skin over it. Now rinse the inside of the
turkey out with several waters, and in the next to the last, mix a
teaspoonful of baking soda; oftentimes the inside of a fowl is very
sour, especially if it is not freshly killed. Soda, being cleansing,
acts as a corrective, and destroys that unpleasant taste which we
frequently experience in the dressing when fowls have been killed for
some time. Now, after washing, wipe the turkey dry, inside and out,
with a clean cloth, rub the inside with some salt, then stuff the
breast and body with "Dressing for Fowls." Then sew up the turkey
with a strong thread, tie the legs and wings to the body, rub it over
with a little soft butter, sprinkle over some salt and pepper, dredge
with a little flour; place it in a dripping-pan, pour in a cup of
boiling water, and set in the oven. Baste the turkey often, turning it
around occasionally so that every part will be uniformly baked. When
pierced with a fork and the liquid runs out perfectly clear, the bird
is done. If any part is likely to scorch, pin over it a piece of
buttered white paper. A fifteen pound turkey requires between three
and four hours to bake. Serve with cranberry sauce.
_Gravy for Turkey._--When you put the turkey in to roast, put the
neck, heart, liver and gizzard into a stewpan with a pint of water;
boil until they become quite tender; take them out of the water, chop
the heart and gizzard, mash the liver and throw away the neck; return
the chopped heart, gizzard and liver to the liquor in which they were
stewed; set it to one side, and when the turkey is done it should be
added to the gravy that dripped from the turkey, having first skimmed
off the fat from the surface of the dripping-pan; set it all over the
fire, boil three minutes and thicken with flour. It will not need
brown flour to color the gravy. The garnishes for turkey or chicken
are fried oysters, thin slices of ham, slices of lemon, fried
sausages, or force meat balls, also parsley.
DRESSING OR STUFFING FOR FOWLS.
For an eight or ten pound turkey, cut the brown crust from slices or
pieces of stale bread until you have as much as the inside of a pound
loaf; put it into a suitable dish and pour tepid water (not warm, for
that makes it heavy) over it; let it stand one minute, as it soaks
very quickly. Now take up a handful at a time and squeeze it hard and
dry with both hands, placing it, as you go along, in another dish;
this process makes it very light. When all is pressed dry, toss it all
up lightly through your fingers; now add pepper, salt--about a
teaspoonful--also a teaspoonful of powdered summer savory, the same
amount of sage, or the green herb minced fine; add half a cup of
melted butter, and a beaten egg, or not. Work thoroughly all together,
and it is ready for dressing either fowls, fish or meats. A little
chopped sausage in turkey dressing is considered by some an
improvement, when well incorporated with the other ingredients. For
geese and ducks the stuffing may be made the same as for turkey, with
the addition of a few slices of onion chopped fine.
OYSTER DRESSING OR STUFFING.
This is made with the same ingredients as the above, with the
exception of half a can of oysters drained and slightly chopped and
added to the rest. This is used mostly with boiled turkey and chicken,
and the remainder of the can of oysters used to make an oyster sauce
to be poured over the turkey when served; served generally in a
separate dish, to be dipped out as a person desires.
These recipes were obtained from an old colored cook, who was famous
for his fine dressing for fowls, fish and meats, and his advice was,
_always_ soak stale bread in _cold_ liquid, either milk or water, when
_used_ for stuffings or for puddings, as they were much lighter. Hot
liquid makes them heavy.
BOILED TURKEY.
Prepare as you would for baking or roasting; fill with an oyster
stuffing, made as the above. Tie the legs and wings close to the body,
place in salted boiling water with the breast downward; skim it often
and boil about two hours, but not till the skin breaks. Serve with
oyster or celery sauce. Boil a nicely pickled piece of salt pork, and
serve at table a thin slice to each plate. Some prefer bacon or ham
instead of pork.
Some roll the turkey in a cloth dipped in flour. If the liquor is to
be used afterwards for soup, the cloth imparts an unpleasant flavor.
The liquor can be saved and made into a nice soup for the next day's
dinner, by adding the same seasoning as for chicken soup.
TURKEY SCALLOP.
Pick the meat from the bones of cold turkey and chop it fine. Put a
layer of bread crumbs on the bottom of a buttered dish, moisten them
with a little milk, then put in a layer of turkey with some of the
filling, and cut small pieces of butter over the top; sprinkle with
pepper and salt; then another layer of bread crumbs, and so on until
the dish is nearly full; add a little hot water to the gravy left from
the turkey and pour over it; then take two eggs, two tablespoonfuls of
milk, one of melted butter, a little salt and cracker crumbs as much
as will make it thick enough to spread on with a knife; put bits of
butter over it, and cover with a plate. Bake three-quarters of an
hour. Ten minutes before serving, remove the plate and let it brown.
TURKEY HASHED.
Cut the remnants of turkey from a previous dinner into pieces of equal
size. Boil the bones in a quart of water, until the quart is reduced
to a pint; then take out the bones, and to the liquor in which they
were boiled add turkey gravy, if you have any, or white stock, or a
small piece of butter with salt and pepper; let the liquor thus
prepared boil up once; then put in the pieces of turkey, dredge in a
little flour, give it one boil-up, and serve in a hot dish.
TURKEY WARMED OVER.
Pieces of cold turkey or chicken may be warmed up with a little butter
in a frying pan; place it on a warm platter, surround it with pieces
of small thick slices of bread or biscuit halved, first dipping them
in hot salted water; then place the platter in a warm oven with the
door open. Have already made the following gravy to pour over all:--
Into the frying pan put a large spoonful of butter, one or two cupfuls
of milk, and any gravy that may be left over. Bring it to a boil; then
add sufficient flour, wet in a little cold milk or water, to make it
the consistency of cream. Season with salt, pepper and add a little of
the dark meat chopped _very_ fine. Let the sauce cook a few moments,
then pour over the biscuit and fowl. This will be found a really nice
dish.
BONED TURKEY.
Clean the fowl as usual. With a sharp and pointed knife, begin at the
extremity of the wing, and pass the knife down close to the bone,
cutting all the flesh from the bone, and preserving the skin whole;
run the knife down each side of the breast bone and up the legs,
keeping close to the bone; then split the back half way up, and draw
out the bones; fill the places whence the bones were taken with a
stuffing, restoring the fowl to its natural form, and sew up all the
incisions made in the skin. Lard with two or three rows of slips of
fat bacon on the top, basting often with salt and water, and a little
butter. Some like a glass of port wine in the gravy.
This is a difficult dish to attempt by any but skillful hands. Carve
across in slices, and serve with tomato sauce.
ROAST GOOSE.
The goose should not be more than eight months old, and the fatter the
more tender and juicy the meat. Stuff with the following mixture:
Three pints of bread crumbs, six ounces of butter, or part butter and
part salt pork, one teaspoonful each of sage, black pepper and salt,
one chopped onion. Do not stuff very full, and stitch openings firmly
together to keep flavor in and fat out. Place in a baking pan with a
little water, and baste frequently with salt and water (some add
vinegar); turn often so that the sides and back may be nicely browned.
Bake two hours or more; when done take from the pan, pour off the fat,
and to the brown gravy left add the chopped giblets which have
previously been stewed until tender, together with the water they were
boiled in; thicken with a little flour and butter rubbed together,
bring to a boil and serve, English style.
ROAST CHICKEN.
Pick and draw them, wash out well in two or three waters, adding a
little soda to the last but one to sweeten it, if there is doubt as to
its being fresh. Dry it well with a clean cloth, and fill the crop and
body with a stuffing the same as "Dressing for Fowls." Lay it in a
dripping-pan; put a pint of hot water and a piece of butter in the
dripping-pan, add to it a small tablespoonful of salt, and a small
teaspoonful of pepper; baste frequently, and let it roast quickly,
without scorching; when nearly done, put a piece of butter the size of
a large egg to the water in the pan; when it melts, baste with it,
dredge a little flour over, baste again, and let it finish; half an
hour will roast a full grown chicken, if the fire is right. When done,
take it up.
Having stewed the necks, gizzards, livers and hearts in a very little
water, strain it and mix it hot with the gravy that has dripped from
the fowls, and which must be first skimmed. Thicken it with a little
browned flour, add to it the livers, hearts and gizzards chopped
small. Or, put the giblets in the pan with the chicken and let them
roast. Send the fowls to the table with the gravy in a boat. Cranberry
sauce should accompany them, or any tart sauce.
BOILED CHICKEN.
Clean, wash and stuff, as for roasting. Baste a floured cloth around
each and put into a pot with enough boiling water to cover them well.
The hot water cooks the skin at once and prevents the escape of the
juice. The broth will not be so rich as if the fowls are put on in
cold water, but this is a proof that the meat will be more nutritious
and better flavored. Stew very slowly, for the first half hour
especially. Boil an hour or more, guiding yourself by size and
toughness. Serve with egg, bread or oyster sauce. (See SAUCES.)
STEAMED CHICKEN.
Rub the chicken on the inside with pepper and half a teaspoonful of
salt; place in a steamer in a kettle that will keep it as near the
water as possible, cover and steam an hour and a half; when done, keep
hot while dressing is prepared, then cut up, arrange on the platter,
and serve with the dressing over it.
The dressing is made as follows: Boil one pint of gravy from the
kettle without the fat, add cayenne pepper and half a teaspoonful of
salt; stir a tablespoonful of flour into a quarter of a pint of cream
until smooth and add to the gravy. Cornstarch may be used instead of
the flour, and some cooks add nutmeg or celery salt.
FRICASSEE CHICKEN.
Cut up two young chickens, put them in a stewpan with just enough cold
water to cover them. Cover closely and let them heat very slowly; then
stew them over an hour, or until tender. If they are old chickens they
will require long, slow boiling, often from three to four hours. When
tender, season with salt and pepper, a piece of butter as large as an
egg, and a little celery, if liked. Stir up two tablespoonfuls of
flour in a little water or milk and add to the stew, also two
well-beaten yolks of eggs; let all boil up one minute; arrange the
chicken on a warm platter, pour some of the gravy over it and send the
rest to the table in a boat. The egg should be added to a little of
the cooled gravy before putting with the hot gravy.
STEWED WHOLE SPRING CHICKEN.
Dress a full-grown spring chicken the same as for roasting, seasoning
it with salt and pepper inside and out; then fill the body with
oysters; place it in a tin pail with a close-fitting cover. Set the
pail in a pot of fast-boiling water and cook until the chicken is
tender. Dish up the chicken on a warm dish, then pour the gravy into a
saucepan, put into it a tablespoonful of butter, half a cupful of
cream or rich milk, three hard-boiled eggs chopped fine, some minced
herbs and a tablespoonful of flour. Let all boil up and then pour it
over the chicken. Serve hot.
PICKLED CHICKEN.
Boil four chickens till tender enough for meat to fall from bones; put
meat in a stone jar and pour over it three pints of cold, good cider
vinegar and a pint and a half of the water in which the chickens were
boiled; add spices if preferred, and it will be ready for use in two
days. This is a popular Sunday evening dish; it is good for luncheon
at any time.
RISSOLES OF CHICKEN.
Mince up finely the remains of a cold chicken together with half the
quantity of lean, cold ham. Mix them well, adding enough white sauce
to moisten them. Now have light paste rolled out until about a quarter
of an inch or a little more in thickness. Cut the paste into pieces,
one inch by two in size, and lay a little of the mixture upon the
centres of half of the pieces and cover them with the other halves,
pressing the edges neatly together and forming them into little rolls.
Have your frying pan ready with plenty of boiling hot lard, or other
frying medium, and fry until they become a golden-brown color. A
minute or two will be sufficient for this. Then drain them well and
serve immediately on a napkin.
CHICKEN PATTIES.
Mince up fine cold chicken, either roasted or boiled. Season it with
pepper and salt, and a little minced parsley and onion. Moisten it
with chicken gravy or cream sauce, fill scalloped shells that are
lined with pastry with the mixture, and sprinkle bread crumbs over the
tops. Put two or three tiny pieces of butter over each, and bake brown
in a hot oven.
TO BROIL CHICKEN.
After dressing and washing the chickens as previously directed, split
them open through the backbone; frog them by cutting the cords under
the wings and laying the wings out flat; cut the sinews under the
second joint of the leg and turn the leg down; press down the
breast-bone without breaking it.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper, lay it upon the gridiron with
the inside first to the fire; put the gridiron over a slow fire, and
place a tin sheet and weight upon the chicken, to keep it flat; let it
broil ten minutes, then turn and proceed in the same manner with the
other side.
The chicken should be perfectly cooked, but not scorched. A broiled
chicken brought to the table with its wings and legs burnt, and its
breast half cooked, is very disagreeable. To avoid this, the chicken
must be closely watched while broiling, and the fire must be arranged
so that the heat shall be equally dispensed. When the fire is too hot
under any one part of the chicken, put a little ashes on the fire
under that part, that the heat may be reduced.
Dish a broiled chicken on a hot plate, putting a large lump of butter
and a tablespoonful of hot water upon the plate, and turning the
chicken two or three times that it may absorb as much of the butter as
possible. Garnish with parsley. Serve with poached eggs on a separate
dish. It takes from thirty to forty minutes to broil a chicken well.
CHICKEN PIE.
Prepare the chicken as for fricassee. When the chicken is stewed
tender, seasoned, and the gravy thickened, take it from the fire; take
out the largest bones, scrape the meat from the neck and backbone,
throw the bones away; line the sides of a four or six quart
pudding-dish with a rich baking powder or soda biscuit dough, a
quarter of an inch thick; put in part of the chicken, a few lumps of
butter, pepper and salt, if needed, some cold boiled eggs cut in
slices. Add the rest of the chicken and season as before; a few new
potatoes in their season might be added. Pour over the gravy, being
sure to have enough to fill the dish, and cover with a crust a quarter
of an inch thick, made with a hole in the centre the size of a teacup.
Brush over the top with beaten white of egg and bake for half to
three-quarters of an hour. Garnish the top with small bright celery
leaves, neatly arranged in a circle.
FRIED CHICKEN.
Wash and cut up a young chicken, wipe it dry, season with salt and
pepper, dredge it with flour, or dip each piece in beaten egg and then
in cracker crumbs. Have in a frying pan one ounce each of butter and
sweet lard made boiling hot. Lay in the chicken and fry brown on both
sides. Take up, drain it and set aside in a covered dish. Stir into
the gravy left, if not too much, a large tablespoonful of flour, make
it smooth, add a cup of cream or milk, season with salt and pepper,
boil up and pour over the chicken. Some like chopped parsley added to
the gravy. Serve hot.
If the chicken is old, put into a stewpan with a little water and
simmer gently till tender; season with salt and pepper, dip in flour
or cracker crumb and egg, and fry as above. Use the broth the chicken
was cooked in to make the gravy, instead of the cream or milk, or use
an equal quantity of both.
FRIED CHICKEN A LA ITALIENNE.
Make common batter; mix into it a cupful of chopped tomatoes, one
onion chopped, some minced parsley, salt and pepper. Cut up young,
tender chickens, dry them well and dip each piece in the batter; then
fry brown in plenty of butter in a thick-bottomed frying pan. Serve
with tomato sauce.
CHICKEN CROQUETTES. No. 1.
Put a cup of cream or milk in a saucepan, set it over the fire, and
when it boils add a lump of butter as large as an egg, in which has
been mixed a tablespoonful of flour. Let it boil up thick; remove from
the fire, and when cool mix into it a teaspoonful of salt, half a
teaspoonful of pepper, a bit of minced onion or parsley, one cup of
fine bread crumbs, and a pint of finely-chopped cooked chicken, either
roasted or boiled. Lastly, beat up two eggs and work in with the
whole. Flour your hands and make into small, round, flat cakes; dip in
egg and bread crumbs and fry like fish cakes in butter and good sweet
lard mixed, or like fried cakes in plenty of hot lard. Take them up
with a skimmer and lay them on brown paper to free them from the
grease. Serve hot.
CHICKEN CROQUETTES. No. 2.
Take any kind of fresh meat or fowl, chop very fine, add an equal
quantity of smoothly mashed potatoes, mix, and season with butter,
salt, black pepper, a little prepared mustard, and a little cayenne
pepper; make into cakes, dip in egg and bread crumbs and fry a light
brown. A nice relish for tea.
TO FRY CROQUETTES.
Beat up two eggs in a deep bowl; roll enough crackers until you have a
cupful of crumbs, or the same of fine stale bread crumbs; spread the
crumbs on a large plate or pie-tin. Have over the fire a kettle
containing two or three inches of boiling lard. As fast as the
croquettes are formed, roll them in the crumbs, then dip them in the
beaten egg, then again roll them in crumbs; drop them in the smoking
hot fat and fry them a light golden brown.
PRESSED CHICKEN.
Clean and cut up your chickens. Stew in just enough water to cover
them. When nearly cooked, season them well with salt and pepper. Let
them stew down until the water is nearly all boiled out, and the meat
drops easily from the bones. Remove the bones and gristle; chop the
meat rather coarsely, then turn it back into the stew-kettle, where
the broth was left (after skimming off all fat), and let it heat
through again. Turn it into a square bread pan, placing a platter on
the top, and a heavy weight on the platter. This, if properly
prepared, will turn out like a mold of jelly and may be sliced in
smooth, even slices. The success of this depends upon not having too
much water; it will not jelly if too weak, or if the water is allowed
to boil away entirely while cooking. A good way to cook old fowls.
CHICKEN LUNCH FOR TRAVELING.
Cut a young chicken down the back; wash and wipe dry; season with salt
and pepper; put in a dripping-pan and bake in a moderate oven
three-quarters of an hour. This is much better for traveling lunch
than when seasoned with butter.
All kinds of poultry and meat can be cooked quicker by adding to the
water in which they are boiled a little vinegar or a piece of lemon.
By the use of a little acid there will be a considerable saving of
fuel, as well as shortening of time. Its action is beneficial on old
tough meats, rendering them quite tender and easy of digestion.
Tainted meats and fowls will lose their bad taste and odor if cooked
in this way, and if not used too freely no taste of it will be
acquired.
POTTED CHICKEN.
Strip the meat from the bones of a cold roast fowl; to every pound of
meat allow a quarter of a pound of butter, salt and cayenne pepper to
taste; one teaspoonful of pounded mace, half a small nutmeg. Cut the
meat into small pieces, pound it well with the butter, sprinkle in the
spices gradually and keep pounding until reduced to a perfectly smooth
paste. Pack it into small jars and cover with clarified butter, about
a quarter of an inch in thickness. Two or three slices of ham minced
and pounded with the above will be an improvement. Keep in a dry
place. A luncheon or breakfast dish.
Old fowls can be made very tender by putting into them, while boiling,
a piece of soda as large as a bean.
SCALLOPED CHICKEN.
Divide a fowl into joints and boil till the meat leaves the bone
readily. Take out the bones and chop the meat as small as dice.
Thicken the water in which the fowl was boiled with flour and season
to taste with butter and salt. Fill a deep dish with alternate layers
of bread crumbs and chicken and slices of cooked potatoes, having
crumbs on top. Pour the gravy over the top and add a few bits of
butter and bake till nicely browned. There should be gravy enough to
moisten the dish. Serve with a garnish of parsley. Tiny new potatoes
are nice in place of sliced ones when in season.
BREADED CHICKEN.
Prepare young chickens as for fricassee by cutting them into pieces.
Dip each piece in beaten egg, then in grated bread crumbs or rolled
cracker; season them with pepper and salt and a little minced parsley.
Place them in a baking pan and put on the top of each piece a lump of
butter, add half of a cupful of hot water; bake slowly, basting often.
When sufficiently cooked take up on a warm platter. Into the pan pour
a cup of cream or rich milk, a cupful of bread crumbs. Stir it well
until cooked, then pour it over the chicken. Serve while hot.
BROILED CHICKEN ON TOAST.
Broil the usual way and when thoroughly done take it up in a square
tin or dripping-pan, butter it well, season with pepper and salt and
set it in the oven for a few minutes. Lay slices of moistened buttered
toast on a platter; take the chicken up over it, add to the gravy in
the pan part of a cupful of cream, if you have it; if not, use milk.
Thicken with a little flour and pour over the chicken.
This is considered most excellent.
CURRY CHICKEN.
Cut up a chicken weighing from a pound and a half to two pounds, as
for fricassee, wash it well, and put it into a stewpan with sufficient
water to cover it; boil it, closely covered, until tender; add a large
teaspoonful of salt, and cook a few minutes longer; then remove from
the fire, take out the chicken, pour the liquor into a bowl, and set
it one side. Now cut up into the stewpan two small onions, and fry
them with a piece of butter as large as an egg; as soon as the onions
are brown, skim them out and put in the chicken; fry for three or four
minutes; next sprinkle over two teaspoonfuls of Curry Powder. Now pour
over the liquor in which the chicken was stewed, stir all well
together, and stew for five minutes longer, then stir into this a
tablespoonful of sifted flour made thin with a little water; lastly,
stir in a beaten yolk of egg, and it is done.
Serve with hot boiled rice laid around on the edge of a platter, and
the chicken curry in the centre.
This makes a handsome side dish, and a fine relish accompanying a full
dinner of roast beef or any roast.
All first-class grocers and druggists keep this "India Curry Powder,"
put up in bottles. Beef, veal, mutton, duck, pigeons, partridges,
rabbits or fresh fish may be substituted for the chicken, if
preferred, and sent to the table with or without a dish of rice.
_To Boil Rice or Curry._--Pick over the rice, a cupful. Wash it
thoroughly in two or three cold waters; then leave it about twenty
minutes in cold water. Put into a stewpan two quarts of water with a
teaspoonful of salt in it; and when it boils, sprinkle in the rice.
Boil it briskly for twenty minutes, keeping the pan covered. Take it
from the fire, and drain off the water. Afterwards set the saucepan
on the back of the stove, with the lid off, to allow the rice to dry
and the grains to separate.
Rice, if properly boiled, should be soft and white, and every grain
stand alone. Serve it hot in a separate dish or served as above, laid
around the chicken curry.
CHICKEN POT-PIE. No. 1.
Cut and joint a large chicken, cover with cold water, and let it boil
gently until tender. Season with salt and pepper, and thicken the
gravy with two tablespoonfuls of flour, mixed smooth with a piece of
butter the size of an egg. Have ready nice light bread-dough, cut with
the top of a wine-glass about a half an inch thick; let them stand
half an hour and rise, then drop these into the boiling gravy. Put the
cover on the pot closely, wrap a cloth around it, in order that no
steam shall escape; and by no means allow the pot to cease boiling.
Boil three-quarters of an hour.
CHICKEN POT-PIE. No. 2.
This style of pot-pie was made more in our grandmother's day than now,
as most cooks consider that cooking crust so long destroys its spongy
lightness, and renders it too hard and dry.
Take a pair of fine fowls, cut them up, wash the pieces, and season
with pepper only. Make a light biscuit dough, and plenty of it, as it
is always much liked by the eaters of pot-pie. Roll out the dough not
very thin, and cut most of it into long squares. Butter the sides of a
pot, and line them with dough nearly to the top. Lay slices of cold
ham at the bottom of the pot, and then the pieces of fowl,
interspersed all through with squares of dough and potatoes, pared and
quartered. Pour in a quart of water. Cover the whole with a lid of
dough, having a slit in the centre, through which the gravy will
bubble up. Boil it steadily for two hours. Half an hour before you
take it up, put in through the hole in the centre of the crust some
bits of butter rolled in flour, to thicken the gravy. When done, put
the pie on a large dish, and pour the gravy over it.
You may intersperse it all through with cold ham.
A pot-pie may be made of ducks, rabbits, squirrels or venison. Also of
beefsteak. A beefsteak, or some porksteaks (the lean only), greatly
improve a chicken pot-pie. If you use no ham, season with salt.
[Illustration: Top left ABIGAIL ADAMS; Top right MARTHA JEFFERSON;
Middle MARTHA WASHINGTON; Bottom left MRS JAMES MONROE; Bottom right
D. P. MADDISON]
CHICKEN STEWED WITH BISCUIT.
Take chickens, and make a fricassee; just before you are ready to dish
it up, have ready two baking-tins of rich soda or baking-powder
biscuits; take them from the oven hot, split them apart by breaking
them with your hands, lay them on a large meat platter, covering it,
then pour the hot chicken stew over all. Send to the table hot. This
is a much better way than boiling this kind of biscuit in the stew, as
you are more sure of its being always light.
CHICKEN DRESSED AS TERRAPIN.
Select young chickens, clean and cut them into pieces; put them into a
stewpan with just _enough_ water to cook them. When tender stir into
it half of a cup of butter and one beaten egg. Season it with salt and
pepper, a teaspoonful of powdered thyme; add two hard-boiled eggs
coarsely minced and a small glass of wine. Boil up once and serve with
jelly.
CHICKEN ROLY-POLY.
One quart of flour, two teaspoonfuls of cream tartar mixed with the
flour, one teaspoonful of soda dissolved in a teacupful of milk; a
teaspoonful of salt; do not use shortening of any kind, but roll out
the mixture half an inch thick, and on it lay minced chicken, veal or
mutton. The meat must be seasoned with pepper and salt and be free
from gristle. Roll the crust over and over, and put it on a buttered
plate and place in a steamer for half an hour. Serve for breakfast or
lunch, giving a slice to each person with gravy served with it.
CHICKEN TURNOVERS.
Chop cold roast chicken very fine. Put it into a saucepan, place it
over the fire, moisten it with a little water and gravy, or a piece of
butter. Season with salt and pepper; add a small tablespoonful of
sifted flour dissolved in a little water; heat all through and remove
from the fire to become cool. When cooled roll out some plain
pie-crust quite thin, cut out in rounds as large as a saucer; wet the
edge with cold water and put a large spoonful of the minced meat on
one-half of the round; fold the other half over and pinch the edges
well together, then fry them in hot drippings or fat a nice brown.
They may also be cooked in a moderate oven.
CHICKEN PUDDING.
Cut up two young chickens into good-sized pieces; put them in a
saucepan with just enough water to cover them well. When boiled quite
tender, season with salt and pepper; let them simmer ten or fifteen
minutes longer; then take the chicken from the broth and remove all
the large bones. Place the meat in a well-buttered pudding dish,
season again, if necessary, adding a few bits of butter. Pour over
this the following batter:--
Eight eggs beaten light and mixed with one quart of milk, three
tablespoonfuls of melted butter, a teaspoonful of salt and two large
teaspoonfuls of baking powder, added to enough sifted flour to make a
batter like griddle-cakes.
Bake one hour in a _moderate_ oven.
Make a gravy of the broth that remained from the cooking of the
chicken, adding a tablespoonful of flour stirred into a third of a cup
of melted butter; let it boil up, putting in more water if necessary.
Serve hot in a gravy boat with the pudding.
CHICKEN AND MACARONI.
Boil a chicken until very tender, take out all the bones, and pick up
the meat quite fine. Boil half a pound of macaroni until tender, first
breaking it up to pieces an inch long. Butter a deep pudding dish, put
on the bottom a layer of the cooked macaroni, then a layer of the
minced chicken, bits of butter, pepper and salt, then some of the
chicken liquor, over this put another layer of macaroni, and so on,
until, the dish is filled. Pour a cup of cream over the whole, and
bake half an hour. Serve on a platter.
ROAST DUCK. (Tame.)
Pick, draw, clean thoroughly, and wipe dry. Cut the neck close to the
back, beat the breast-bone flat with a rolling pin, tie the wings and
legs securely, and stuff with the following:--
Three pints bread crumbs, six ounces butter, or part butter and salt
pork, two chopped onions and one teaspoonful each of sage, black
pepper and salt. Do not stuff very full, and sew up the openings
firmly to keep the flavor in and the fat out. If not fat enough, it
should be larded with salt pork, or tie a slice upon the breast. Place
in a baking pan, with a little water, and baste frequently with salt
and water--some add onion, and some vinegar; turn often, so that the
sides and back may all be nicely browned. When nearly done, baste with
butter and a little flour. These directions will apply to tame geese
as well as ducks. Young ducks should roast from twenty-five to thirty
minutes, and full-grown ones for an hour or more, with frequent
basting. Some prefer them underdone and served very hot; but, as a
rule, thorough cooking will prove more palatable. Make a gravy out of
the necks and gizzards by putting them in a quart of cold water, that
must be reduced to a pint by boiling. The giblets, when done, may be
chopped fine and added to the juice. The preferred seasonings are one
tablespoonful of Madeira or sherry, a blade of mace, one small onion,
and a little cayenne pepper; strain through a hair sieve; pour a
little over the ducks and serve the remainder in a boat. Served with
jellies or any tart sauce.
BRAISED DUCK.
Prepare a pair of fine young ducks, the same as for roasting, place
them in a stewpan together with two or three slices of bacon, a
carrot, an onion stuck with two cloves, and a little thyme and
parsley. Season with pepper, and cover the whole with a broth, adding
to the broth a gill of white wine. Place the pan over a gentle fire
and allow the ducks to simmer until done, basting them frequently.
When done remove them from the pan, and place them where they will
keep hot. A turnip should then be cut up and fried in some butter.
When nicely browned, drain the pieces and cook them until tender in
the liquor in which the ducks were braised. Now strain and thicken the
gravy, and after dishing up the ducks, pour it over them, garnishing
with the pieces of turnip.
_Palmer House, Chicago._
STEWED DUCK.
Prepare them by cutting them up the same as chicken for fricassee. Lay
two or three very thin slices of salt pork upon the bottom of a
stewpan; lay the pieces of duck upon the pork. Let them stew slowly
for an hour, closely covered. Then season with salt and pepper, half a
teaspoonful of powdered sage, or some green sage minced fine; one
chopped onion. Stew another half hour until the duck is tender. Stir
up a large tablespoonful of brown flour in a little water and add it
to the stew. Let it boil up, and serve all together in one dish,
accompanied with green peas.
_Palmer House, Chicago._
DUCK PIE.
Cut all the meat from cold roast ducks; put the bones and stuffing
into cold water; cover them and let boil; put the meat into a deep
dish; pour on enough of the stock made from the bones to moisten;
cover with pastry slit in the centre with a knife, and bake a light
brown.
WARMED UP DUCK.
A nice dish for breakfast, and very relishing, can be made from the
remains of a roast of duck. Cut the meat from the bones, pick out all
the little tidbits in the recesses, lay them in a frying pan, and
cover with water and the cold gravy left from the roast; add a piece
of butter; let all boil up once and if not quite thick enough, stir in
a little dissolved flour. Serve hot.
ROAST WILD DUCK.
Wild duck should not be dressed too soon after being killed. If the
weather is cold it will be better for being kept several days. Bake in
a hot oven, letting it remain for five or ten minutes without basting
to keep in the gravy, then baste frequently with butter and water. If
over-done it loses flavor, thirty to forty minutes in the right kind
of an oven being sufficient. Serve on a very hot dish, and send to
table as hot as possible with a cut lemon and the following sauce:--
Put in a tiny saucepan a tablespoonful each of Worcestershire sauce
and mushroom catsup, a little salt and cayenne pepper and the juice of
half a lemon. Mix well, make it hot, remove from the fire and stir in
a teaspoonful of made mustard. Pour into a hot gravy boat.
_California Style, Lick House._
WILD DUCKS.
Most wild ducks are apt to have the flavor of fish, and when in the
hands of inexperienced cooks are sometimes unpalatable on this
account. Before roasting them, parboil them with a small peeled carrot
put within each duck. This absorbs the unpleasant taste. An onion will
have the same effect, but unless you use onions in the stuffing the
carrot is preferable. Roast the same as tame duck. Or put into the
duck a whole onion peeled, plenty of salt and pepper and a glass of
claret, bake in a hot oven twenty minutes. Serve hot with the gravy it
yields in cooking and a dish of currant jelly.
CANVAS-BACK DUCK.
The epicurean taste declares that this special kind of bird requires
no spices or flavors to make it perfect, as the meat partakes of the
flavor of the food that the bird feeds upon, being mostly wild celery;
and the delicious flavor is best preserved when roasted quickly with a
hot fire. After dressing the duck in the usual way by plucking,
singeing, drawing, wipe it with a wet towel, truss the head under the
wing; place it in a dripping-pan, put it in the oven, basting often,
and roast it half an hour. It is generally preferred a little
underdone. Place it when done on a hot dish, season well with salt and
pepper, pour over it the gravy it has yielded in baking and serve it
immediately while hot.
_Delmonico._
ROAST PIGEONS.
Pigeons lose their flavor by being kept more than a day after they are
killed. They may be prepared and roasted or broiled the same as
chickens; they will require from twenty to thirty minutes' cooking.
Make a gravy of the giblets or not, season it with pepper and salt,
and add a little flour and butter.
STEWED PIGEONS.
Clean and stuff with onion dressing, thyme, etc.,--do not sew up; take
five or more slices of corned pork, let it fry a while in a pot so
that the fat comes out and it begins to brown a little; then lay the
pigeons all around in the fat, leaving the pork still in; add hot
water enough to partially cover them; cover tightly and boil an hour
or so until tender; then turn off some of the liquid, and keep turning
them so they will brown nicely; then heat and add the liquor poured
off; add extra thyme, pepper, and keep turning until the pigeons and
gravy are nicely browned. Thicken with a little flour, and serve with
the gravy poured over them; garnish with parsley.
PIGEON PIE.
Take half a dozen pigeons; stuff each one with a dressing the same as
for turkey; loosen the joints with a knife, but do not separate them.
Put them in a stewpan with water enough to cover them, let them cook
until nearly tender, then season them with salt and pepper and butter.
Thicken the gravy with flour, remove and cool. Butter a pudding dish,
line the sides with a rich crust. Have ready some hard-boiled eggs cut
in slices. Put in a layer of egg and birds and gravy until the dish is
full. Cover with a crust and bake.
BROILED PIGEONS OR SQUABS.
Split them down the back and broil the same as chicken; seasoning well
with salt, pepper and plenty of butter. Broil slices of salt pork,
very thin; place a slice over each bird and serve.
SQUAB POT-PIE.
Cut into dice three ounces of salt pork; divide six wild squabs into
pieces at the joints; remove the skin. Cut up four potatoes into small
squares, and prepare a dozen small dough balls.
Put into a yellow, deep baking dish the pork, potatoes and squabs, and
then the balls of dough, season with salt, white pepper, a dash of
mace or nutmeg; add hot water enough to cover the ingredients, cover
with a "short" pie-crust and bake in a moderate oven three-quarters of
an hour.
_Palmer House, Chicago._
WOODCOCK, ROASTED.
Skin the head and neck of the bird, pluck the feathers, and truss it
by bringing the beak of the bird under the wing, and fastening the
pinion to the thigh; twist the legs at the knuckles and press the feet
upon the thigh. Put a piece of bread under each bird to catch the
drippings, baste with butter, dredge with flour, and roast fifteen or
twenty minutes with a sharp fire. When done, cut the bread in diamond
shape, each piece large enough to stand one bird upon, place them
aslant on your dish, and serve with gravy enough to moisten the bread;
serve some in the dish and some in the tureen; garnish with slices of
lemon. Roast from twenty to twenty-five minutes.
SNIPE.
Snipe are similar to woodcock, and may be served in the same manner;
they will require less time to roast.
REED BIRDS.
Pick and draw them very carefully, salt and dredge with flour, and
roast with a quick fire ten or fifteen minutes. Serve on toast with
butter and pepper. You can put in each one an oyster dipped in butter
and then in bread crumbs before roasting. They are also very nice
broiled.
ROAST QUAIL.
Rinse well and steam over boiling water until tender, then dredge with
flour, and smother in butter; season with salt and pepper and roast
inside the stove; thicken the gravy; serve with green grape jelly, and
garnish with parsley.
TO ROAST PARTRIDGES, PHEASANTS, QUAIL OR GROUSE.
Carefully cut out all the shot, wash thoroughly but quickly, using
soda in the water; rinse again, and dry with a clean cloth. Stuff them
and sew them up. Skewer the legs and wings to the body, larder the
breast with very thin slices of fat salt pork, place them in the oven,
and baste with butter and water before taking up, having seasoned them
with salt and pepper; or you can leave out the pork and use only
butter, or cook them without stuffing. Make a gravy of the drippings
thickened with browned flour. Boil up and serve in a boat.
These are all very fine broiled, first splitting down the back,
placing on the gridiron the inside down, cover with a baking tin, and
broil slowly at first. Serve with cream gravy.
GAME PIE.
Clean well, inside and out, a dozen small birds, quail, snipe,
woodcock, etc., and split them in half; put them in a saucepan with
about two quarts of water; when it boils, skim off all scum that
rises; then add salt and pepper, a bunch of minced parsley, one onion
chopped fine, and three whole cloves. Cut up half a pound of salt pork
into dice, and let all boil until tender, using care that there be
enough water to cover the birds. Thicken this with two tablespoonfuls
of browned flour and let it boil up. Stir in a piece of butter as
large as an egg; remove from the fire and let it cool. Have ready a
pint of potatoes cut as small as dice, and a rich crust made. Line the
sides of a buttered pudding dish with the crust; lay in the birds,
then some of the potatoes, then birds and so on, until the dish is
full. Pour over the gravy, put on the top crust, with a slit cut in
the centre, and bake. The top can be ornamented with pastry leaves in
a wreath about the edge, with any fancy design placed in the centre
across the slit.
_Rockaway Beach._
SNOWBIRDS.
One dozen thoroughly cleaned birds; stuff each with an oyster, put
them into a yellow dish, and add two ounces of boiled salt pork and
three raw potatoes cut into slices; add a pint of oyster liquor, an
ounce of butter; salt and pepper; cover the dish with a crust and bake
in moderate oven.
SQUIRREL.
They are cooked similar to rabbits, are excellent when broiled or made
into a stew, and, in fact, are very good in all the different styles
of cooking similar to rabbit.
There are many species common to this country; among them the black,
red, gray and fox. Gophers and chipmunks may also be classed as
another but smaller variety.
ROAST HARE OR RABBIT.
A very close relationship exists between the hare and the rabbit, the
chief difference being in the smaller size and shorter legs and ears
of the latter. The manner of dressing and preparing each for the table
is, therefore, pretty nearly the same. To prepare them for roasting,
first skin, wash well in cold water and rinse thoroughly in lukewarm
water. If a little musty from being emptied before they were hung up,
and afterward neglected, rub the insides with vinegar and afterward
remove all taint of the acid by a thorough washing in lukewarm water.
After being well wiped with a soft cloth put in a dressing as usual,
sew the animal up, truss it, and roast for half or three-quarters of
an hour, until well browned, basting it constantly with butter and
dredging with flour, just before taking up.
To make a gravy, after the rabbits are roasted, pour nearly all the
fat out of the pan, but do not pour the bottom or brown part of the
drippings; put the pan over the fire, stir into it a heaping
tablespoonful of flour, and stir until the flour browns. Then stir in
a pint of boiling water. Season the gravy with salt and pepper; let it
boil for a moment. Send hot to the table in a tureen with the hot
rabbits. Serve with currant jelly.
FRICASSEE RABBIT.
Clean two young rabbits, cut into joints, and soak in salt and water
half an hour. Put into a saucepan with a pint of cold water, a bunch
of sweet herbs, an onion finely minced, a pinch of mace, half a
nutmeg, a pinch of pepper and half a pound of salt pork cut in small
thin slices. Cover and stew until tender. Take out the rabbits and set
in a dish where they will keep warm. Add to the gravy a cup of cream
(or milk), two well-beaten eggs, stirred in a little at a time, a
tablespoonful of butter, and a thickening made of a tablespoonful of
flour and a little milk. Boil up once; remove the saucepan from the
fire, squeeze in the juice of a lemon, stirring all the while, and
pour over the rabbits. Do not cook the head or neck.
FRIED RABBIT.
After the rabbit has been thoroughly cleaned and washed, put it into
boiling water, and let it boil ten minutes; drain it, and when cold,
cut it into joints, dip into beaten egg, and then in fine bread
crumbs; season with salt and pepper. When all are ready, fry them in
butter and sweet lard, mix over a moderate fire until brown on both
sides. Take them out, thicken the gravy with a spoonful of flour, turn
in a cup of milk or cream; let all boil up, and turn over the rabbits.
Serve hot with onion sauce. (See SAUCES.) Garnish with sliced lemon.
RABBIT PIE.
This pie can be made the same as "Game Pie" excepting you scatter
through it four hard-boiled eggs cut in slices. Cover with puff paste,
cut a slit in the middle, and bake one hour, laying paper over the top
should it brown too fast.
BROILED RABBITS.
After skinning and cleaning the rabbits, wipe them dry, split them
down the back lengthwise, pound them flat, then wrap them in letter
paper well buttered, place them on a buttered gridiron, and broil over
a clear, brisk fire, turning them often. When sufficiently cooked,
remove the papers, lay them on a very hot platter, season with salt,
pepper and plenty of butter, turning them over and over to soak up the
butter. Cover and keep hot in a warming oven until served.
SALMI OF GAME.
This is a nice mode of serving the remains of roasted game, but when a
superlative salmi is desired, the birds must be scarcely more than
half roasted for it. In either case, carve them very neatly, and
strip every particle of skin and fat from the legs, wings and
breasts; bruise the bodies well, and put them with the skin and other
trimmings into a very clean stewpan. If for a simple and inexpensive
dinner, merely add to them two sliced onions, a bay-leaf, a small
blade of mace and a few peppercorns; then pour in a pint or more of
good veal gravy, or strong broth, and boil it briskly until reduced
nearly half; strain the gravy, pressing the bones well to obtain all
the flavor; skim off the fat, add a little cayenne and lemon juice,
heat the game very gradually in it, but do not on any account allow it
to boil; place pieces of fried bread around a dish, arrange the birds
in good form in the centre, give the sauce a boil, and pour it on
them.
ROAST HAUNCH OF VENISON.
To prepare a haunch of venison for roasting, wash it slightly in tepid
water and dry it thoroughly by rubbing it with a clean, soft cloth.
Lay over the fat side a large sheet of thickly-buttered paper, and
next a paste of flour and water about three-quarters of an inch thick;
cover this again with two or three sheets of stout paper, secure the
whole well with twine, and put down to roast, with a little water, in
the dripping-pan. Let the fire be clear and strong; baste the paper
immediately with butter or clarified drippings, and roast the joint
from three to four hours, according to its weight and quality. Doe
venison will require half an hour less time than buck venison. About
twenty minutes before the joint is done remove the paste and paper,
baste the meat in every part with butter, and dredge it very lightly
with flour; let it take a pale brown color, and serve hot with
unflavored gravy made with a thickening in a tureen and good currant
jelly. Venison is much better when the deer has been killed in the
autumn, when wild berries are plentiful, and it has had abundant
opportunities to fatten upon this and other fresh food.
_Windsor Hotel, Montreal._
BROILED VENISON STEAK.
Venison steaks should be broiled over a clear fire, turning often. It
requires more cooking than beef. When sufficiently done, season with
salt and pepper, pour over two tablespoonfuls of currant jelly melted
with a piece of butter. Serve hot on hot plates.
Delicious steaks, corresponding to the shape of mutton chops, are cut
from the loin.
BAKED SADDLE OF VENISON.
Wash the saddle carefully; see that no hairs are left dried on to the
outside. Use a saddle of venison of about ten pounds. Cut some salt
pork in strips about two inches long and an eighth of an inch thick,
with which lard the saddle with two rows on each side. In a large
dripping-pan cut two carrots, one onion and some salt pork in thin
slices; add two bay-leaves, two cloves, four kernels of allspice, half
a lemon sliced, and season with salt and pepper; place the saddle of
venison in the pan, with a quart of good stock boiling hot and a small
piece of butter, and let it boil about fifteen minutes on top of the
stove; then put it in a hot oven and bake, basting well every five
minutes, until it is medium rare, so that the blood runs when cut;
serve with jelly or a wine sauce. If the venison is desired well done,
cook much longer, and use a cream sauce with it, or stir cream into
the venison gravy. (For cream sauce see SAUCES.)
Venison should never be roasted unless very fat. The shoulder is a
roasting piece and may be done without the paper or paste.
In ordering the saddle request the butcher to cut the ribs off pretty
close, as the only part that is of much account is the tenderloin and
thick meat that lies along the backbone up to the neck. The ribs which
extend from this have very little meat on them, but are always sold
with the saddle. When neatly cut off they leave the saddle in a better
shape, and the ribs can be put into your stock-pot to boil for soup.
_Windsor Hotel, Montreal._
VENISON PIE OR PASTRY.
The neck, breast and shoulder are the parts used for a venison pie or
pastry. Cut the meat into pieces (fat and lean together) and put the
bones and trimmings into the stewpan with pepper and salt, and water
or veal broth enough to cover it. Simmer it till you have drawn out a
good gravy. Then strain it.
In the meantime make a good rich paste, and roll it rather thick.
Cover the bottom and sides of a deep dish with one sheet of it, and
put in your meat, having seasoned it with pepper, salt, nutmeg and
mace. Pour in the gravy which you have prepared from the trimmings,
and a glass of port wine. Lay on the top some bits of butter rolled in
flour. Cover the pie with a thick lid of paste and ornament it
handsomely with leaves and flowers formed with a tin cutter. Bake two
or more hours according to the size. Just before it is done, pull it
forward in the oven, and brush it over with beaten egg; push it back
and let it slightly brown.
_Windsor Hotel, Montreal._
VENISON HASHED.
Cut the meat in nice small slices, and put the trimmings and bones
into a saucepan with barely water enough to cover them. Let them stew
for an hour. Then strain the liquid into a stewpan; add to it some
bits of butter, rolled in flour, and whatever gravy was left of the
venison the day before. Stir in some currant jelly, and give it a boil
up. Then put in the meat, and keep it over the fire just long enough
to warm it through; but do not allow it to boil, as it has been once
cooked already.
FRIED VENISON STEAK.
Cut a breast of venison into steaks; make a quarter of a pound of
butter hot in a pan; rub the steaks over with a mixture of a little
salt and pepper; dip them in wheat flour, or rolled crackers, and fry
a rich brown; when both sides are done, take them up on a dish, and
put a tin cover over; dredge a heaping teaspoonful of flour into the
butter in the pan, stir it with a spoon until it is brown, without
burning; put to it a small teacupful of boiling water, with a
tablespoonful of currant jelly dissolved into it; stir it for a few
minutes, then strain it over the meat and serve. A glass of wine, with
a tablespoonful of white sugar dissolved in it, may be used for the
gravy, instead of the jelly and water. Venison may be boiled, and
served with boiled vegetables, pickled beets, etc., and sauce.
[Illustration]
MEATS.
In the selection of meat it is most essential that we understand how
to choose it; in beef it should be a smooth, fine grain, of a clear
bright red color, the fat white, and will feel tender when pinched
with the fingers. Will also have abundant kidney fat or suet. The most
choice pieces for roast are the sirloin, fore and middle ribs.
Veal, to be good, should have the flesh firm and dry, fine grained and
of a delicate pinkish color, and plenty of kidney fat; the joints
stiff.
Mutton is good when the flesh is a bright red, firm and juicy and a
close grain, the fat firm and white.
Pork, if young, the lean will break on being pinched smooth when
nipped with the fingers, also the skin will break and dent; if the
rind is rough and hard it is old.
In roasting meat, allow from fifteen to twenty minutes to the pound,
which will vary according to the thickness of the roast. A great deal
of the success in roasting depends on the heat and goodness of the
fire; if put into a cool oven it loses its juices, and the result is a
tough, tasteless roast; whereas, if the oven is of the proper heat, it
immediately sears up the pores of the meat and the juices are
retained.
The oven should be the hottest when the meat is put into it, in order
to quickly crisp the surface and close the pores of the meat, thereby
confining its natural juices. If the oven is too hot to hold the hand
in for only a moment, then it is right to receive the meat. The roast
should first be washed in pure water, then wiped dry with a clean dry
cloth, placed in a baking pan without any seasoning; some pieces of
suet or cold drippings laid under it, but _no water_ should be put
into the pan, for this would have a tendency to soften the outside of
the meat. The water can never get so hot as the hot fat upon the
surface of the meat, and the generating of the steam prevents its
crispness, so desirable in a roast.
It should be frequently basted with its own drippings, which flow from
the meat when partly cooked, and well seasoned. Lamb, veal and pork
should be cooked rather slower than beef, with a more _moderate_ fire,
covering the fat with a piece of paper, and _thoroughly_ cooked till
the flesh parts from the bone, and nicely browned, without being
burned. An onion sliced and put on top of a roast while cooking,
especially roast of pork, gives a nice flavor. Remove the onion before
serving.
Larding meats is drawing ribbons of fat pork through the upper surface
of the meat, leaving both ends protruding. This is accomplished by the
use of a larding needle, which may be procured at house-furnishing
stores.
Boiling or stewing meat, if fresh, should be put into _boiling_ water,
closely covered and boiled _slowly_, allowing twenty minutes to each
pound, and, when partly cooked, or when it begins to get tender,
salted, adding spices and vegetables.
Salt meats should be covered with _cold_ water, and require thirty
minutes _very slow_ boiling, from the time the water boils, for each
pound; if it is very salt, pour off the first water and put it in
another of boiling water, or it may be soaked one night in cold water.
After meat commences to boil the pot should _never stop_ simmering and
always be replenished from the _boiling_ tea-kettle.
Frying may be done in two ways. One method, which is most generally
used, is by putting one ounce or more (as the case requires) of beef
drippings, lard or butter into a frying pan, and when at the _boiling
point_ lay in the meat, cooking both sides a nice brown. The other
method is to _completely immerse_ the article to be cooked in
sufficient _hot_ lard to cover it, similar to frying doughnuts.
Broiled meats should be placed over clear, red coals free from smoke,
giving out a good heat, but not too brisk, or the meat will be
hardened and scorched; but if the fire is dead the gravy will escape
and drop upon the coals, creating a blaze, which will blacken and
smoke the meat. Steaks and chops should be turned often, in order that
every part should be evenly done--never sticking a fork into the lean
part, as that lets the juices escape; it should be put into the outer
skin or fat. When the meat is sufficiently broiled it should be laid
on a _hot_ dish and seasoned. The best pieces for steak are the
porterhouse, sirloin and rump.
THAWING FROZEN MEAT, ETC.
If meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, or any other article of food, when
found frozen, is thawed by putting it into _warm water_ or placing it
before the fire, it will most certainly spoil by that process, and be
rendered unfit to eat. The only way to thaw these things is by
immersing them in _cold_ water. This should be done as soon as they
are brought in from market, that they may have time to be well thawed
before they are cooked. If meat that has been frozen is to be boiled,
put it on in cold water. If to be roasted, begin by setting it at a
distance from the fire, for if it should not chance to be thoroughly
thawed all through to the centre, placing it at first too near the
fire will cause it to spoil. If it is expedient to thaw the meat or
poultry the night before cooking, lay it in cold water early in the
evening, and change the water at bed-time. If found crusted with ice
in the morning, remove the ice, and put the meat in fresh cold water,
letting it lie in it till wanted for cooking.
Potatoes are injured by being frozen. Other vegetables are not the
worse for it, provided they are always thawed in cold water.
TO KEEP MEAT FROM FLIES.
Put in sacks, with enough straw around it so the flies cannot reach
through. Three-fourths of a yard of yard-wide muslin is the right size
for the sack. Put a little straw in the bottom, then put in the ham
and lay straw in all around it; tie it tightly and hang it in a cool,
dry place. Be sure the straw is all around the meat, so the flies
cannot reach through to deposit the eggs. (The sacking must be done
early in the season before the fly appears.) Muslin lets the air in
and is much better than paper. Thin muslin is as good as thick, and
will last for years if washed when laid away when emptied.
_National Stockman._
ROAST BEEF.
One very essential point in roasting beef is to have the oven well
heated when the beef is first put in; this causes the pores to close
up quickly, and prevents the escape of the juices.
Take a rib piece or loin roast of seven or eight pounds. Wipe it
thoroughly all over with a clean wet towel. Lay it in a dripping-pan,
and baste it well with butter or suet fat. Set it in the oven. Baste
it frequently with its own drippings, which will make it brown and
tender. When partly done season with salt and pepper, as it hardens
any meat to salt it when raw, and draws out its juices, then dredge
with sifted flour to give it a frothy appearance. It will take a roast
of this size about two hours' time to be properly done, leaving the
inside a little rare or red--half an hour less would make the inside
quite rare. Remove the beef to a heated dish, set where it will keep
hot; then skim the drippings from all fat, add a tablespoonful of
sifted flour, a little pepper and a teacupful of boiling water. Boil
up once and serve hot in a gravy boat.
Some prefer the clear gravy without the thickening. Serve with mustard
or grated horse-radish and vinegar.
YORKSHIRE PUDDING.
This is a very nice accompaniment to a roast of beef; the ingredients
are, one pint of milk, four eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately,
one teaspoonful of salt, and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder sifted
through two cups of flour. It should be mixed very smooth, about the
consistency of cream. Regulate your time when you put in your roast,
so that it will be done half an hour or forty minutes before dishing
up. Take it from the oven, set it where it will keep hot. In the
meantime have this pudding prepared. Take two common biscuit tins, dip
some of the drippings from the dripping-pan into these tins, pour half
of the pudding into each, set them into the hot oven, and keep them in
until the dinner is dished up; take these puddings out at the last
moment and send to the table hot. This I consider much better than the
old way of baking the pudding under the meat.
BEEFSTEAK. No. 1.
The first consideration in broiling is to have a clear, glowing bed of
coals. The steak should be about three-quarters of an inch in
thickness, and should be pounded only in extreme cases, _i.e._, when
it is cut _too_ thick and is "stringy." Lay it on a buttered gridiron,
turning it often, as it begins to drip, attempting nothing else while
cooking it. Have everything else ready for the table; the potatoes and
vegetables dished and in the warming closet. Do not season it until it
is done, which will be in about ten to twelve minutes. Remove it to a warm
platter, pepper and salt it on both sides and spread a liberal lump of
butter over it. Serve at once while hot. No definite rule can be given
as to the _time_ of cooking steak, individual tastes differ so widely
in regard to it, some only liking it when well done, others so rare
that the blood runs out of it. The best pieces for broiling are the
porterhouse and sirloin.
BEEFSTEAK. No. 2.
Take a smooth, thick-bottomed frying pan, scald it out with hot water,
and wipe it dry; set it on the stove or range, and when _very_ hot,
rub it over the bottom with a rag dipped in butter; then place your
steak or chops in it, turn often until cooked through, take up on a
warm platter, and season both sides with salt, pepper and butter.
Serve hot.
Many prefer this manner of cooking steak rather than broiling or
frying in a quantity of grease.
BEEFSTEAK AND ONIONS.
Prepare the steak in the usual way. Have ready in a frying pan a dozen
onions cut in slices and fried brown in a little beef drippings or
butter. Dish your steak, and lay the onions thickly over the top.
Cover and let stand five minutes, then send to the table hot.
BEEFSTEAK AND OYSTERS.
Broil the steak the usual way. Put one quart of oysters with very
little of the liquor into a stewpan upon the fire; when it comes to a
boil, take off the scum that may rise, stir in three ounces of butter
mixed with a tablespoonful of sifted flour, let it boil one minute
until it thickens, pour it over the steak. Serve hot.
_Palace Hotel, San Francisco._
TO FRY BEEFSTEAKS.
Beefsteak for frying should be cut much thinner than for broiling.
Take from the ribs or sirloin and remove the bone. Put some butter or
nice beef dripping into a frying pan and set it over the fire, and
when it has boiled and become hot lay in the steaks; when cooked quite
enough, season with salt and pepper, turn and brown on both sides.
Steaks when fried should be thoroughly done. Have ready a hot dish,
and when they are done take out the steaks and lay them on it, with
another dish cover the top to keep them hot. The gravy in the pan can
be turned over the steaks, first adding a few drops of boiling water,
or a gravy to be served in a separate dish made by putting a large
tablespoonful of flour into the hot gravy left in the pan after taking
up the steaks. Stir it smooth, then pour in a pint of cream or sweet
rich milk, salt and pepper, let it boil up once until it thickens,
pour hot into a gravy dish and send to the table with the steaks.
POT ROAST. (Old Style.)
This is an old-fashioned dish, often cooked in our grandmothers' time.
Take a piece of fresh beef weighing about five or six pounds. It must
not be _too fat_. Wash it and put it into a pot with barely sufficient
water to cover it. Set it over a slow fire, and after it has stewed an
hour salt and pepper it. Then stew it slowly until tender, adding a
little onion if liked. Do not replenish the water at the last, but let
all nearly boil away. When tender all through take the meat from the
pot and pour the gravy in a bowl. Put a large lump of butter in the
bottom of the pot, then dredge the piece of meat with flour and return
it to the pot to brown, turning it often to prevent its burning. Take
the gravy that you have poured from the meat into the bowl and skim
off all the fat; pour this gravy in with the meat and stir in a large
spoonful of flour wet with a little water; let it boil up ten or
fifteen minutes and pour into a gravy dish. Serve both hot, the meat
on a platter. Some are very fond of this way of cooking a piece of
beef which has been previously placed in spiced pickle for two or
three days.
SPICED BEEF. (Excellent.)
For a round of beef weighing twenty or twenty-four pounds, take
one-quarter of a pound of saltpetre, one-quarter of a pound of coarse
brown sugar, two pounds of salt, one ounce of cloves, one ounce of
allspice and half an ounce of mace; pulverize these materials, mix
them well together, and with them rub the beef thoroughly on every
part; let the beef lie for eight or ten days in the pickle thus made,
turning and rubbing it every day; then tie it around with a broad
tape, to keep it in shape; make a coarse paste of flour and water, lay
a little suet finely chopped over and under the beef, inclose the beef
entirely in the paste, and bake it six hours. When you take the beef
from the oven, remove the paste, but do not remove the tape until you
are ready to send it to the table. If you wish, to eat the beef cold,
keep it well covered that it may retain its moisture.
BEEF A LA MODE.
Mix together three teaspoonfuls of salt, one of pepper, one of ginger,
one of mace, one of cinnamon, and two of cloves. Rub this mixture into
ten pounds of the upper part of a round of beef. Let this beef stand
in this state over night. In the morning, make a dressing or stuffing
of a pint of fine bread crumbs, half a pound of fat salt pork cut in
dice, a teaspoonful of ground thyme or summer savory, two teaspoonfuls
sage, half a teaspoonful of pepper, one of nutmeg, a little cloves, an
onion minced fine, moisten with a little milk or water. Stuff this
mixture into the place from whence you took out the bone. With a long
skewer fasten the two ends of the beef together, so that its form will
be circular, and bind it around with tape to prevent the skewers
giving way. Make incisions in the beef with a sharp knife; fill these
incisions very closely with the stuffing, and dredge the whole with
flour.
Put it into a dripping-pan and pour over it a pint of hot water; turn
a large pan over it to keep in the steam, and roast slowly from three
to four hours, allowing a quarter of an hour to each pound of meat. If
the meat should be tough, it may be stewed first in a pot, with water
enough to cover it, until tender, and then put into a dripping-pan and
browned in the oven.
If the meat is to be eaten hot, skim off the fat from the gravy, into
which, after it is taken off the fire, stir in the beaten yolks of two
eggs. If onions are disliked you may omit them and substitute minced
oysters.
TENDERLOIN OF BEEF.
To serve tenderloin as directed below, the whole piece must be
extracted before the hind-quarter of the animal is cut out. This must
be particularly noted, because not commonly practiced, the tenderloin
being usually left attached to the roasting pieces, in order to
furnish a tidbit for a few. To dress it whole, proceed as follows:
Washing the piece well, put it in an oven; add about a pint of water,
and chop up a good handful of each of the following vegetables as an
ingredient of the dish, _viz._, Irish potatoes, carrots, turnips and a
large bunch of celery. They must be washed, peeled and chopped up
raw, then added to the meat; blended with the juice, they form and
flavor the gravy. Let the whole slowly simmer, and when nearly done,
add a teaspoonful of pounded allspice. To give a richness to the
gravy, put in a tablespoonful of butter. If the gravy should look too
greasy, skim off some of the melted suet. Boil also a lean piece of
beef, which, when perfectly done, chop fine, flavoring with a very
small quantity of onion, besides pepper and salt to the taste. Make
into small balls, wet them on the outside with eggs, roll in grated
cracker or fine bread crumbs. Fry these force meat balls a light
brown. When serving the dish, put these around the tenderloin, and
pour over the whole the rich gravy. This dish is a very handsome one,
and, altogether, fit for an epicurean palate. A sumptuous dish.
STEWED STEAK WITH OYSTERS.
Two pounds of rump steak, one pint of oysters, one tablespoonful of
lemon juice, three of butter, one of flour, salt, pepper, one cupful
of water. Wash the oysters in the water and drain into a stewpan. Put
this liquor on to heat. As soon as it comes to a boil, skim and set
back. Put the butter in a frying pan, and when hot, put in a steak.
Cook ten minutes. Take up the steak, and stir the flour into the
butter remaining in the pan. Stir until a dark brown. Add the oyster
liquor and boil one minute. Season with salt and pepper. Put back the
steak, cover the pan, and simmer half an hour or until the steak seems
tender, then add the oysters and lemon juice. Boil one minute. Serve
on a hot dish with points of toast for a garnish.
SMOTHERED BEEFSTEAK.
Take _thin_ slices of steak from the upper part of the round or one
large thin steak. Lay the meat out smoothly and wipe it dry. Prepare a
dressing, using a cupful of fine bread crumbs, half a teaspoonful of
salt, some pepper, a tablespoonful of butter, half a teaspoonful of
sage, the same of powdered summer savory, and enough milk to moisten
it all into a stiff mixture. Spread it over the meat, roll it up
carefully, and tie with a string, securing the ends well. Now fry a
few thin slices of salt pork in the bottom of a kettle or saucepan,
and into the fat that has fried out of this pork, place this roll or
rolls of beef, and brown it on all sides, turning it until a rich
color all over, then add half a pint of water, and stew until tender.
If the flavor of onion is liked, a slice may be chopped fine and added
to the dressing. When cooked sufficiently, take out the meat, thicken
the gravy, and turn over it. To be carved cutting crosswise, in
slices, through beef and stuffing.
BEEFSTEAK ROLLS.
This mode is similar to the above recipe, but many might prefer it.
Prepare a good dressing, such as you like for turkey or duck; take a
round steak, pound it, but not very hard, spread the dressing over it,
sprinkle in a little salt, pepper, and a few bits of butter, lap over
the ends, roll the steak up tightly and tie closely; spread two great
spoonfuls of butter over the steak after rolling it up, then wash with
a well-beaten egg, put water in the bake-pan, lay in the steak so as
not to touch the water, and bake as you would a duck, basting often. A
half-hour in a brisk oven will bake. Make a brown gravy and send to
the table hot.
TO COLLAR A FLANK OF BEEF.
Procure a well-corned flank of beef--say six pounds. Wash it, and
remove the inner and outer skin with the gristle. Prepare a seasoning
of one teaspoonful each of sage, parsley, thyme, pepper and cloves.
Lay your meat upon a board and spread this mixture over the inside.
Roll the beef up tight, fasten it with small skewers, put a cloth over
it, bandage the cloth with tape, put the beef into the stewpot, cover
it with water to the depth of an inch, boil gently six hours; take it
out of the water, place it on a board without undoing it; lay a board
on top of the beef, put a fifty pound weight upon this board, and let
it remain twenty-four hours. Take off the bandage, garnish with green
pickles and curled parsley, and serve.
DRIED BEEF.
Buy the best of beef, or that part which will be the most lean and
tender. The tender part of the round is a very good piece. For every
twenty pounds of beef use one pint of salt, one teaspoonful of
saltpetre, and a quarter of a pound of brown sugar. Mix them well
together, and rub the beef well with one-third of the mixture for
three successive days. Let it lie in the liquor it makes for six days,
then hang up to dry.
A large crock or jar is a good vessel to prepare the meat in before
drying it.
BEEF CORNED OR SALTED. (Red.)
Cut up a quarter of beef. For each hundred weight take half a peck of
coarse salt, a quarter of a pound of saltpetre, the same weight of
saleratus and a quart of molasses, or two pounds of coarse brown
sugar. Mace, cloves and allspice may be added for spiced beef.
Strew some of the salt in the bottom of a pickle-tub or barrel, then
put in a layer of meat, strew this with salt, then add another layer
of meat, and salt and meat alternately, until all is used. Let it
remain one night. Dissolve the saleratus and saltpetre in a little
warm water, and put it to the molasses or sugar; then put it over the
meat, add water enough to cover the meat, lay a board on it to keep it
under the brine. The meat is fit for use after ten days. This recipe
is for winter beef. Rather more salt may be used in warm weather.
Towards spring take the brine from the meat, make it boiling hot, skim
it clear, and when it is cooled, return it to the meat.
Beef tongues and smoking pieces are fine pickled in this brine. Beef
liver put in this brine for ten days, and then wiped dry and smoked,
is very fine. Cut it in slices, and fry or broil it. The brisket of
beef, after being corned, may be smoked, and is very good for boiling.
Lean pieces of beef, cut properly from the hind-quarter, are the
proper pieces for being smoked. There may be some fine pieces cut from
the fore-quarter.
After the beef has been in brine ten days or more, wipe it dry, and
hang it in a chimney where wood is burned, or make a smothered fire of
sawdust or chips, and keep it smoking for ten days; then rub fine
black pepper over every part to keep the flies from it, and hang it in
a _dry, dark, cool place_. After a week it is fit for use. A strong,
coarse brown paper, folded around the beef, and fastened with paste,
keeps it nicely.
Tongues are smoked in the same manner. Hang them by a string put
through the root end. Spiced brine for smoked beef or tongues will be
generally liked.
ROAST BEEF PIE WITH POTATO CRUST.
When you have a cold roast of beef, cut off as much as will half fill
a baking-dish suited to the size of your family; put this sliced beef
into a stewpan with any gravy that you may have also saved, a lump of
butter, a bit of sliced onion and a seasoning of pepper and salt, with
enough water to make plenty of gravy; thicken it, too, by dredging in
a tablespoonful of flour; cover it up on the fire, where it may stew
gently, but not be in danger of burning. Meanwhile there must be
boiled a sufficient quantity of potatoes to fill up your baking-dish,
after the stewed meat has been transferred to it. The potatoes must be
boiled done, mashed smooth, and beaten up with milk and butter, as if
they were to be served alone, and placed in a thick layer on top of
the meat. Brush it over with egg, place the dish in an oven, and let
it remain there long enough to be brown. There should be a goodly
quantity of gravy left with the beef, that the dish be not dry and
tasteless. Serve with it tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce or any
other kind that you prefer. A good, plain dish.
ROAST BEEF PIE.
Cut up roast beef, or beefsteak left from a previous meal, into thin
slices, lay some of the slices into a deep dish which you have lined
_on the sides_ with rich biscuit dough, rolled very thin (say a
quarter of an inch thick); now sprinkle over this layer a little
pepper and salt; put in a small bit of butter, a few slices of cold
potatoes, a little of the cold gravy, if you have any left from the
roast. Make another layer of beef, another layer of seasoning, and so
on, until the dish is filled; cover the whole with paste leaving a
slit in the centre, and bake half an hour.
BEEFSTEAK PIE.
Cut up rump or flank steak into strips two inches long and about an
inch wide. Stew them with the bone, in just enough water to cover
them, until partly cooked; have half a dozen of cold boiled potatoes
sliced. Line a baking-dish with pie paste, put in a layer of the meat
with salt, pepper, and a little of thinly-sliced onion, then one of
the sliced potatoes, with bits of butter dotted over them. Then the
steak, alternated with layers of potato, until the dish is full. Add
the gravy or broth, having first thickened it with brown flour. Cover
with a top crust, making a slit in the middle; brush a little beaten
egg over it, and bake until quite brown.
FRIZZLED BEEF.
Shave off _very thin_ slices of smoked or dried beef, put them in a
frying pan, cover with cold water, set it on the back of the range or
stove, and let it come to a very slow heat, allowing it time to swell
out to its natural size, but not to boil. Stir it up, then drain off
the water. Melt one ounce of sweet butter in the frying pan and add
the wafers of beef. When they begin to frizzle or turn up, break over
them three eggs; stir until the eggs are cooked; add a little white
pepper, and serve on slices of buttered toast.
FLANK STEAK.
This is cut from the boneless part of the flank and is secreted
between an outside and inside layer of creamy fat. There are two ways
for broiling it. One is to slice diagonally across the grain; the
other is to broil it whole. In either case brush butter over it and
proceed as in broiling other steaks. It is considered by butchers the
finest steak, which they frequently reserve for themselves.
TO BOIL CORNED BEEF.
The aitch-bone and the brisket are considered the best pieces for
boiling. If you buy them in the market already corned, they will be
fit to put over the fire without a previous soaking in water. If you
corn them in the brine in which you keep your beef through the winter,
they must be soaked in cold water over night. Put the beef into a pot,
cover with sufficient _cold_ water, place over a brisk fire, let it
come to a boil in half an hour; just before boiling remove all the
scum from the pot, place the pot on the back of the fire, let it boil
very slowly until quite tender.
A piece weighing eight pounds requires two and a half hours' boiling.
If you do not wish to eat it hot, let it remain in the pot after you
take it from the fire until nearly cold, then lay it in a colander to
drain, lay a cloth over it to retain its fresh appearance; serve with
horse-radish and pickles.
If vegetables are to accompany this, making it the old-fashioned
"boiled dinner," about three-quarters of an hour before dishing up
skim the liquor free from fat and _turn part of it out into another
kettle_, into which put a cabbage carefully prepared, cutting it into
four quarters; also half a dozen peeled medium-sized white turnips,
cut into halves; scrape four carrots and four parsnips each cut into
four pieces. Into the kettle with the meat, about half an hour before
serving, pour on more water from the boiling tea-kettle, and into this
put peeled medium-sized potatoes. This dinner should also be
accompanied by boiled beets, sliced hot, cooked separate from the
rest, with vinegar over them. Cooking the cabbage separately from the
meat prevents the meat from having the flavor of cabbage when cold.
The carrots, parsnips and turnips will boil in about an hour. A piece
of salt pork was usually boiled with a "New England boiled dinner."
SPICED BEEF RELISH.
Take two pounds of raw, tender beefsteak, chop it _very fine_, put
into it salt, pepper and a little sage, two tablespoonfuls of melted
butter; add two rolled crackers made very fine, also two well-beaten
eggs. Make it up into the shape of a roll and bake it; baste with
butter and water before baking. Cut in slices when cold.
FRIED BEEF LIVER.
Cut it in rather thin slices, say a quarter of an inch thick; pour
over it _boiling_ water, which closes the pores of the meat, makes it
impervious to the fat, and at the same time seals up the rich juice of
the meat. It may be rolled in flour or bread crumbs, seasoned with
salt and pepper, dipped in egg and fried in hot fat mixed with
one-third butter.
PRESSED BEEF.
First have your beef nicely pickled; let it stay in pickle a week;
then take the thin, flanky pieces, such as will not make a handsome
dish of themselves, put on a large potful, and let them boil until
perfectly done; then pull to pieces, and season just as you do souse,
with pepper, salt and allspice; only put it in a coarse cloth and
press down upon it some very heavy weight.
The advantage of this recipe is that it makes a most acceptable,
presentable dish out of a part of the beef that otherwise might be
wasted.
FRENCH STEW.
Grease the bottom of an iron pot, and place in it three or four pounds
of beef; be very careful that it does not burn, and turn it until it
is nicely browned. Set a muffin ring under the beef to prevent its
sticking. Add a few sliced carrots, one or two sliced onions, and a
cupful of hot water; keep covered and stew slowly until the vegetables
are done. Add pepper and salt. If you wish more gravy, add hot water,
and thicken with flour. Serve on a dish with the vegetables.
TO POT BEEF.
The round is the best piece for potting, and you may use both the
upper and under part. Take ten pounds of beef, remove all the fat, cut
the lean into square pieces, two inches thick. Mix together three
teaspoonfuls of salt, one of pepper, one of cloves, one of mace, one
of cinnamon, one of allspice, one of thyme, and one of sweet basil.
Put a layer of the pieces of beef into an earthen pot, sprinkle some
of this spice mixture over this layer, add a piece of fat salt pork,
cut as thin as possible, sprinkle a little of the spice mixture over
the pork, make another layer of the beef with spices and pork, and so
on, until the pot is filled. Pour over the whole three tablespoonfuls
of Tarragon vinegar, or, if you prefer it, half a pint of Madeira
wine; cover the pot with a paste made of flour and water, so that no
steam can escape. Put the pot into an oven, moderately heated, and let
it stand there eight hours; then set it away to use when wanted.
Beef cooked in this manner will keep good for a fortnight in moderate
weather.
It is an excellent relish for breakfast, and may be eaten either warm
or cold. When eaten warm, serve with slices of lemon.
STEWED BRISKET OF BEEF.
Put the part that has the hard fat into a stewpot with a small
quantity of water; let it boil up and skim it thoroughly; then add
carrots, turnips, onions, celery and a few pepper-corns. Stew till
extremely tender; then take out all the flat bones and remove all the
fat from the soup. Either serve that and the meat in tureen, or the
soup alone, and the meat on a dish garnished with some vegetables. The
following sauce is much admired served with the beef: Take half a pint
of the soup and mix it with a spoonful of catsup, a teaspoonful of
made mustard, a little flour, a bit of butter and salt; boil all
together a few minutes, then pour it round the meat.
DRIED BEEF WITH CREAM.
Shave your beef _very fine_. Put it into a suitable dish on the back
of the stove; cover with cold water and give it time to soak out to
its original size before being dried. When it is quite soft and the
water has become hot (it must not boil) take it off, turn off the
water, pour on a cup of cream; if you do not have it use milk and
butter, a pinch of pepper; let it come to a boil, thicken with a
tablespoonful of flour wet up in a little milk. Serve on dipped toast
or not, just as one fancies. A nice breakfast dish.
BEEF CROQUETTES. No. 1.
Chop fine one cup of cold, cooked, lean beef, half a cup of fat, half
a cup of cold boiled or fried ham; cold pork will do if you have not
the ham. Also mince up a slice of onion. Season all with a teaspoonful
of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper, and a teaspoonful of powdered
sage or parsley if liked. Heat together with half a cup of stock or
milk; when cool add a beaten egg. Form the mixture into balls,
slightly flattened, roll in egg and bread crumbs, or flour and egg.
Fry in hot lard or beef drippings. Serve on a platter and garnish with
sprigs of parsley. Almost any cold meats can be used instead of beef.
BEEF CROQUETTES. No. 2.
Take cold roast or corned beef. Put it into a wooden bowl and chop it
fine. Mix with it about twice the quantity of hot mashed potatoes well
seasoned with butter and salt. Beat up an egg and work it into the
potato and meat, then form the mixture into little cakes the size of
fish balls. Flatten them a little, roll in flour or egg and cracker
crumbs, fry in butter and lard mixed, browning on both sides. Serve
piping hot.
MEAT AND POTATO CROQUETTES.
Put in a stewpan an ounce of butter and a slice of onion minced fine;
when this simmers add a level tablespoonful of sifted flour; stir the
mixture until it becomes smooth and frothy; then add half of a cupful
of milk, some seasoning of salt and pepper; let all boil, stirring it
all the while. Now add a cupful of cold meat chopped fine, and a
cupful of cold or hot mashed potato. Mix all thoroughly and spread on
a plate to cool. When it is cool enough, shape it with your hands into
balls or rolls. Dip them in beaten egg and roll in cracker or bread
crumbs. Drop them into hot lard and fry about two minutes a delicate
brown; take them out with a skimmer and drain them on a piece of brown
paper. Serve immediately while hot. These are very nice.
Cold rice or hominy may be used in place of the potato; or a cupful of
cold fish minced fine in place of the meat.
COLD ROAST, WARMED. No. 1.
Cut from the remains of a cold roast the lean meat from the bones into
small, thin slices. Put over the fire a frying pan containing a
spoonful of butter or drippings. Cut up a quarter of an onion and fry
it brown, then remove the onion, add the meat gravy left from the day
before, and if not thick enough add a little flour; salt and pepper.
Turn the pieces of meat into this and let them _simmer_ a few minutes.
Serve hot.
COLD ROAST, WARMED. No. 2.
Cold rare roast beef may be made as good as when freshly cooked by
slicing, seasoning with salt, pepper and bits of butter; put it in a
plate or pan with a spoonful or two of water, covering closely, and
set in the oven until hot, but no longer. Cold steak may be shaved
very fine with a knife and used the same way.
Or, if the meat is in small pieces, cover them with buttered letter
paper, twist each end tightly, and boil them on the gridiron,
sprinkling them with finely chopped herbs.
Still another nice way of using cold meats is to mince the lean
portions very fine and add to a batter made of one pint of milk, one
cup of flour and three eggs. Fry like fritters and serve with drawn
butter or sauce.
COLD MEAT AND POTATO, BAKED.
Put in a frying pan a round tablespoonful of cold butter; when it
becomes hot, stir into it a teaspoonful of chopped onion and a
tablespoonful of flour, stirring it constantly until it is smooth and
frothy; then add two-thirds of a cupful of cold milk or water. Season
this with salt and pepper and allow it to come to a boil; then add a
cupful of cold meat finely chopped and cleared from bone and skin; let
this all heat thoroughly; then turn it into a shallow dish well
buttered. Spread hot or cold mashed potatoes over the top, and cook
for fifteen or twenty minutes in a moderate hot oven.
Cold hominy, or rice may be used in place of mashed potatoes, and is
equally as good.
BEEF HASH. No. 1.
Chop rather finely cold roast beef or pieces of beefsteak, also chop
twice as much cold boiled potatoes. Put over the fire a stewpan or
frying pan, in which put a piece of butter as large as required to
season it well, add pepper and salt, moisten with beef gravy if you
have it, if not, with hot water; cover and let it steam and heat
through thoroughly, stirring occasionally, so that the ingredients be
evenly distributed, and to keep the hash from sticking to the bottom
of the pan. When done it should not be at all watery, nor yet dry, but
have sufficient adhesiveness to stand well on a dish or buttered
toast. Many like the flavor of onion; if so, fry two or three slices
in the butter before adding the hash. Corned beef makes excellent
hash.
BEEF HASH. No. 2.
Chop cold roast beef, or pieces of beefsteak; fry half an onion in a
piece of butter; when the onion is brown, add the chopped beef; season
with a little salt and pepper; moisten with the beef gravy, if you
have any, if not, with sufficient water and a little butter; cook long
enough to be hot, but no longer, as much cooking toughens the meat. An
excellent breakfast dish.
_Prof. Blot._
Some prefer to let a crust form on the bottom and turn the hash brown
side uppermost. Served with poached eggs on top.
HAMBURGER STEAK.
Take a pound of raw flank or round steak, without any fat, bone or
stringy pieces. Chop it until a perfect mince, it cannot be chopped
too fine. Also chop a small onion quite fine and mix well with the
meat. Season with salt and pepper; make into cakes as large as a
biscuit, but quite flat, or into one large flat cake a little less
than half an inch thick. Have ready a frying pan with butter and lard
mixed; when boiling hot put in the steak and fry brown. Garnish with
celery top around the edge of the platter and two or three slices of
lemon on the top of the meat.
A brown gravy made from the grease the steak was fried in and poured
over the meat enriches it.
TO ROAST BEEF HEART.
Wash it carefully and open it sufficiently to remove the ventricles,
then soak it in cold water until the blood is discharged; wipe it dry
and stuff it nicely with dressing, as for turkey; roast it about an
hour and a half. Serve it with the gravy, which should be thickened
with some of the stuffing and a glass of wine. It is very nice hashed.
Served with currant jelly.
_Palmer House, Chicago._
STEWED BEEF KIDNEY.
Cut the kidney into slices, season highly with pepper and salt, fry it
a light brown, take out the slices, then pour a little warm water into
the pan, dredge in some flour, put in slices of kidney again; let them
stew very gently; add some parsley if liked. Sheep's kidneys may be
split open, broiled over a clear fire and served with a piece of
butter placed on each half.
BEEFS HEART STEWED.
After washing the heart thoroughly cut it up into squares half an inch
long; put them into a saucepan with water enough to cover them. If any
scum rises skim it off. Now take out the meat, strain the liquor and
put back the meat, also add a sliced onion, some parsley, a head of
celery chopped fine, pepper and salt and a piece of butter. Stew until
the meat is very tender. Stir up a tablespoonful of browned flour with
a small quantity of water and thicken the whole. Boil up and serve.
BOILED BEEF TONGUE.
Wash a fresh tongue and just cover it with water in the pot; put in a
pint of salt and a small red pepper; add more water as it evaporates,
so as to keep the tongue nearly covered until done--when it can be
easily pierced with a fork; take it out, and if wanted soon, take off
the skin and set it away to cool. If wanted for future use, do not
peel until it is required. A cupful of salt will do for three tongues,
if you have that number to boil; but do not fail to keep water enough
in the pot to keep them covered while boiling. If salt tongues are
used, soak them over night, of course omitting the salt when boiling.
Or, after peeling a tongue, place it in a saucepan with one cup of
water, half a cup vinegar, four tablespoonfuls sugar, and cook until
the liquor is evaporated.
SPICED BEEF TONGUE.
Rub into each tongue a mixture made of half a pound of brown sugar, a
piece of saltpetre the size of a pea and a tablespoonful of ground
cloves, put it in a brine made of three-quarters of a pound of salt to
two quarts of water and keep covered. Pickle two weeks, then wash well
and dry with a cloth; roll out a thin paste made of flour and water,
smear it all over the tongue and place in a pan to bake slowly; baste
well with lard and hot water; when done scrape off the paste and skim.
TO BOIL TRIPE.
Wash it well in warm water, and trim it nicely, taking off all the
fat. Cut into small pieces, and put it on to boil five hours before
dinner in water enough to cover it very well. After it has boiled four
hours, pour off the water, season the tripe with pepper and salt, and
put it into a pot with milk and water mixed in equal quantities. Boil
it an hour in the milk and water.
Boil in a saucepan ten or a dozen onions. When they are quite soft,
drain them in a colander and mash them. Wipe out your saucepan and put
them on again, with a bit of butter rolled in flour and a wine-glass
of cream or milk. Let them boil up, and add them to the tripe just
before you send it to table. Eat it with pepper, vinegar and mustard.
It is best to give tripe its first and longest boiling the day before
it is wanted.
TO FRY TRIPE.
Boil the tripe the day before till it is quite tender, which it will
not be in less than four or five hours. Then cover it and set it away.
Next day cut it into long slips, and dip each piece into beaten yolk
of egg, and afterwards roll them in grated bread crumbs. Have ready in
a frying pan over the fire some good beef drippings. When it is
boiling hot put in the tripe, and fry it about ten minutes, till of a
light brown.
You may serve it with onion sauce.
Boiled tripe that has been left from the dinner of the preceding day
may be fried in this manner.
FRICASSEED TRIPE.
Cut a pound of tripe in narrow strips, put a small cup of water or
milk to it, add a bit of butter the size of an egg, dredge in a large
teaspoonful of flour, or work it with the butter; season with pepper
and salt, let it simmer gently for half an hour, serve hot. A bunch of
parsley cut small and put with it is an improvement.
Some put in oysters five minutes before dishing up.
TRIPE LYONNAISE.
Cut up half a pound of cold boiled tripe into neat squares. Put two
ounces of butter and a tablespoonful of chopped onion in a frying pan
and fry to a delicate brown; add to the tripe a teaspoonful of chopped
parsley and a little strong vinegar, salt and cayenne; stir the pan to
prevent burning. Cover the bottom of a platter with tomato sauce, add
the contents of the pan and serve.
TO CLARIFY BEEF DRIPPINGS.
Drippings accumulated from different cooked meats of beef or veal can
be clarified by putting it into a basin and slicing into it a raw
potato, allowing it to boil long enough for the potato to brown, which
causes all impurities to disappear. Remove from the fire, and when
cool drain it off from the sediment that settles at the bottom. Turn
it into basins or small jars and set it in a cool place for future
use. When mixed with an equal amount of butter it answers the same
purpose as clear butter for frying and basting any meats except game
and poultry.
Mutton drippings impart an unpleasant flavor to anything cooked
outside of its kind.
ROAST LOIN OF VEAL.
Prepare it the same as any roast, leaving in the kidney, around which
put considerable salt. Make a dressing the same as for fowls; unroll
the loin, put the stuffing well around the kidney, fold and secure
with several coils of white cotton twine wound around in all
directions; place in a dripping-pan with the thick side down, and put
in a rather hot oven, graduated after it commences to roast to
moderate; in half an hour add a little hot water to the pan, and baste
often; in another half hour turn over the roast, and when about done
dredge lightly with flour and baste with melted butter. Before serving
carefully remove the twine. A roast of four to five pounds will bake
in about two hours. For a gravy, skim off some of the fat if there is
too much in the drippings; dredge in some flour, stir until brown, add
some hot water if necessary; boil a few minutes, stir in such sweet
herbs as fancied, and put in a gravy boat. Serve with green peas and
lemon jelly. Is very nice sliced cold for lunch, and Worcestershire or
Chili sauce forms a fine relish.
ROAST FILLET OF VEAL.
Select a nice fillet, take out the bone, fill up the space with
stuffing, and also put a good layer under the fat. Truss it of a good
shape by drawing the fat round and tie it up with tape. Cook it rather
moderately at first, and baste with butter. It should have careful
attention and frequent basting, that the fat may not burn. Roast from
three to four hours, according to the size. After it is dished pour
melted butter over it; serve with ham or bacon, and fresh cucumbers if
in season. Veal, like all other meat, should be well washed in cold
water before cooking and wiped thoroughly dry with a clean cloth. Cold
fillet of veal is very good stewed with tomatoes and an onion or two.
In roasting veal, care must be taken that it is not at first placed in
too hot an oven; the fat of a loin, one of the most delicate joints of
veal, should be covered with greased paper; a fillet, also, should
have on the caul until nearly done enough.
BOILED FILLET OF VEAL.
Choose a small, delicate fillet; prepare as for roasting, or stuff it
with an oyster force meat; after having washed it thoroughly, cover it
with water and let it boil very gently three and a half or four hours,
keeping it well skimmed. Send it to the table with a rich white sauce,
or, if stuffed with oysters, a tureen of oyster sauce. Garnish with
stewed celery and slices of bacon. A boiled tongue should be served
with it.
VEAL PUDDING.
Cut about two pounds of lean veal into small collops a quarter of an
inch in thickness; put a piece of butter the size of an egg into a
very clean frying pan to melt; then lay in the veal and a few slices
of bacon, a small sprig of thyme and a seasoning of pepper and salt;
place the pan over a slow fire for about ten minutes, then add two or
three spoonfuls of warm water. Just boil it up and then let it stand
to cool. Line a pudding-dish with a good suet crust, lay in the veal
and bacon, pour the gravy over it; roll out a piece of paste to form a
lid, place it over, press it close with the thumb, tie the basin in a
pudding cloth and put it into a saucepan of boiling water, keeping
continually boiling until done, or about one hour.
FRIED VEAL CUTLETS.
Put into a frying pan two or three tablespoonfuls of lard or beef
drippings. When boiling hot lay in the cutlets, well seasoned with
salt and pepper and dredged with flour. Brown nicely on both sides,
then remove the meat, and if you have more grease than is necessary
for the gravy put it aside for further use. Reserve a tablespoonful or
more and rub into it a tablespoonful of flour, with the back of the
spoon, until it is a smooth, rich brown color; then add gradually a
cup of _cold water_ and season with pepper and salt. When the gravy is
boiled up well return the meat to the pan and gravy. Cover it closely
and allow it to stew gently on the back of the range for fifteen
minutes. This softens the meat, and with this gravy it makes a nice
breakfast dish.
Another mode is to simply fry the cutlets, and afterwards turning off
some of the grease they were fried in and then adding to that left in
the pan a few drops of hot water, turning the whole over the fried
chops.
FRIED VEAL CHOPS. (Plain.)
Sprinkle over them salt and pepper, then dip them in beaten egg and
cracker crumbs, and fry in drippings, or hot lard and butter mixed. If
you wish a gravy with them, add a tablespoonful of flour to the gravy
they were fried in and turn in cream or milk; season to taste with
salt and pepper. Boil up and serve hot with the gravy in separate
dish. This dish is very fine accompanied with a few sound fresh
tomatoes, sliced and fried in the same grease the cutlets were, and
all dished on the same platter.
VEAL COLLOPS.
Cut veal from the leg or other lean part into pieces the size of an
oyster. Season with pepper, salt and a little mace; rub some over
each piece; dip in egg, then into cracker crumbs and fry. They both
look and taste like oysters.
VEAL OLIVES.
Cut up a slice of a fillet of veal, about half an inch thick, into
squares of three inches. Mix up a little salt pork, chopped with bread
crumbs, one onion, a little pepper, salt, sweet marjoram, and one egg
well beaten; put this mixture upon the pieces of veal, fastening the
four corners together with little bird skewers; lay them in a pan with
sufficient veal gravy or light stock to cover the bottom of the pan,
dredge with flour and set in a hot oven. When browned on top, put a
small bit of butter on each, and let them remain until quite tender,
which will take twenty minutes. Serve with horse-radish.
VEAL CHEESE.
Prepare equal quantities of boiled sliced veal and smoked tongue.
Pound the slices separately in a mortar, moistening with butter as you
proceed; then pack it in a jar or pail, mixing it in alternate layers;
first the tongue and then the veal, so that when cut it will look
variegated. Press it down hard and pour melted butter over the top.
Keep it well covered and in a dry place. Nice for sandwiches, or
sliced cold for lunch.
VEAL CROQUETTES.
Mince a coffee cup of cold veal in a chopping bowl, adding a little
cold ham and two or three slices of onion, a pinch of mace, powdered
parsley and pepper, some salt. Let a pint of milk or cream come to the
boiling point, then add a tablespoonful of cold butter, then the above
mixture. Beat up two eggs and mix with a teaspoonful of cornstarch or
flour, and add to the rest; cook it all about ten minutes, stirring
with care. Remove from the fire, and spread it on a platter, roll it
into balls, when cooled flatten each; dip them in egg and bread
crumbs, and fry in a wire basket, dipped in hot lard.
BROILED VEAL CUTLETS. (Fine.)
Two or three pounds of veal cutlets, egg and bread crumbs, two
tablespoonfuls of minced savory herbs, salt and pepper to taste, a
little grated nutmeg.
Cut the cutlets about three-quarters of an inch in thickness; flatten
them, and brush them over with the yolk of an egg; dip them into
bread crumbs and minced herbs, season with pepper and salt, and fold
each cutlet in a piece of white letter paper well buttered; twist the
ends, and broil over a clear fire; when done remove the paper. Cooked
this way, they retain all the flavor.
VEAL POT-PIE.
Procure a nice breast or brisket of veal, well jointed, put the pieces
into the pot with one quart of water to every five pounds of meat; put
the pot over a slow fire; just before it comes to a boil, skim it well
and pour in a teacupful of cold water; then turn over the meat in
order that all the scum may rise; remove all the scum, boil quite
hard, season with pepper and salt to your taste, always remembering
that the crust will take up part of the seasoning; when this is done
cut off your crust in pieces of equal size, but do not roll or mould
them; lay them on top of the meat, so as to cover it; put the lid on
the pot closely, let the whole boil slowly one hour. If the lid does
not fit the pot closely, wrap a cloth around it, in order that no
steam shall escape; and by no means allow the pot to _stop boiling_.
The crust for pot-pie should be raised with yeast. To three pints of
flour add two ounces of butter, a little salt, and wet with milk
sufficient to make a soft dough; knead it well and set it away to
rise; when quite light, mould and knead it again, and let it stand, in
winter, one hour, in summer, one-half hour, when it will be ready to
cut.
In summer you had better add one-half a teaspoonful of soda when you
knead it the second time, or you may wet it with water and add another
bit of butter.
VEAL PIE.
Cut the veal into rather small pieces or slices, put it in a stewpan
with hot water to cover it; add to it a tablespoonful of salt and set
it over the fire; take off the scum as it rises; when the meat is
tender turn it into a dish to cool; take out all the small bones,
butter a tin or earthen basin or pudding-pan, line it with pie paste,
lay some of the parboiled meat in to half fill it; put bits of butter
in the size of a hickory nut all over the meat; shake pepper over,
dredge wheat flour over until it looks white, then fill it nearly to
the top with some of the water in which the meat was boiled; roll a
cover for the top of the crust, puff-paste it, giving it two or three
turns, and roll it to nearly half an inch thickness; cut a slit in
the centre and make several small incisions on either side of it, put
the crust on, trim the edges neatly with a knife; bake one hour in a
quick oven. A breast of veal will make two two-quart basin pies; half
a pound of nice corned pork, cut in thin slices and parboiled with the
meat, will make it very nice, and very little, if any, butter will be
required for the pie; when pork is used not other salt will be
necessary. Many are fond of thin slices of sweet ham cooked with the
veal for pie.
VEAL STEW.
Cut up two or three pounds of veal into pieces three inches long and
one thick. Wash it, put it into your stewpan with two quarts of water,
let it boil, skim it well, and when all the scum is removed, add
pepper and salt to your taste, and a small piece of butter; pare and
cut in halves twelve small Irish potatoes, put them into the stewpan;
when it boils, have ready a batter made with two eggs, two spoonfuls
of cream or milk, a little salt, and flour enough to make it a little
thicker than for pancakes; drop this into the stew, a spoonful at a
time, while it is boiling; when all is in, cover the pan closely so
that no steam can escape; let it boil twenty minutes and serve in a
deep dish.
VEAL LOAF.
Three pounds of raw veal chopped very fine, butter the size of an egg,
three eggs, three tablespoonfuls of cream or milk; if milk use a small
piece of butter; mix the eggs and cream together; mix with the veal
four pounded crackers, one teaspoonful of black pepper, one large
tablespoonful salt, one large tablespoonful of sage; mix well together
and form into a loaf. Bake two and one-half hours, basting with butter
and water while baking. Serve cut in thin slices.
VEAL FOR LUNCH.
Butter a good-sized bowl, and line it with thin slices of hard-boiled
eggs; have veal and ham both in very thin slices; place, in the bowl a
layer of veal, with pepper and salt, then a layer of ham, omitting the
salt, then a layer of veal, and so on, alternating with veal and ham,
until the bowl is filled; make a paste of flour and water as stiff as
it can be rolled out; cover the contents of the bowl with the paste,
and over this tie a double cotton cloth; put the bowl into a saucepan,
or other vessel, with water just up to the rim of the bowl, and boil
three hours; then take it from the fire, remove the cloth and paste,
and let it stand until the next day, when it may be turned out and
served in very thin slices. An excellent lunch in traveling.
VEAL PATTIES.
Cut portions of the neck or breast of veal into small pieces, and,
with a little salt pork cut fine, stew gently for ten or fifteen
minutes; season with pepper and salt, and a small piece of celery
chopped coarsely, also of the yellow top, picked (not chopped) up;
stir in a paste made of a tablespoonful of flour, the yolk of one egg,
and milk to form a thin batter; let all come to a boil, and it is
ready for the patties. Make the patties of a light, flaky crust, as
for tarts, cut round, the size of a small sauceplate; the centre of
each, for about three inches, cut half way through, to be raised and
serve as a cover. Put a spoonful of the stew in each crust, lay on the
top and serve. Stewed oysters or lamb may be used in place of veal.
BRAISED VEAL.
Take a piece of the shoulder weighing about five pounds. Have the bone
removed and tie up the meat to make it firm. Put a piece of butter the
size of half an egg, together with a few shavings of onion, into a
kettle or stone crock and let it get hot. Salt and pepper the veal and
put it into the kettle, cover it tightly and put it over a medium fire
until the meat is brown on both sides, turning it occasionally. Then
set the kettle back on the stove, where it will simmer slowly for
about two hours and a half. Before setting the meat back on the stove,
see if the juice of the meat together with the butter do not make
gravy enough, and if not, put in about two tablespoonfuls of hot
water. When the gravy is cold it will be like jelly. It can be served
hot with the hot meat, or cold with the cold meat.
BAKED CALF'S HEAD.
Boil a calf's head (after having cleaned it) until tender, then split
it in two, and keep the best half (bone it if you like); cut the meat
from the other in uniform pieces, the size of an oyster; put bits of
butter, the size of a nutmeg, all over the best half of the head;
sprinkle pepper over it, and dredge on flour until it looks white,
then set it on a trivet or muffin rings in a dripping-pan; put a cup
of water into the pan, and set it in a hot oven; turn it that it may
brown evenly; baste once or twice. Whilst this is doing, dip the
prepared pieces of the head in wheat flour or batter, and fry in hot
lard or beef drippings a delicate brown; season with pepper and salt
and slices of lemon, if liked. When the roast is done put it on a hot
dish, lay the fried pieces around it, and cover it with a tin cover;
put the gravy from the dripping-pan into the pan in which the pieces
were fried, with the slices of lemon, and a tablespoonful of browned
flour, and, if necessary, a little hot water. Let it boil up once, and
strain it into a gravy boat, and serve with the meat.
CALF'S HEAD CHEESE.
Boil a calf's head in water enough to cover it, until the meat leaves
the bones; then take it with a skimmer into a wooden bowl or tray;
take from it every particle of bone; chop it small; season with pepper
and salt, a heaping tablespoonful of salt and a teaspoonful of pepper
will be sufficient; if liked, add a tablespoonful of finely chopped
sweet herbs; lay in a cloth in a colander, put the minced meat into
it, then fold the cloth closely over it, lay a plate over, and on it a
gentle weight. When cold it may be sliced thin for supper or
sandwiches. Spread each slice with made mustard.
BRAIN CUTLETS.
Well wash the brains and soak them in cold water until white. Parboil
them until tender in a small saucepan for about a quarter of an hour;
then thoroughly drain them and place them on a board. Divide them into
small pieces with a knife. Dip each piece into flour, and then roll
them in egg and bread crumbs, and fry them in butter or well-clarified
drippings. Serve very hot with gravy. Another way of doing brains is
to prepare them as above, and then stew them gently in rich stock,
like stewed sweetbreads. They are also nice plainly boiled and served
with parsley and butter sauce.
CALFS HEAD BOILED.
Put the head into boiling water and let it remain about five minutes;
take it out, hold it by the ear, and with the back of the knife scrape
off the hair (should it not come off easily dip the head again in
boiling water.) When perfectly clean take out the eyes, cut off the
ears and remove the brain, which soak for an hour in warm water. Put
the head to soak in hot water a few minutes to make it look white, and
then have ready a stewpan, into which lay the head; cover it with cold
water and bring it gradually to boil. Remove the scum and add a little
salt, which increases it and causes it to rise to the top. Simmer it
very gently from two and a half to three hours, or until the bones
will slip out easily, and when nearly done, boil the brains fifteen or
twenty minutes; skin and chop them (not too finely), add a
tablespoonful of minced parsley which has been previously scalded;
also a pinch of pepper, salt; then stir into this four tablespoonfuls
of melted butter; set it on the back of the range to keep it hot. When
the head is done, take it up and drain very dry. Score the top and rub
it over with melted butter; dredge it with flour and set it in the
oven to brown.
When you serve the head, have it accompanied with a gravy boat of
melted butter and minced parsley.
CALF'S LIVER AND BACON.
Slice the liver a quarter of an inch thick; pour hot water over it and
let it remain for a few minutes to clear it from blood; then dry it in
a cloth. Take a pound of bacon, or as much as you require, and cut the
same number of thin slices as you have of liver; fry the bacon to a
nice crisp; take it out and keep it hot; then fry the liver in the
same pan, having first seasoned it with pepper and salt and dredged in
a little flour; lay it in the hot bacon fat and fry it a nice brown.
Serve it with a slice of bacon on the top of each slice of liver.
If you wish a gravy with it, pour off most of the fat from the frying
pan, put in about two ounces of butter, a tablespoonful of flour well
rubbed in, add a cup of water, salt and pepper, give it one boil and
serve in a gravy boat.
_Another Way._--Cut the liver in nice thin slices, pour boiling water
over it and let it stand about five minutes; then drain and put in a
dripping-pan with three or four thin slices of salt pork or bacon;
pepper and salt and put in the oven, letting it cook until thoroughly
done, then serve with a cream or milk gravy poured over it.
Calf's liver and bacon are very good broiled after cutting each in
thin slices. Season with butter, pepper and salt.
CROQUETTES OF SWEETBREADS.
Take four veal sweetbreads, soak them for an hour in cold salted
water, first removing the pipes and membranes; then put them into
boiling salted water with a tablespoonful of vinegar, and cook them
twenty minutes, then drop them again into cold water to harden. Now
remove them, chop them very fine, almost to a paste. Season with salt,
pepper and a teaspoonful of grated onion; add the beaten yolks of
three raw eggs, one tablespoonful of butter, half a cupful of cream,
and sufficient fine cracker crumbs to make stiff enough to roll out
into little balls or cork-shaped croquettes. Have ready a frying
kettle half full of fat over the fire, a dish containing three
smoothly beaten eggs, a large platter of cracker dust; wet the hands
with cold water and make the mixture in shape; afterwards rolling them
in the cracker dust, then into the beaten egg, and again in the
cracker dust; smooth them on the outside and drop them carefully in
the hot fat. When the croquettes are fried a nice golden brown, put
them on a brown paper a moment to free them from grease. Serve hot
with sliced lemon or parsley.
SWEETBREADS.
There are two in a calf, which are considered delicacies. Select the
largest. The color should be clear and a shade darker than the fat.
Before cooking in any manner let them lie for half an hour in tepid
water; then throw into hot water to whiten and harden, after which
draw off the outer casing, remove the little pipes, and cut into thin
slices. They should always be thoroughly cooked.
FRIED SWEETBREADS.
After preparing them as above they are put into hot fat and butter,
and fried the same as lamb chops, also broiled the same, first rolling
them in egg and cracker crumbs.
BAKED SWEETBREADS.
Three sweetbreads, egg and bread crumbs, oiled butter, three slices of
toast, brown gravy.
Choose large, white sweetbreads, put them into warm water to draw out
the blood, and to improve their color; let them remain for rather more
than one hour; then put them into boiling water, and allow them to
simmer for about ten minutes which renders them firm. Take them up,
drain them, brush over the egg, sprinkle with bread crumbs; dip them
in egg again, and then into more bread crumbs. Drop on them a little
oiled butter, and put the sweetbreads into a moderately heated oven,
and let them bake for nearly three-quarters of an hour. Make three
pieces of toast; place the sweetbreads on the toast, and pour round,
but not over, them a good brown gravy.
FRICASSEED SWEETBREADS.
If they are uncooked, cut into thin slices, let them simmer in a rich
gravy for three-quarters of an hour, add a well-beaten egg, two
tablespoonfuls of cream and a tablespoonful of chopped parsley; stir
all together for a few minutes and serve immediately.
MUTTON AND LAMB.
ROAST MUTTON.
The pieces mostly used for roasting are the hind-quarter of the sheep,
called the loin and leg, the fore-quarter, the shoulder, also the
chine or saddle, which is the two loins together. Every part should be
trimmed off that cannot be eaten; then wash well and dry with a clean
cloth; lay it in your dripping-pan and put in a little water to baste
it with at first; then afterward with its own gravy. Allow, in
roasting, about twelve minutes to the pound; that is, if your fire is
strong, which it should be. It should not be salted at first, as that
tends to harden it, and draws out too much of the blood or juices; but
salt soon after it begins to roast well. If there is danger of its
browning too fast, cover it with a sheet of white paper. Baste it
often, and about a quarter of an hour before you think it will be done
dredge the meat very lightly with flour and baste it with butter. Skim
the gravy well and thicken very slightly with brown flour. Serve with
currant jelly or other tart sauce.
BONED LEG OF MUTTON ROASTED.
Take the bone out of a small leg of mutton, without spoiling the skin
if possible, then cut off most of the fat. Fill the hole whence the
bone was taken with a stuffing made the same as for fowls, adding to
it part of an onion finely minced. Sew the leg up underneath to
prevent the dressing or stuffing from falling out. Bind and tie it up
compactly; put it in a roasting pan, turn in a cup of hot water and
place it in a moderately hot oven, basting it occasionally. When
partly cooked season with salt and pepper. When thoroughly cooked,
remove and place the leg on a warm platter; skim the grease from the
top of the drippings, add a cup of water and thicken with a spoonful
of dissolved flour. Send the gravy to the table in a gravy dish, also
a dish of currant jelly.
BOILED LEG OF MUTTON.
To prepare a leg of mutton for boiling, wash it clean, cut a small
piece off the shank bone, and trim the knuckle. Put it into a pot with
water enough to cover it, and boil gently from two to three hours,
skimming well. Then take it from the fire, and keeping the pot well
covered, let it finish by remaining in the steam for ten or fifteen
minutes. Serve it up with a sauce boat of melted butter, into which a
teacupful of capers or nasturtiums have been stirred. If the broth is
to be used for soup, put in a little salt while boiling; if not, salt
it well when partly done, and boil the meat in a cloth.
BRAISED LEG OF MUTTON.
This recipe can be varied either by preparing the leg with a stuffing,
placed in the cavity after having the bone removed, or cooking it
without. Having lined the bottom of a thick iron kettle or stewpan with
a few thin slices of bacon, put over the bacon four carrots, three
onions, a bunch of savory herbs; then over these place the leg of
mutton. Cover the whole with a few more slices of bacon, then pour over
half a pint of water. Cover with a tight cover and stew very gently for
four hours, basting the leg occasionally with its own liquor, and
seasoning it with salt and pepper as soon as it begins to be tender.
When cooked strain the gravy, thicken with a spoonful of flour (it
should be quite brown), pour some of it over the meat and send the
remainder to the table in a tureen, to be served with the mutton when
carved. Garnish the dish around the leg with potatoes cut in the shape
of olives and fried a light brown in butter.
LEG OF MUTTON A LA VENISON.
Remove all the rough fat from the mutton and lay it in a deep earthen
dish; rub into it thoroughly the following: One tablespoonful of salt,
one each of celery-salt, brown sugar, black pepper, English mustard,
allspice, and some sweet herbs, all powdered and mixed; after which pour
over it slowly a teacup of good vinegar, cover tightly, and set in a
cool place four or five days, turning it and basting often with the
liquid each day. To cook, put in a kettle a quart of boiling water,
place over it an inverted shallow pan, and on it lay the meat just as
removed from the pickle; cover the kettle tightly and stew for four
hours. Do not lat the water touch the meat. Add a cup of hot water to
the pickle remaining and baste with it. When done, thicken the liquid
with flour and strain through a fine sieve, to serve with the meat;
also a relish of currant jelly, the dame as for venison.
This is a fine dish when the directions are faithfully followed.
STEAMED LEG OF MUTTON.
Wash and put the leg in a steamer and cook it until tender, then place
in a roasting pan, salt and dredge well with flour and set it in a hot
oven until nicely browned; the water that remains in the bottom of the
steamer may be used for soup. Serve with currant jelly.
HASHED MUTTON.
Cut into small pieces the lean of some cold mutton that has been
underdone, and season it with pepper and salt. Take the bones and other
trimmings, put them in a sauce-pan with as much water as will cover
them, and some sliced onions, and let them stew till you have drawn from
them a good gravy. Having skimmed it well, strain the gravy into a
stew-pan, and put the mutton into it. Have ready-boiled some carrots,
turnips, potatoes and onions. Slice them and add to the meat and gravy.
Set the pan on the fire and let it simmer till the meat is warmed
through, but do not allow it to boil, as it has been once cooked
already. Cover the bottom of the dish with slices of buttered toast. Lay
the meat and vegetables upon it, and pour over them the gravy.
Tomatoes will be found an improvement.
If green peas or Lima beans are in season, you may boil them and put
them to the hashed mutton, leaving out the other vegetables, or serving
them up separately.
BROILED MUTTON CHOPS.
Loin of mutton, pepper and salt, a small piece of butter. Cut the chops
from a tenderloin 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. While broiling frequently turn them, and in about eight 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. Nice with tomato sauce poured over them.
FRIED MUTTON CHOPS. NO. 1.
Put in a frying-pan a tablespoonful of cold lard and butter mixed; have
some fine mutton chops without much fat; trim off the skin. Dip into
wheat flour, or rolled cracker, and beaten egg, then lay them into the
hot grease, sprinkle with salt and pepper, fry on both sides a fine
brown. When dine, take them up and place on a hot dish. If you wish a
made gravy, turn off the superfluous grease, if any, stir into the hot
gravy remaining a heaping spoonful of cold water or milk; season with
pepper and salt, let it boil up thick. You can serve it in a separate
dish or pour it over the chops. Tomato sauce is considered fine, turned
over a dish of hot fried or broiled chops.
FRIED MUTTON CHOPS. NO. 2.
Prepare the chops by trimming off all extra fat and skin, season them
with salt and pepper; dip each chop in beaten egg, then in rolled
cracker or bread-crumbs; dip again in the egg and crumbs, and so on
until they are well coated with the crumb. Have ready a deep spider
containing a pound or more of lard, hot enough to fry crullers. Drop
into this hot lard the chops, frying only a few at a time, as too many
cool the fat. Fry them brown, and serve them up hot and dry, on a warm
platter.
MUTTON CUTLETS. (Baked.)
Prepare them the same as for frying, lay them in a dripping-pan with a
_very_ little water at the bottom. Bake quickly, and baste often with
butter and water. Make a little brown gravy and turn over them when
they are served.
BAKED MUTTON CHOPS AND POTATOES.
Wash and peel some good potatoes and cut them into slices the
thickness of a penny-piece. The quantity of potatoes must, of course,
be decided according to the number of persons to whom they have to be
served; but it is a safe plan to allow two, or even three, potatoes
for each person. After the potatoes are sliced, wash them in two or
three waters to thoroughly cleanse them, then arrange them neatly (in
layers) in a brown stone dish proper for baking purposes. Sprinkle a
little salt and pepper between each layer, and add a sufficient
quantity of cold water to prevent their burning. Place the dish in a
very hot oven--oil the top shelf--so as to brown the potatoes in a few
minutes. Have ready some nice loin chops (say one--for each person);
trim off most of the fat; make them into a neat round shape by putting
a small skewer through each. When the potatoes are nicely browned,
remove the dish from the oven, and place the chops on the top. Add a
little more salt and pepper, and water if required, and return the
dish to a cooler part of the oven, where it may be allowed to remain
until sufficiently cooked, which will be in about three-quarters of an
hour. When the upper sides of the chops are a nice crisp brown, turn
them over so as to brown the other side also. If, in the cooking, the
potatoes appear to be getting too dry, a little more water may be
gently poured in at one corner of the dish, only care must be taken to
see that the water is hot this time--not cold as at first. The dish in
which the chops and potatoes are baked must be as neat looking as
possible, as it has to be sent to the table; turning the potatoes out
would, of course, spoil their appearance. Those who have never tasted
this dish have no idea how delightful it is. While the chops are
baking the gravy drips from them among the potatoes, rendering the
whole most delicious.
MUTTONETTES.
Cut from a leg of mutton slices about half an inch thick. On each
slice lay a spoonful of stuffing made with bread crumbs, beaten egg,
butter, salt, pepper, sage and summer savory. Roll up the slices,
pinning with little skewers or small wooden toothpicks to keep the
dressing in. Put a little butter and water in a baking-pan with the
muttonettes, and cook in hot oven three-quarters of an hour. Baste
often, and when done thicken the gravy, pour over the meat, garnish
with parsley, and serve on hot platter.
IRISH STEW.
Time about two hours. Two and a half pounds of chops, eight potatoes,
four turnips, four small onions, nearly a quart of water. Take some
chops from loin of mutton, place them in stewpan in alternate layers
of sliced potatoes and chops; add turnips and onions cut into pieces,
pour in nearly a quart of cold water; cover stewpan closely, let it
stew gently till vegetables are ready to mash and the greater part of
the gravy is absorbed; then place in a dish; serve it up hot.
MUTTON PUDDING.
Line a two-quart pudding basin with some beef suet paste; fill the
lining with thick mutton cutlets, slightly trimmed, or, if preferred,
with steaks cut from the leg; season with pepper and salt some
parsley, a little thyme and two slices of onion chopped fine, and
between each layer of meat, put some slices of potatoes. When the
pudding is filled, wet the edges of the paste around the top of the
basin, and cover with a piece of paste rolled out the size of the
basin. Fasten down the edge by bearing all around with the thumb; and
then with the thumb and forefinger twist the edges of the paste over
so as to give it a corded appearance. This pudding can be set in a
steamer and steamed, or boiled. The time required for cooking is about
three hours. When done, turn it out carefully on a platter and serve
with a rich gravy under it.
This is a very good recipe for cooking small birds.
SCRAMBLED MUTTON.
Two cups of chopped cold mutton, two tablespoonfuls of hot water, and
a piece of butter as large as an English walnut. When the meat is hot,
break in three eggs, and constantly stir until the eggs begin to
stiffen. Season with pepper and salt.
SCALLOPED MUTTON AND TOMATOES.
Over the bottom of an earthen baking-dish place a layer of bread
crumbs, and over it alternate layers of cold roast mutton cut in thin
slices, and tomatoes peeled and sliced; season each with salt, pepper
and bits of butter, as laid in. The top layer should be of tomatoes,
spread over with bread crumbs. Bake three-quarters of an hour, and
serve immediately.
LAMB SWEETBREADS AND TOMATO SAUCE.
Lamb sweetbreads are not always procurable, but a stroll through the
markets occasionally reveals a small lot of them, which can invariably
be had at a low price, owing to their excellence being recognized by
but few buyers. Wash them well in salted water and parboil fifteen
minutes; when cool, trim neatly and put them in a pan with just butter
enough to prevent their burning; toss them about until a delicate
color; season with salt and pepper and serve, surrounded with tomato
sauce. (See SAUCES.)
ROAST QUARTER OF LAMB.
Procure a nice hind-quarter, remove some of the fat that is around the
kidney, skewer the lower joint up to the fillet, place it in a
moderate oven, let it heat through slowly, then dredge it with salt
and flour; quicken the fire, put half a pint of water into the
dripping-pan, with a teaspoonful of salt. With this liquor baste the
meat occasionally; serve with lettuce, green peas and mint sauce.
A quarter of lamb weighing seven or eight pounds will require two
hours to roast.
A breast of lamb roasted is very sweet and is considered by many as
preferable to hind-quarter. It requires nearly as long a time to roast
as the quarter, and should be served in the same manner.
Make the gravy from the drippings, thickened with flour.
The mint sauce is made as follows: Take fresh, young spearmint leaves
stripped from stems; wash and drain them or dry on a cloth, chop very
fine, put in a gravy tureen, and to three tablespoonfuls of mint add
two of finely powdered cut-loaf sugar; mix, and let it stand a few
minutes, then pour over it six tablespoonfuls good cider or white-wine
vinegar. The sauce should be made some time before dinner, so that the
flavor of the mint may be well extracted.
TO BROIL THE FORE-QUARTER OF LAMB.
Take off the shoulder and lay it upon the gridiron with the breast;
cut in two parts, to facilitate its cooking; put a tin sheet on top of
the meat, and a weight upon that; turn the meat around frequently to
prevent its burning; turn over as soon as cooked on one side; renew
the coals occasionally, that all parts may cook alike; when done,
season with butter, pepper and salt--exactly like beefsteak. It takes
some time to broil it well; but when done it will be found to be equal
to broiled chicken, the flavor being more delicate than when cooked
otherwise. Serve with cream sauce, made as follows: Heat a
tablespoonful of butter in a saucepan, add a teaspoonful of flour and
stir until perfectly smooth; then add, slowly stirring in, a cup of
cold milk; let it boil up once, and season to taste with salt and
pepper and a teaspoonful of finely chopped fresh parsley. Serve in a
gravy boat, all hot.
LAMB STEW.
Cut up the lamb into small pieces (after removing all the fat) say
about two inches square. Wash it well and put it over the fire, with
just enough cold water to cover it well, and let it heat gradually. It
should stew gently until it is partly done; then add a few thin slices
of salt pork, one or two onions sliced up fine, some pepper and salt
if needed, and two or three raw potatoes cut up into inch pieces.
Cover it closely and stew until the meat is tender. Drop in a few made
dumplings, made like short biscuit, cut out _very_ small. Cook fifteen
minutes longer. Thicken the gravy with a little flour moistened with
milk. Serve.
PRESSED LAMB.
The meat, either shoulder or leg, should be put to boil in the morning
with water just enough to cover it; when tender, season with salt and
pepper, then keep it over the fire until _very_ tender and the juice
nearly boiled out. Remove it from the fire-place in a wooden chopping
bowl, season more if necessary, chop it up like hash. Place it in a
bread-pan, press out all the juice, and put it in a cool place to
harden. The pressing is generally done by placing a dish over the meat
and putting a flat-iron upon that. Nice cut up cold into thin slices,
and the broth left from the meat would make a nice soup served with
it, adding vegetables and spices.
CROQUETTES OF ODDS AND ENDS.
These are made of any scraps or bits of good food that happen to be
left from one or more meals, and in such small quantities that they
cannot be warmed up separately. As, for example, a couple of spoonfuls
of frizzled beef and cream, the lean meat of one mutton chop, one
spoonful of minced beef, two cold hard-boiled eggs, a little cold
chopped potato, a little mashed potato, a chick's leg, all the gristle
and hard outside taken from the meat. These things well chopped and
seasoned, mixed with one raw egg, a little flour and butter, and
boiling water; then made into round cakes, thick like fish-balls and
browned well with butter in a frying pan or on a griddle.
Scraps of hash, cold rice, boiled oatmeal left from breakfast, every
kind of fresh meat, bits of salt tongue, bacon, pork or ham, bits of
poultry, and crumbs of bread may be used. They should be put together
with care, so as not to have them too dry to be palatable, or too
moist to cook in shape. Most housekeepers would be surprised at the
result, making an addition to the breakfast or lunch table. Serve on
small squares of buttered toast, and with cold celery if in season.
PORK.
The best parts, and those usually used for roasting, are the loin, the
leg, the shoulder, the sparerib and chine. The hams, shoulders and
middlings are usually salted, pickled and smoked. Pork requires more
thorough cooking than most meats; if the least underdone it is
unwholesome.
To choose pork: If the rind is thick and tough, and cannot be easily
impressed with the finger, it is old; when fresh, it will look cool
and smooth, and only corn-fed pork is good; swill or still-fed pork is
unfit to cure. Fresh pork is in season from October to April. When
dressing or stuffing is used, there are more or less herbs used for
seasoning--sage, summer savory, thyme and sweet marjoram; these can be
found (in the dried, pulverized form, put up in small, light packages)
at most of the best druggists; still those raised and gathered at home
are considered more fresh.
ROAST PIG.
Prepare your dressing as for DRESSING FOR FOWLS, adding half an onion,
chopped fine; set it inside. Take a young pig about six weeks old,
wash it thoroughly inside and outside; and in another water put a
teaspoonful of baking soda, and rinse out the inside again; wipe it
dry with a fresh towel, salt the inside and stuff it with the prepared
dressing; making it full and plump, giving it its original size and
shape. Sew it up, place it in a kneeling posture in the dripping-pan,
tying the legs in proper position. Pour a little hot salted water into
the dripping-pan, baste with butter and water a few times as the pig
warms, afterwards with gravy from the dripping-pan. When it begins to
smoke all over rub it often with a rag dipped in melted butter. This
will keep the skin from cracking and it still will be crisp. It will
take from two to three hours to roast. Make the gravy by skimming off
most of the grease; stir into that remaining in the pan a good
tablespoonful of flour, turn in water to make it the right
consistency, season with pepper and let all boil up once. Strain, and
if you like wine in it, add half a glass; turn it into a gravy boat.
Place the pig upon a large, hot platter, surrounded with parsley or
celery tops; place a green wreath around the neck, and a sprig of
celery in its mouth. In carving, cut off its head first; split down
the back, take off its hams and shoulders, and separate the ribs.
ROAST LOIN OF PORK.
Score the skin in strips about a quarter of an inch apart; place it in
a dripping-pan with a _very little_ water under it; cook it moderately
at first, as a high heat hardens the rind before the meat is heated
through. If it is very lean, it should be rubbed with fresh lard or
butter when put into the pan. A stuffing might be made of bread
crumbs, chopped sage and onions, pepper and salt, and baked separately
on a pie dish; this method is better than putting it in the meat, as
many persons have a great aversion to its flavor. A loin weighing
about six pounds will roast in two hours; allow more time if it should
be very fat. Make a gravy with flour stirred into the pork drippings.
Serve with apple sauce and pickles.
ROAST LEG OF PORK.
Choose a small leg of fine young pork; cut a slit in the knuckle with
a sharp knife, and fill the space with sage and onion chopped, and a
little pepper and salt. When half done, score the skin in slices, but
do not cut deeper than the outer rind. Apple sauce and potatoes should
be served with it. The gravy is to be made the same way as for beef
roast, by turning off all the superfluous fat and adding a spoonful of
flour stirred with a little water; add water to make the right
consistency. Serve in a gravy boat.
BOILED LEG OF PORK.
For boiling, choose a small, compact, well-filled leg, and rub it well
with salt; let it remain in pickle for a week or ten days, turning and
rubbing it every day. An hour before dressing it put it into cold
water for an hour, which improves the color. If the pork is purchased
ready salted, ascertain how long the meat has been in pickle and soak
it accordingly. Put it into a boiling-pot, with sufficient cold water
to cover it, let it gradually come to a boil, and remove the scum as
it rises. Simmer it very gently until tender, and do not allow it to
boil fast, or the knuckle will fall to pieces before the middle of the
leg is done. Carrots, turnips or parsnips may be boiled with the pork,
some of which should be laid around the dish as a garnish.
_Time._--A leg of pork weighing eight pounds, three hours after the
water boils, and to be simmered very gently.
FRESH PORK POT-PIE.
Boil a sparerib, after removing all the fat and cracking the bones,
until tender; remove the scum as it rises, and when tender season with
salt and pepper; half an hour before time for serving the dinner
thicken the gravy with a little flour. Have ready another kettle, into
which remove all the bones and most of the gravy, leaving only
sufficient to cover the pot half an inch above the rim that rests on
the stove; put in the crust, cover tight, and boil steadily forty-five
minutes. To prepare the crust, work into light dough a _small_ bit of
butter, roll it out thin, cut it in small, square cakes, and lay them
on the moulding-board until very light. No steam should possibly
escape while the crust is cooking, and by no means allow the pot to
cease boiling.
ROAST SPARERIB.
Trim off the rough ends neatly, crack the ribs across the middle, rub
with salt and sprinkle with pepper, fold over, stuff with turkey
dressing, sew up tightly, place in a dripping-pan with a pint of
water, baste frequently, turning over once so as to bake both sides
equally until a rich brown.
PORK TENDERLOINS.
The tenderloins are unlike any other part of the pork in flavor. They
may be either fried or broiled; the latter being drier, require to be
well-buttered before serving, which should be done on a hot platter
before the butter becomes oily. Fry them in a little lard, turning
them to have them cooked through; when done, remove, and keep hot
while making a gravy by dredging a little flour into the hot fat; if
not enough add a little butter or lard, stir until browned, and add a
little milk or cream, stir briskly, and pour over the dish. A little
Worcestershire sauce may be added to the gravy if desired.
PORK CUTLETS.
Cut them from the leg, and remove the skin; trim them and beat them,
and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Prepare some beaten egg in a pan, and
on a flat dish a mixture of bread crumbs, minced onion and sage. Put
some lard or drippings into a frying pan over the fire, and when it
boils put in the cutlets, having dipped every one first in the egg,
and then in the seasoning. Fry them twenty or thirty minutes, turning
them often. After you have taken them out of the frying pan, skim the
gravy, dredge in a little flour, give it one boil, and then pour it on
the dish round the cutlets.
Have apple sauce to eat with them.
Pork cutlets prepared in this manner may be stewed instead of being
fried. Add to them a little water, and stew them slowly till
thoroughly done, keeping them closely covered, except when you remove
the lid to skim them.
PORK CHOPS AND FRIED APPLES.
Season the chops with salt and pepper and a little powdered sage; dip
them into bread crumbs. Fry about twenty minutes or until they are
done. Put them on a hot dish; pour off part of the gravy into another
pan to make a gravy to serve with them, if you choose. Then fry apples
which you have sliced about two-thirds of an inch thick, cutting them
around the apple so that the core is in the centre of each piece;
then cut out the core. When they are browned on one side and partly
cooked, turn them carefully with a pancake turner, and finish cooking;
dish around the chops or on a separate dish.
FRIED PORK CHOPS.
Fry them the same as mutton chops. If a sausage flavor is liked,
sprinkle over them a little powdered sage or summer savory, pepper and
salt, and if a gravy is liked, skim off some of the fat in the pan and
stir in a spoonful of flour; stir it until free from lumps, then
season with pepper and salt and turn in a pint of sweet milk. Boil up
and serve in a gravy boat.
PORK PIE.
Make a good plain paste. Take from two and a half to three pounds of
the thick ends of a loin of pork, with very little fat on it; cut into
very thin slices three inches long by two inches wide; put a layer at
the bottom of a pie-dish. Wash and chop finely a handful of parsley,
also an onion. Sprinkle a small portion of these over the pork, and a
little pepper and salt. Add another layer of pork, and over that some
more of the seasoning, only be sparing of the nutmeg. Continue this
till the dish is full. Now pour into the dish a cupful of stock or
water, and a spoonful or two of catsup. Put a little paste around the
edge of the dish; put on the cover and place the pie in a rather hot
oven. When the paste has risen and begins to take color, place the pie
at the bottom of the oven, with some paper over it, as it will require
to be baked at least two hours. Some prefer to cook the meat until
partly done, before putting into the crust.
_Palmer House, Chicago_.
PORK POT-PIE.
Take pieces of ribs of lean salt pork, also a slice or two of the fat
of salt pork; scald it well with hot water so as to wash out the briny
taste. Put it into a kettle and cover it with cold water, enough for
the required want. Cover it and boil an hour, season with pepper; then
add half a dozen potatoes cut into quarters. When it all commences to
boil again, drop in dumplings made from this recipe:--
One pint of sour or buttermilk, two eggs, well beaten, a teaspoonful
of salt, a level teaspoonful of soda; dissolve in a spoonful of water
as much flour as will make a very stiff batter. Drop this into the
kettle or broth by spoonfuls, and cook forty minutes, closely covered.
PORK AND BEANS. (Baked.)
Take two quarts of white beans, pick them over the night before, put
to soak in cold water; in the morning put them in fresh water and let
them scald, then turn off the water and put on more, hot; put to cook
with them a piece of salt pork, gashed, as much as would make five or
six slices; boil slowly till soft (not mashed), then add a
tablespoonful of molasses, half a teaspoonful of soda, stir in well,
put in a deep pan, and bake one hour and a half. If you do not like to
use pork, salt the beans when boiling, and add a lump of butter when
preparing them for the oven.
BOSTON PORK AND BEANS.
Pick over carefully a quart of small, white beans; let them soak over
night in cold water; in the morning wash and drain in another water.
Put on to boil in plenty of cold water with a piece of soda the size
of a bean; let them come to a boil, then drain again, cover with water
once more, and boil them fifteen minutes, or until the skin of the
beans will crack when taken out and blown upon. Drain the beans again,
put them into an earthen pot, adding a tablespoonful of salt; cover
with hot water, place in the centre a pound of salt pork, first
scalding it with hot water, and scoring the rind across the top, a
quarter of an inch apart to indicate where the slices are to be cut.
Place the pot in the oven, and bake six hours or longer. Keep the oven
a moderate heat; add hot water from the tea-kettle as needed, on
account of evaporation, to keep the beans moist. When the meat becomes
crisp and looks cooked, remove it, as too long baking the pork
destroys its solidity.
FRIED SALT PORK.
Cut in thin slices, and freshen in cold water, roll in flour, and fry
crisp. If required quickly pour boiling water over the slices, let
stand a few minutes, drain and roll in flour as before; drain off most
of the grease from the frying pan; stir in while hot one or two
tablespoonfuls of flour, about half a pint of milk, a little pepper,
and salt if over freshened; let it boil, and pour into a gravy dish. A
teaspoonful of finely-chopped parsley will add pleasantly to the
appearance of the gravy.
GRILLED SALT PORK.
Take quite thin slices of the thick part of side pork, of a clear
white, and thinly streaked with lean; hold one on a toasting fork
before a brisk fire to grill; have at hand a dish of cold water, in
which immerse it frequently while cooking, to remove the superfluous
fat and render it more delicate. Put each slice as cooked in a warm
covered pan; when all are done, serve hot.
FRIED HAM AND EGGS.
Cut slices of ham quite thin, cut off the rind or skin, put them into
a hot frying pan, turning them often until crisp, taking care not to
burn the slices; three minutes will cook them well. Dish them on a hot
platter; then turn off the top of the grease, rinse out the pan, and
put back the clear grease to fry the eggs. Break the eggs separately
in a saucer, that in case a bad one should be among them it may not
mix with the rest. Slip each egg gently into the frying pan. Do not
turn them while they are frying, put keep pouring some of the hot lard
over them with a kitchen spoon; this will do them sufficiently on the
upper side. They will be done enough in about three minutes; the white
must retain its transparency so that the yolk will be seen through it.
When done take them up with a tin slice; drain off the lard, and if
any part of the white is discolored or ragged, trim it off. Lay a
fried egg upon each slice of the ham, and send to table hot.
COLD BACON AND EGGS.
An economical way of using bacon and eggs that have been left from a
previous meal is to put them in a wooden bowl and chop them quite
fine, adding a little mashed or cold chopped potato, and a little
bacon gravy, if any was left. Mix and mould it into little balls, roll
in raw egg and cracker crumbs, and fry in a spider the same as frying
eggs; fry a light brown on both sides. Serve hot. Very appetizing.
SCRAPPEL.
Scrappel is a most palatable dish. Take the head, heart and any lean
scraps of pork, and boil until the flesh slips easily from the bones.
Remove the fat, gristle and bones, then chop fine. Set the liquor in
which the meat was boiled aside until cold, take the cake of fat from
the surface and return to the fire. When it boils put in the chopped
meat and season well with pepper and salt. Let it boil again, then
thicken with corn meal as you would in making ordinary corn meal mush,
by letting it slip through the fingers slowly to prevent lumps. Cook
an hour, stirring constantly at first, afterwards putting back on the
range in a position to boil gently. When done, pour into a long,
square pan, not too deep, and mould. In cold weather this can be kept
several weeks. Cut into slices when cold, and fried brown, as you do
mush, is a cheap and delicious breakfast dish.
TO BAKE A HAM. (Corned.)
Take a medium-sized ham and place it to soak for ten or twelve hours.
Then cut away the rusty part from underneath, wipe it dry, and cover
it rather thickly over with a paste made of flour and water. Put it
into an earthen dish, and set it in a moderately heated oven. When
done, take off the crust carefully, and peel off the skin, put a frill
of cut paper around the knuckle, and raspings of bread over the fat of
the ham, or serve it glazed and garnished with cut vegetables. It will
take about four or five hours to bake it.
Cooked in this way the flavor is much finer than when boiled.
PIGS' FEET PICKLED.
Take twelve pigs' feet, scrape and wash them clean, put them into a
saucepan with enough hot (not boiling) water to cover them. When
partly done, salt them. It requires four to five hours to boil them
soft. Pack them in a stone crock, and pour over them spiced vinegar
made hot. They will be ready to use in a day or two. If you wish them
for breakfast, split them, make a batter of two eggs, a cup of milk,
salt, a teaspoonful of butter, with flour enough to make a thick
batter; dip each piece in this and fry in hot lard. Or, dip them in
beaten egg and flour and fry. Souse is good eaten cold or warm.
BOILED HAM.
First remove all dust and mold by wiping with a coarse cloth; soak it
for an hour in cold water, then wash it thoroughly. Cut with a sharp
knife the hardened surface from the base and butt of the ham. Place it
over the fire in _cold_ water, and let it come to a moderate boil,
keeping it steadily at this point, allowing it to cook twenty minutes
for every pound of meat. A ham weighing twelve pounds will require
four hours to cook properly, as underdone ham is very unwholesome.
When the ham is to be served hot, remove the skin by pealing it off,
place it on a platter, the fat side up, and dot the surface with spots
of black pepper. Stick in also some whole cloves.
If the ham is to be served cold, allow it to remain in the pot until
the water in which it was cooked becomes cold. This makes it more
juicy. Serve it in the same manner as when served hot.
BROILED HAM.
Cut your ham into thin slices, which should be a little less than one
quarter of an inch thick. Trim very closely the skin from the upper
side of each slice, and also trim off the outer edge where the smoke
has hardened the meat. If the ham is very salt lay it in _cold_ water
for one hour before cooking, then wipe with a dry cloth. Never soak
ham in tepid or hot water, as it will toughen the meat.
Broil over a brisk fire, turning the slices constantly. It will
require about five minutes, and should be served the last thing
directly from the gridiron, placed on a warm platter, with a little
butter and a sprinkle of pepper on the top of each slice. If ham or
bacon is allowed to stand by the fire after it has been broiled or
fried, it will speedily toughen, loosing all its grateful juices.
Cold boiled ham is very nice for broiling, and many prefer it to using
the raw ham.
POTTED HAM.
To TWO pounds of lean ham allow one pound of fat, two teaspoonfuls of
powdered mace, half a nutmeg, grated, rather more than half a
teaspoonful of cayenne.
_Mode._--Mince the ham, fat and lean together, in the above
proportion, and pound it well in a mortar, seasoning it with cayenne
pepper, pounded mace and nutmeg; put the mixture into a deep
baking-dish, and bake for half an hour; then press it well into a
stone jar, fill up the jar with clarified lard, cover it closely, and
paste over it a piece of thick paper. If well seasoned, it will keep a
long time in winter, and will be found very convenient for sandwiches,
etc.
BOLOGNA SAUSAGE. (Cooked.)
Two POUNDS of lean pork, two pounds of lean veal, two pounds of fresh
lean beef, two pounds of fat salt pork, one pound of beef suet, ten
tablespoonfuls of powdered sage, one ounce each of parsley, savory,
marjoram and thyme mixed. Two teaspoonfuls of cayenne pepper, the same
of black, one grated nutmeg, one teaspoonful of cloves, one minced
onion, salt to taste. Chop or grind the meat and suet; season, and
stuff into beef skins; tie these up, prick each in several places to
allow the escape of steam; put into hot, not boiling, water, and heat
gradually to the boiling point. Cook slowly for one hour; take out the
skins and lay them to dry in the sun, upon clean sweet straw or hay.
Rub the outside of the skins with oil or melted butter, and place in a
cool, dry cellar. If you wish to keep them more than a week, rub
ginger or pepper on the outside, then wash it off before using. This
is eaten without further cooking. Cut in round slices and lay sliced
lemons around the edge of the dish, as many like to squeeze a few
drops upon the sausage before eating. These are very nice smoked like
hams.
COUNTRY PORK SAUSAGES.
Six pounds lean fresh pork, three pounds of chine fat, three
tablespoonfuls of salt, two of black pepper, four tablespoonfuls of
pounded and sifted sage, two of summer savory. Chop the lean and fat
pork finely, mix the seasoning in with your hands, taste to see that
it has the right flavor, then put them into cases, either the cleaned
intestines of the hog, or make long, narrow bags of stout muslin,
large enough to contain each enough sausage for a family dish. Fill
these with the meat, dip in melted lard, and hang them in a cool, dry,
dark place. Some prefer to pack the meat in jars, pouring melted lard
over it, covering the top, to be taken out as wanted and made into
small round cakes with the hands, then fried brown. Many like spices
added to the seasoning--cloves, mace and nutmeg. This is a matter of
taste.
_Marion Harland_.
TO FRY SAUSAGES.
Put a small piece of lard or butter into the frying pan. Prick the
sausages with a fork, lay them in the melted grease, keep moving them
about, turning them frequently to prevent bursting; in ten or twelve
minutes they will be sufficiently browned and cooked. Another sure way
to prevent the cases from bursting is to cover them with cold water
and let it come to the boiling point; turn off the water and fry them.
Sausages are nicely cooked by putting them in a baking-pan them in the
oven, turning them once or twice. In this way you avoid all smoke and
disagreeable odor. A pound will cook brown in ten minutes in a hot
oven.
HEAD CHEESE.
Boil the forehead, ears and feet, and nice scraps trimmed from the
hams of a fresh pig, until the meat will almost drop from the bones.
Then separate the meat from the bones, put in a large chopping-bowl,
and season with pepper, salt, sage and summer savory. Chop it rather
coarsely; put it back in the same kettle it was boiled in, with just
enough of the liquor in which it was boiled to prevent its burning;
warm it through thoroughly, mixing it well together. Now pour it into
a strong muslin bag, press the bag between two flat surfaces, with a
heavy weight on top; when cold and solid it can be cut in slices. Good
cold, or warmed up in vinegar.
TO CURE HAMS AND BACON. (A Prize Recipe.)
For each hundred pounds of hams, make a pickle of ten pounds of salt,
two pounds of brown sugar, two ounces of saltpetre, one ounce of red
pepper, and from four to four and a half gallons of water, or just
enough to cover the hams, after being packed in a water-tight vessel,
or enough salt to make a brine to float a fresh egg high enough, that
is to say, out of water. First rub the hams with common salt and lay
them into a tub. Take the above ingredients, put them into a vessel
over the fire, and heat it hot, stirring it frequently; remove all the
scum, allow it to boil ten minutes, let it cool and pour over the
meat. After laying in this brine five or six weeks, take out, drain
and wipe, and smoke from two to three weeks. Small pieces of bacon may
remain in this pickle two weeks, which would be sufficient.
TO SMOKE HAMS AND FISH AT HOME.
Take an old hogshead, stop up all the crevices, and fix a place to put
a cross-stick near the bottom, to hang the article to be smoked on.
Next, in the side, cut a hole near the top, to introduce an iron pan
filled with hickory wood sawdust and small pieces of green wood.
Having turned the hogshead upside down, hang the articles upon the
cross-stick, introduce the iron pan in the opening, and place a piece
of red-hot iron in the pan, cover it with sawdust, and all will be
complete. Let a large ham remain ten days, and keep up a good smoke.
The best way for keeping hams is to sew them in coarse cloths,
white-washed on the outside.
TO CURE ENGLISH BACON.
This process is called the "dry cure," and is considered far
preferable to the New England or Yankee style of putting prepared
brine or pickle over the meat. First the hog should not be too large
or too fat, weighing not over two hundred pounds, then after it is
dressed and cooled cut it up into proper pieces; allow to every
hundred pounds a mixture of four quarts of common salt, one quarter of
a pound of saltpetre and four pounds of sugar. Rub this preparation
thoroughly over and into each piece, then place them into a tight tub
or suitable cask; there will a brine form of itself from the juices of
the meat, enough at least to baste it with, which should be done two
or three times a week; turning each piece every time.
In smoking this bacon, the sweetest flavor is derived from black birch
chips, but if these are not to be had, the next best wood is hickory;
the smoking with corn-cobs imparts a rank flavor to this bacon, which
is very distasteful to English people visiting this country. It
requires three weeks or a month to smoke this bacon properly.
_Berkshire Recipe_.
TO TRY OUT LARD.
Skin the leaf lard carefully, cut it into small pieces, and put it
into a kettle or saucepan; pour in a cupful of water to prevent
burning; set it over the fire where it will melt slowly. Stir it
frequently and let it simmer until nothing remains but brown scraps.
Remove the scraps with a perforated skimmer, throw in a little salt to
settle the fat, and, when clear, strain through a coarse cloth into
jars. Remember to watch it constantly, stirring it from the bottom
until the salt is thrown in to settle it; then set it back on the
range until clear. If it scorches it gives it a very bad flavor.
SAUCES AND DRESSINGS.
DRAWN BUTTER.
Melted butter is the foundation of most of the common sauces. Have a
covered saucepan for this purpose. One lined with porcelain will be
best. Take a quarter of a pound of the best fresh butter, cut it up,
and mix with it about one tablespoonful of flour. When it is
thoroughly mixed, put it into the saucepan, and add to it half a
teacupful of hot water. Cover the saucepan and set it in a large tin
pan of boiling water. Shake it round continually (always moving it the
same way) till it is entirely melted and begins to simmer. Then let it
rest till it boils up.
If you set it on too hot a fire it will be oily.
If the butter and flour are not well mixed, it will be lumpy.
If you put in too much water, it will be thin and poor. All these
defects are to be carefully avoided.
In melting butter for sweet or pudding sauce, you may use milk instead
of water.
TARTARE SAUCE.
The raw yolks of two eggs, half a teacupful of pure olive oil, three
tablespoonfuls of vinegar, one of made mustard, one teaspoonful of
sugar, a quarter of a teaspoonful of pepper, one teaspoonful of salt,
one of onion juice, one tablespoonful of chopped capers, one of
chopped cucumber pickle. Put together the same as mayonnaise dressing,
adding the chopped ingredients the last thing.
This sauce is good for fried or boiled fish, boiled tongue, fish
salad, and may be used with fried and broiled meats.
EGG SAUCE, OR WHITE SAUCE.
Mix two tablespoonfuls of sifted flour with half a teacup of warm
butter. Place over the fire a saucepan containing a pint of sweet milk
and a saltspoon of salt, and a dash of white pepper; when it reaches
the boiling point, add the butter and flour, stirring briskly until it
thickens and becomes like cream. Have ready three cold hard-boiled
eggs, sliced and chopped, add them to the sauce; let them heat through
thoroughly, and serve in a boat. If you have plenty of cream, use it
and omit the butter. By omitting the eggs, you have the same as "White
Sauce."
OYSTER SAUCE.
Take a pint of oysters and heat them in their own liquor long enough
to come to a boil, or until they begin to ruffle. Skim out the oysters
into a warm dish, put into the liquor a teacup of milk or cream, two
tablespoonfuls of cold butter, a pinch of cayenne and salt; thicken
with a tablespoonful of flour stirred to a paste, boil up and then add
the oysters.
Oyster sauce is used for fish, boiled turkey, chickens and boiled
white meats of most kinds.
LOBSTER SAUCE.
Put the coral and spawn of a boiled lobster into a mortar with a
tablespoonful of butter; pound it to a smooth mass, then rub it
through a sieve; melt nearly a quarter of a pound of sweet butter,
with a wine-glass of water or vinegar; add a teaspoonful of made
mustard, stir in the coral and spawn, and a little salt and pepper;
stir it until it is smooth and serve. Some of the meat of the lobster
may be chopped fine and stirred into it.
SAUCE FOR SALMON AND OTHER FISH.
One cupful of milk heated to a boil and thickened with a tablespoonful
of cornstarch previously wet up with cold water, the liquor from the
salmon, one great spoonful of butter, one raw egg beaten light, the
juice of half a lemon, mace and cayenne pepper to taste. Add the egg
to thickened milk when you have stirred in the butter and liquor; take
from the fire, season and let it stand in hot water three minutes,
covered. Lastly put in lemon juice and turn out immediately. Pour it
all over and around the salmon.
SAUCE FOR BOILED COD.
To one gill of boiling water add as much milk; stir into this while
boiling two tablespoonfuls of butter gradually, one tablespoonful of
flour wet up with cold water; as it thickens, the chopped yolk of one
boiled egg, and one raw egg beaten light. Take directly from the fire,
season with pepper, salt, a little chopped parsley and the juice of
one lemon, and set covered in boiling water (but not over fire) five
minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour part of the sauce over fish when
dished; the rest in a boat. Serve mashed potatoes with it.
FISH SAUCE. No. 1.
Make a pint of drawn butter, add one tablespoonful of pepper sauce or
Worcestershire sauce, a little salt and six hard-boiled eggs chopped
fine. Pour over boiled fish and garnish with sliced lemon.
Very nice.
FISH SAUCE. No. 2.
Half a cupful of melted butter, half a cupful of vinegar, two
tablespoonfuls of tomato catsup, salt, and a tablespoonful of made
mustard. Boil ten minutes.
CELERY SAUCE.
Mix two tablespoonfuls of flour with half a teacupful of butter; have
ready a pint of boiling milk; stir the flour and butter into the milk;
take three heads of celery, cut into small bits, and boil for a few
minutes in water, which strain off; put the celery into the melted
butter, and keep it stirred over the fire for five or ten minutes.
This is very nice with boiled fowl or turkey. Another way to make
celery sauce is: Boil a head of celery until quite tender, then put it
through a sieve; put the yolk of an egg in a basin, and beat it well
with the strained juice of a lemon; add the celery and a couple of
spoonfuls of liquor in which the turkey was boiled; salt and pepper to
taste.
CAPER SAUCE.
Chop the capers a very little, unless quite small; make half a pint of
drawn butter, to which add the capers, with a large spoonful of the
juice from the bottle in which they are sold; let it just simmer and
serve in a tureen. Nasturtiums much resemble capers in taste, though
larger, and may be used, and, in fact, are preferred by many. They are
grown on a climbing vine, and are cultivated for their blossom and for
pickling. When used as capers they should be chopped more. If
neither capers nor nasturtiums are at hand, some pickles chopped up
form a very good substitute in the sauce.
[Illustration]
BREAD SAUCE.
One cup of stale bread crumbs, one onion, two ounces of butter, pepper
and salt, a little mace. Cut the onion fine, and boil it in milk till
quite soft; then strain the milk on to the stale bread crumbs, and let
it stand an hour. Put it in a saucepan with the boiled onion, pepper,
salt and mace. Give it a boil, and serve in sauce tureen. This sauce
can also be used for grouse, and is very nice. Roast partridges are
nice served with bread crumbs, fried brown in butter, with cranberry
or currant jelly laid beside them in the platter.
TOMATO SAUCE.
Take a quart can of tomatoes, put it over the fire in a stewpan, put
in one slice of onion and two cloves, a little pepper and salt; boil
about twenty minutes; then remove from the fire and strain it through
a sieve. Now melt in another pan an ounce of butter, and as it melts,
sprinkle in a tablespoonful of flour; stir it until it browns and
froths a little. Mix the tomato pulp with it, and it is ready for the
table.
Excellent for mutton, chops, roast beef, etc.
ONION SAUCE.
Work together until light a heaping tablespoonful of flour and half a
cupful of butter, and gradually add two cups of boiling milk; stir
constantly until it come to a boil; then stir into that four tender
boiled onions that have been chopped fine. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with boiled veal, poultry of mutton.
CHILI SAUCE.
Boil together two dozen ripe tomatoes, three small green peppers, or a
half teaspoonful of cayenne pepper, one onion cut fine, half a cup of
sugar. Boil until thick; then add two cups of vinegar; then strain the
whole, set back on the fire and add a tablespoonful of salt, and a
teaspoonful each of ginger, allspice, cloves and cinnamon; boil all
five minutes, remove and seal in glass bottles. This is very nice.
MINT SAUCE.
Take fresh young spearmint leaves stripped from the stems; wash and
drain them, or dry on a cloth. Chop very fine, put in a gravy boat,
and to three tablespoonfuls of mint put two of white sugar; mix and
let it stand a few minutes, then pour over it six tablespoonfuls of
good cider or white-wine vinegar. The sauce should be made some time
before it is to be used, so that the flavor of the mint may be well
extracted. Fine with roast lamb.
SHARP BROWN SAUCE.
Put in a saucepan one tablespoonful of chopped onion, three
tablespoonfuls of good cider vinegar, six tablespoonfuls of water,
three of tomato catsup, a little pepper and salt, half a cup of melted
butter, in which stir a tablespoonful of sifted flour; put all
together and boil until it thickens. This is most excellent with
boiled meats, fish and poultry.
BECHAMEL SAUCE.
Put three tablespoonfuls of butter in a saucepan; add three
tablespoonfuls of sifted flour, quarter of a teaspoonful of nutmeg,
ten peppercorns, a teaspoonful of salt; beat all well together; then
add to this three slices of onion, two slices of carrot, two sprigs of
parsley, two of thyme, a bay leaf and half a dozen mushrooms cut up.
Moisten the whole with a pint of stock or water and a cup of sweet
cream. Set it on the stove and cook slowly for half an hour, watching
closely that it does not burn; then strain through a sieve. Most
excellent with roast veal, meats and fish. _St. Charles Hotel, New
Orleans_.
MAITRE D'HOTEL SAUCE.
Make a teacupful of drawn butter; add to it the juice of a lemon, two
tablespoonfuls of minced onion, three tablespoonfuls of chopped
parsley, a teaspoonful of powdered thyme or summer savory, a pinch of
cayenne and salt. Simmer over the fire and stir well. Excellent with
all kinds of fish.
WINE SAUCE FOR GAME.
Half a glass of currant jelly, half a glass of port wine, half a glass
of water, a tablespoonful of cold butter, a teaspoonful of salt, the
juice of half a lemon, a pinch of cayenne pepper and three cloves.
Simmer all together a few minutes, adding the wine after it is
strained. A few spoonfuls of the gravy from the game may be added to
it. This sauce is especially nice with venison. _Taber House, Denver_.
HOLLANDAISE SAUCE.
Half a teacupful of butter, the juice of half a lemon, the yolk of two
eggs, a speck of cayenne pepper, half a cupful of boiling water, half
a teaspoonful of salt; beat the butter to a cream, add the yolks of
eggs one by one; then the lemon juice, pepper and salt, beating all
thoroughly; place the bowl in which is the mixture in a saucepan of
boiling water; beat with an egg-beater until it begins to thicken
which will be in about a minute; then add the boiling water, beating
all the time; stir until it begins to thicken like soft custard; stir
a few minutes after taking from the fire; be careful not to cook it
too long. This is very nice with baked fish.
CURRANT JELLY SAUCE.
Three tablespoonfuls of butter, one onion, one bay leaf, one sprig of
celery, two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, half a cupful of currant jelly,
one tablespoonful of flour, one pint of stock, salt, pepper. Cook the
butter and onion until the latter begins to color. Add the flour and
herbs. Stir until brown; add the stock, and simmer twenty minutes.
Strain and skim off all the fat. Add the jelly and stir over the fire
until it is melted. Serve with game.
BROWN SAUCE.
Delicious sauce for meats is made in this way: Slice a large onion and
fry in butter till it is brown; then cover the onion with rich brown
gravy, which is left from roast beef; add mustard, salt and pepper,
and if you choose a tablespoonful of Worcestershire sauce; let this
boil up, and if too thick, thin it with a little stock or gravy, or
even a little hot water with butter. Pour this when done through a
fine sieve. Of course a larger quantity can be prepared at once than
is mentioned here.
MUSHROOM SAUCE.
Wash a pint of small button mushrooms, remove the stems and outside
skins, stew them slowly in veal gravy or milk or cream, adding an
onion, and seasoning with pepper, salt and a little butter rolled in
flour. Their flavor will be heightened by salting a few the night
before, to extract the juice. In dressing mushrooms only those of a
dull pearl color on the outside and the under part tinged with pale
pink should be selected. If there is a poisonous one among them, the
onion in the sauce will turn black. In such a case throw the whole
away. Used for poultry, beef or fish.
APPLE SAUCE.
When you wish to serve apple sauce with meat prepare it in this way:
Cook the apples until they are very tender, then stir them thoroughly
so there will be no lumps at all; add the sugar and a little gelatine
dissolved in warm water, a tablespoonful in a pint of sauce; pour the
sauce into bowls, and when cold it will be stiff like jelly, and can
be turned out on a plate. Cranberry sauce can be treated in the same
way. Many prefer this to plain stewing.
Apples cooked in the following way look very pretty on a tea-table,
and are appreciated by the palate. Select firm, round greenings; pare
neatly and cut in halves; place in a shallow stewpan with sufficient
boiling water to cover them, and a cupful of sugar to every six
apples. Each half should cook on the bottom of the pan, and be removed
from the others so as not to injure its shape. Stew slowly until the
pieces are very tender; remove to a dish carefully; boil the syrup
half an hour longer; pour it over the apples and eat cold. A few
pieces of lemon boiled in the syrup adds to the flavor. These sauces
are a fine accompaniment to roast pork or roast goose.
CIDER APPLE SAUCE.
Boil four quarts of new cider until it is reduced to two quarts; then
put into it enough pared and quartered apples to fill the kettle; let
the whole stew over a moderate fire four hours; add cinnamon if liked.
This sauce is very fine with almost any kind of meat.
OLD-FASHIONED APPLE SAUCE.
Pare and chop a dozen medium-sized apples, put them in a deep
pudding-dish; sprinkle over them a heaping coffeecupful of sugar and
one of water. Place them in the oven and bake slowly two hours or
more, or until they are a deep red brown; quite as nice as preserves.
CRANBERRY SAUCE.
One quart of cranberries, two cupfuls of sugar and a pint of water.
Wash the cranberries, then put them on the fire with the water, but in
a covered saucepan. Let them simmer until each cranberry bursts open;
then remove the cover of the saucepan, add the sugar and let them all
boil twenty minutes without the cover. The cranberries must never be
stirred from the time they are placed on the fire. This is an
unfailing recipe for a most delicious preparation of cranberries. Very
fine with turkey and game.
APPLE OMELET.
Apple omelet, to be served with broiled sparerib or roast pork, is
very delicate. Take nine large, tart apples, four, eggs, one cup of
sugar, one tablespoonful of butter; add cinnamon or other spices to
suit your taste; stew the apples till they are very soft; mash them so
that there will be no lumps; add the butter and sugar while they are
still warm; but let them cool before putting in the beaten eggs; bake
this till it is brown; you may put it all in a shallow pudding-dish or
in two tin plates to bake. Very good.
FLAVORED VINEGARS.
Almost all the flavorings used for meats and salads may be prepared in
vinegar with little trouble and expense, and will be found useful to
impart an acid to flavors when lemons are not at hand.
Tarragon, sweet basil, burnet, green mint, sage, thyme, sweet
marjoram, etc., may be prepared by putting three ounces of either of
these herbs, when in blossom, into one gallon of sharp vinegar, let
stand ten days, strain off clear, and bottle for use.
Celery and cayenne may be prepared, using three ounces of the seed as
above.
CUCUMBER VINEGAR.
_Ingredients_.--Ten large cucumbers, or twelve smaller ones, one quart
of vinegar, two onions, two shallots, one tablespoonful of salt, two
tablespoonfuls of pepper, a quarter of a teaspoonful of cayenne.
_Mode_.--Pare and slice the cucumbers, put them in a stone jar, or
wide-mouthed bottle, with the vinegar; slice the onions and shallots,
and add them, with all the other ingredients, to the cucumbers. Let it
stand four or five days; boil it all up, and when cold, strain the
liquor through a piece of muslin, and store it away in small bottles
well sealed. This vinegar is a very nice addition to gravies, hashes,
etc., as well as a great improvement to salads, or to eat with cold
meat.
CURRY POWDER.
To make curry powder, take one ounce of ginger, one ounce of mustard,
one ounce of pepper, three ounces of coriander seed, three ounces of
turmeric, half an ounce of cardamoms, one-quarter ounce of cayenne
pepper, one-quarter ounce of cinnamon, and one-quarter ounce of cumin
seed. Pound all these ingredients very fine in a mortar; sift them and
cork tight in a bottle.
This can be had ready prepared at most druggists, and it is much less
trouble to purchase it than to make it at home.
CURRY SAUCE.
One tablespoonful of butter, one of flour, one teaspoonful of curry
powder, one large slice of onion, one large cupful of stock, salt and
pepper to taste. Cut the onion fine, and fry brown in the butter. Add
the flour and curry powder. Stir for one minute, add the stock and
season with the salt and pepper. Simmer five minutes; then strain and
serve. This sauce can be served with a broil or _saute_ of meat or
fish.
TO BROWN BUTTER.
Put a lump of butter into a hot frying pan and toss it about until it
browns. Stir brown flour into it until it is smooth and begins to
boil. Use it for coloring gravies, and sauces for meats.
TO BROWN FLOUR.
Spread flour upon a tin pie-plate, set it upon the stove or in a
_very_ hot oven, and stir continually, after it begins to color, until
it is brown all through.
Keep it always on hand; put away in glass jars covered closely. It is
excellent for coloring and thickening many dishes.
TO MAKE MUSTARD.
Boil some vinegar; take four spoonfuls of mustard, half of a
teaspoonful of sugar, a saltspoonful of salt, a tablespoonful of
melted butter; mix well.
FRENCH MUSTARD.
Three tablespoonfuls of mustard, one tablespoonful of granulated
sugar, well worked together, then beat in an egg until it is smooth;
add one teacupful of vinegar, a little at a time, working it all
smooth; then set on the stove and cook three or four minutes, stirring
all the time; when cool, add one tablespoonful of the best olive oil,
taking care to get it all thoroughly worked in and smooth. You will
find this very nice. _Mrs. D. Riegel_.
KITCHEN PEPPER.
Mix one ounce of ground ginger, half an ounce each of black pepper,
ground cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, one teaspoonful of ground
cloves, and six ounces of salt. Keep in a tightly corked bottle. _The
Caterer_.
PREPARED COCOANUT. (For Pies, Puddings, etc.)
To prepare cocoanut for future use, first cut a hole through the meat
at one of the holes in the end, draw off the milk, then loosen the
meat by pounding the nut well on all sides. Crack the nut and take out
the meat, and place the pieces of meat in a cool open oven over night,
or for a few hours, to dry; then grate it. If there is more grated
than is needed for present use, sprinkle it with sugar, and spread out
in a cool dry place. When dry enough put away in dry cans or bottles.
Will keep for weeks.
SPICES.
Ginger is the root of a shrub first known in Asia, and now cultivated
in the West Indies and Sierra Leone. The stem grows three or four feet
high and dies every year. There are two varieties of ginger--the white
and black--caused by taking more or less care in selecting and
preparing the roots, which are always dug in winter, when the stems
are withered. The white is the best.
_Cinnamon_ is the inner bark of a beautiful tree, a native of Ceylon,
that grows from twenty to thirty feet in height and lives to be
centuries old.
_Cloves_.--Native to the Molucca Islands, and so called from
resemblance to a nail (_clavis_). The East Indians call them
"changkek" from the Chinese "techengkia" (fragrant nails). They grow
on a straight, smooth-barked tree, about forty feet high. Cloves are
not fruits, but blossoms, gathered before they are quite unfolded.
_Allspice_.--A berry so called because it combines the flavor of
several spices--grows abundantly on the allspice or bayberry tree;
native of South America and the West Indies. A single tree has been
known to produce one hundred and fifty pounds of berries. They are
purple when ripe.
_Black pepper_ is made by grinding the dried berry of a climbing vine,
native to the East Indies. White pepper is obtained from the same
berries, freed from their husk or rind. Red or cayenne pepper is
obtained by grinding the scarlet pod or seed-vessel of a tropical
plant that is now cultivated in all parts of the world.
_Nutmeg_ is the kernel of a small, smooth, pear-shaped fruit that
grows on a tree in the Molucca Islands, and other parts of the East.
The trees commence bearing in the seventh year, and continue fruitful
until they are seventy or eighty years old. Around the nutmeg or
kernel is a bright, brown shell. This shell has a soft, scarlet
covering, which, when flattened out and dried, is known as mace. The
best nutmegs are solid, and emit oil when pricked with a pin.
HERBS FOR WINTER.
To prepare herbs for winter use, such as sage, summer savory, thyme,
mint or any of the sweet herbs, they should be gathered fresh in their
season, or procure them from the market. Examine them well, throwing
out all poor sprigs; then wash and shake them; tie into small bundles,
and tie over the bundles a piece of netting or old lace (to keep off
the dust); hang up in a warm, dry place, the leaves downward. In a few
days the herb will be thoroughly dry and brittle. Or you may place
them in a cool oven and let them remain in it until perfectly dry.
Then pick off all the leaves and the tender tops of the stems; put
them in a clean, large-mouthed bottle that is perfectly dry. When
wanted for use, rub fine, and sift through a sieve. It is much better
to put them in bottles as soon as dried, as long exposure to the air
causes them to lose strength and flavor.
MEATS AND THEIR ACCOMPANIMENTS.
With roast beef: tomato sauce, grated horse-radish, mustard, cranberry
sauce, pickles.
With roast pork: apple sauce, cranberry sauce.
With roast veal: tomato sauce, mushroom sauce, onion sauce and
cranberry sauce. Horse-radish and lemons are good.
With roast mutton: currant jelly, caper sauce.
With boiled mutton: onion sauce, caper sauce.
With boiled fowls: bread sauce, onion sauce, lemon sauce, cranberry
sauce, jellies. Also cream sauce. With roast lamb: mint sauce.
With roast turkey: cranberry sauce, currant jelly. With boiled turkey:
oyster sauce.
With venison or wild ducks: cranberry sauce, currant jelly, or currant
jelly warmed with port wine.
With roast goose: apple sauce, cranberry sauce, grape or currant
jelly.
With boiled fresh mackerel: stewed gooseberries.
With boiled blue fish: white cream sauce, lemon sauce.
With broiled shad: mushroom sauce, parsley or egg sauce.
With fresh salmon: green peas, cream sauce.
Pickles are good with all roast meats, and in fact are suitable
accompaniments to all kinds of meats in general.
Spinach is the proper accompaniment to veal; green peas to lamb. Lemon
juice makes a very grateful addition to nearly all the insipid members
of the fish kingdom. Slices of lemon cut into very small dice and
stirred into drawn butter and allowed to come to the boiling point,
served with fowls, is a fine accompaniment.
VEGETABLES APPROPRIATE TO DIFFERENT DISHES.
Potatoes are good with all meats. With fowls they are nicest mashed.
Sweet potatoes are most appropriate with roast meats, as also are
onions, winter squash, cucumbers and asparagus.
Carrots, parsnips, turnips, greens and cabbage are generally eaten
with boiled meat, and corn, beets, peas and beans are appropriate to
either boiled or roasted meat. Mashed turnip is good with roast pork
and with boiled meats. Tomatoes are good with almost every kind of
meats, especially with roasts.
WARM DISHES FOR BREAKFAST.
The following of hot breakfast dishes may be of assistance in knowing
what to provide for the comfortable meal called breakfast.
Broiled beefsteak, broiled chops, broiled chicken, broiled fish,
broiled quail on toast, fried pork tenderloins, fried pig's feet,
fried oysters, fried clams, fried liver and bacon, fried chops, fried
pork, ham and eggs fried, veal cutlets breaded, sausages, fricasseed
tripe, fricasseed kidneys, turkey or chicken hash, corn beef hash,
beef croquettes, codfish balls, creamed codfish, stewed meats on
toast, poached eggs on toast, omelettes, eggs boiled plain, and eggs
cooked in any of the various styles.
VEGETABLES FOR BREAKFAST.
Potatoes in any of the various modes of cooking, also stewed tomatoes,
stewed corn, raw radishes, cucumbers sliced, tomatoes sliced raw,
water cress, lettuce.
To be included with the breakfast dishes: oatmeal mush, cracked wheat,
hominy or corn-meal mush, these with cream, milk and sugar or syrup.
Then numberless varieties of bread can be selected, in form of rolls,
fritters, muffins, waffles, corn-cakes, griddle-cakes, etc., etc.
For beverages, coffee, chocolate and cocoa, or tea if one prefers it;
these are all suitable for the breakfast table.
When obtainable always have a vase of choice flowers on the breakfast
table; also some fresh fruit, if convenient.
SALADS.
Everything in the make-up of a salad should be of the freshest
material, the vegetables crisp and fresh, the oil or butter the very
best, meats, fowl and fish well cooked, pure cider or white wine
vinegar--in fact, every ingredient first class, to insure success.
The vegetables used in salad are: Beet-root, onions, potatoes,
cabbage, lettuce, celery, cucumbers, lentils, haricots, winter cress,
peas, French beans, radish, cauliflower--all these may be used
judiciously in salad, if properly seasoned, according to the following
directions.
Chervil is a delicious salad herb, invariably found in all salads
prepared by a French _gourmet_. No man can be a true epicure who is
unfamiliar with this excellent herb. It may be procured from the
vegetable stands at Fulton and Washington markets the year round. Its
leaves resemble parsley, but are more divided, and a few of them added
to a breakfast salad give a delightful flavor.
_Chervil Vinegar_.--A few drops of this vinegar added to fish sauces
or salads is excellent, and well repays the little trouble taken in
its preparation. Half fill a bottle with fresh or dry chervil leaves;
fill the bottle with good vinegar and heat it gently by placing it in
warm water, which bring to boiling point; remove from the fire; when
cool cork, and in two weeks it will be ready for use.
MAYONNAISE DRESSING.
Put the yolks of four fresh raw eggs, with two hard-boiled ones, into
a cold bowl. Rub these as smooth as possible before introducing the
oil; a good measure of oil is a tablespoonful to each yolk of raw egg.
All the art consists in introducing the oil by degrees, a few drops at
a time. You can never make a good salad without taking plenty of time.
When the oil is well mixed, and assumes the appearance of jelly, put
in two heaping teaspoonfuls of dry table salt, one of pepper and one
of made mustard. Never put in salt and pepper before this stage of the
process, because the salt and pepper would coagulate the albumen of
the eggs, and you could not get the dressing smooth. Two
tablespoonfuls of vinegar added gradually.
The _Mayonnaise_ should be the thickness of thick cream when finished,
but if it looks like curdling when mixing it, set in the ice-box or in
a _cold_ place for about forty minutes or an hour, then mix it again.
It is a good idea to place it in a pan of cracked ice while mixing.
For lobster salad, use the _coral_, mashed and pressed through a
sieve, then add to the above.
Salad dressing should be kept in a separate bowl in a cold, place, and
not mixed with the salad until the moment it is to be served, or it
may lose its crispness and freshness.
DRESSING FOR COLD SLAW. (Cabbage Salad.)
Beat up two eggs with two tablespoonfuls of sugar, add a piece of
butter the size of half an egg, a teaspoonful of mustard, a little
pepper, and lastly a teacup of vinegar. Put all of these ingredients
into a dish over the fire and cook like a soft custard. Some think it
improved by adding half a cupful of thick sweet cream to this
dressing; in that case use less vinegar. Either way is very fine.
SALAD CREAM DRESSING. No. 1.
One cup fresh cream, one spoonful fine flour, the whites of two eggs
beaten stiff, three spoonfuls of vinegar, two spoonfuls of salad oil
or soft butter, two spoonfuls of powdered sugar, one teaspoonful salt,
one-half teaspoonful pepper, one teaspoonful of made mustard. Heat
cream almost to boiling; stir in the flour, previously wet with cold
milk; boil two minutes, stirring all the time; add sugar and take from
fire. When half cold, beat in whipped whites of egg; set aside to
cool. When quite cold, whip in the oil or butter, pepper, mustard and
salt; if the salad is ready, add vinegar and pour at once over it.
CREAM DRESSING. No. 2.
Two tablespoonfuls of whipped sweet cream, two of sugar and four of
vinegar; beat well and pour over the cabbage, previously cut very fine
and seasoned with salt.
FRENCH SALAD DRESSING.
Mix one saltspoon of pepper with one of salt; add three tablespoonfuls
of olive oil and one even tablespoonful of onion scraped fine; then
one tablespoonful of vinegar; when well mixed, pour the mixture over
your salad and stir all till well mingled.
The merit of a salad is that it should be cool, fresh and crisp. For
vegetables use only the delicate white stalks of celery, the small
heart-leaves of lettuce; or tenderest stalks and leaves of the white
cabbage. Keep the vegetable portion crisp and fresh until the time for
serving, when add the meat. For chicken and fish salads use the
"Mayonnaise dressing." For simple vegetable salads the French dressing
is most appropriate, using onion rather than garlic.
MIXED SUMMER SALAD.
Three heads of lettuce, two teaspoonfuls of green mustard leaves, a
handful of water cresses, five tender radishes, one cucumber, three
hard-boiled eggs, two teaspoonfuls of white sugar, one teaspoonful of
salt, one teaspoonful of pepper, one teaspoonful of made mustard, one
teacupful of vinegar, half a teacupful of oil.
Mix all well together, and serve with a lump of ice in the middle.
"_Common Sense in the Household_."
CHICKEN SALAD.
Boil the fowls tender and remove all the fat, gristle and skin; mince
the meat in small pieces, but do not hash it. To one chicken put twice
and a half its weight in celery, cut in pieces of about one-quarter of
an inch; mix thoroughly and set it in a cool place--the ice chest.
In the meantime prepare a "Mayonnaise dressing," and when ready for
the table pour this dressing over the chicken and celery, tossing and
mixing it thoroughly. Set it in a cool place until ready to serve.
Garnish with celery tips, or cold hard-boiled eggs, lettuce leaves,
from the heart, cold boiled beets or capers, olives.
Crisp cabbage is a good substitute for celery; when celery is not to
be had use celery vinegar in the dressing. Turkey makes a fine salad.
LOBSTER SALAD. No. 1.
Prepare a sauce with the _coral_ of a fine, new lobster, boiled fresh
for about half an hour. Pound and rub it smooth, and mix very
gradually with a dressing made from the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs,
a tablespoonful of made mustard, three of salad oil, two of vinegar,
one of white powdered sugar, a small teaspoonful of salt, as much
black pepper, a pinch of cayenne and yolks of two fresh eggs. Next
fill your salad bowl with some shred lettuce, the better part of two
leaving the small curled centre to garnish your dish with. Mingle with
this the flesh of your lobster, torn, broken or cut into bits seasoned
with salt and pepper and a small portion of the dressing. Pour over
the whole the rest of the dressing; put your lettuce-hearts down the
centre and arrange upon the sides slices of hard-boiled eggs.
LOBSTER SALAD. No. 2.
Using canned lobsters, take a can, skim off all the oil on the
surface, and chop the meat up coarsely on a flat dish. Prepare the
same way six heads of celery; mix a teaspoonful of mustard into a
smooth paste with a little vinegar; add yolks of two fresh eggs; a
tablespoonful of butter, creamed, a small teaspoonful of salt, the
same of pepper, a quarter of a teaspoonful of cayenne pepper, a gill
of vinegar, and the mashed yolks of two hard-boiled eggs. Mix a small
portion of the dressing with the celery and meat, and turn the
remainder over all. Garnish with the green tops of celery and a
hard-boiled egg, cut into thin rings.
FISH SALAD.
Take a fresh white fish or trout, boil and chop it, but not too fine;
put with the same quantity of chopped cabbage, celery or lettuce;
season the same as chicken salad. Garnish with the tender leaves of
the heart of lettuce.
OYSTER SALAD.
Drain the liquor from a quart of fresh oysters. Put them in hot
vinegar enough to cover them placed over the fire; let them remain
until _plump_, but not cooked; then drop them immediately in cold
water, drain off, and mix with them two pickled cucumbers cut fine,
also a quart of celery cut in dice pieces, some seasoning of salt and
pepper. Mix all well together, tossing up with a silver fork. Pour
over the whole a "Mayonnaise dressing." Garnish with celery tips and
slices of hard-boiled eggs arranged tastefully.
DUTCH SALAD.
Wash, split and bone a dozen anchovies, and roll each one up; wash,
split and bone one herring, and cut it up into small pieces; cut up
into dice an equal quantity of Bologna or Lyons sausage, or of smoked
ham and sausages; also, an equal quantity of the breast of cold roast
fowl, or veal; add likewise, always in the same quantity, and cut into
dice, beet-roots, pickled cucumbers, cold boiled potatoes cut in
larger dice, and in quantity according to taste, but at least thrice
as much potato as anything else; add a tablespoohful of capers, the
yolks and whites of some hard-boiled eggs, minced separately, and a
dozen stoned olives; mix all the ingredients well together, reserving
the olives and anchovies to ornament the top of the bowl; beat up
together oil and Tarragon vinegar with white pepper and French mustard
to taste; pour this over the salad and serve.
HAM SALAD.
Take cold boiled ham, fat and lean together, chop it until it is
thoroughly mixed and the pieces are about the size of peas; then add
to this an equal quantity of celery cut fine, if celery is out of
season, lettuce may be substituted. Line a dish thickly with lettuce
leaves and fill with the chopped ham and celery. Make a dressing the
same as for cold slaw and turn over the whole. Very fine.
CRAB SALAD.
Boil three dozen hard-shell crabs twenty-five minutes; drain and let
them cool gradually; remove the upper shell and the tail, break the
remainder apart and pick out the meat carefully. The large claws
should not be forgotten, for they contain a dainty morsel, and the
creamy fat attached to the upper shell should not be overlooked. Line
a salad bowl with the small white leaves of two heads of lettuce, add
the crab meat, pour over it a "Mayonnaise" garnish with crab claws,
hard-boiled eggs and little mounds of cress leaves, which may be mixed
with the salad when served.
COLD SLAW.
Select the finest head of bleached cabbage--that is to say one of the
finest and most compact of the more delicate varieties; cut up enough
into shreds to fill a large vegetable dish or salad bowl--that to be
regulated by the size of the cabbage and the quantity required; shave
very fine and after that chop up, the more thoroughly the better. Put
this into a dish in which it is to be served, after seasoning it well
with salt and pepper. Turn over it a dressing made as for cold slaw;
mix it well and garnish with slices of hard-boiled eggs.
PLAIN COLD SLAW.
Slice cabbage very fine; season with salt, pepper and a little sugar;
pour over vinegar and mix thoroughly. It is nice served in the centre
of a platter with fried oysters around it.
HOT SLAW.
Cut the cabbage as for cold slaw; put it into a stewpan and set it on
the top of the stove for half an hour, or till hot all through; do not
let it boil. Then make a dressing the same as for cold slaw, and,
while hot, pour it over the hot cabbage. Stir it until well mixed and
the cabbage looks coddled. Serve immediately.
TOMATO SALAD.
Peel and slice twelve good, sound, fresh tomatoes; the slices about a
quarter of an inch thick. Set them on the ice or in a refrigerator
while you make the dressing. Make the same as "Mayonnaise," or you may
use "Cream dressing." Take one head of the broad-leaved variety of
lettuce, wash, and arrange them neatly around the sides of a salad
bowl. Place the cold, sliced tomatoes in the centre. Pour over the
dressing and serve.
ENDIVE.
This ought to be nicely blanched and crisp, and is the most wholesome
of all salads. Take two, cut away the root, remove the dark green
leaves, and pick off all the rest; wash and drain well, add a few
chives. Dress with "Mayonnaise dressing."
Endive is extensively cultivated for the adulteration of coffee; is
also a fine relish, and has broad leaves. Endive is of the same nature
as chicory, the leaves being curly.
CELERY SALAD.
Prepare the dressing the same as for tomato salad; cut the celery into
bits half an inch long, and season. Serve at once before the vinegar
injures the crispness of the vegetables.
LETTUCE SALAD.
Take the yolks of three hard-boiled eggs, and salt and mustard to
taste; mash it fine; make a paste by adding a dessertspoonful of olive
oil or melted butter (use butter always when it is difficult to get
_fresh_ oil); mix thoroughly, and then dilute by adding _gradually_ a
teacupful of vinegar, and pour over the lettuce. Garnish by _slicing_
another egg and laying over the lettuce. This is sufficient for a
moderate-sized dish of lettuce.
POTATO SALAD, HOT.
Pare six or eight large potatoes, and boil till done, and slice thin
while hot; peel and cut up three large onions into small bits and mix
with the potatoes; cut up some breakfast bacon into small bits,
sufficient to fill a teacup and fry it a light brown; remove the meat,
and into the grease stir three tablespoonfuls of vinegar, making a
sour gravy, which with the bacon pour over the potato and onion; mix
lightly. To be eaten when hot.
POTATO SALAD, COLD.
Chop cold boiled potatoes fine, with enough raw onions to season
nicely; make a dressing as for lettuce salad, and pour over it.
BEAN SALAD.
String young beans; break into half-inch pieces or leave whole; wash
and cook soft in salt water; drain well; add finely chopped onions,
pepper, salt and vinegar; when cool, add olive oil or melted butter.
TO DRESS CUCUMBERS RAW.
They should be as fresh from the vine as possible, few vegetables
being more unwholesome when long gathered. As soon as they are brought
in lay them in cold water. Just before they are to go to the table
take them out, pare them and slice them into a pan of fresh cold
water. When they are all sliced, transfer them to a deep dish; season
them with a little salt and black pepper, and pour over them some of
the best vinegar. You may mix with them a small quantity of sliced
onions, not to be eaten, but to communicate a slight flavor of onion
to the vinegar.
CELERY UNDRESSED.
Celery is sometimes sent to the table without dressing. Scrape the
outside stalks, and cut off the green tops and the roots; lay it in
cold water until near the time to serve, then change the water, in
which let it stand three or four minutes; split the stalks in three,
with a sharp knife, being careful not to break them, and serve in
goblet-shaped salad glasses.
To crisp celery, let it lie in ice-water two hours before serving; to
fringe the stalks, stick several coarse needles into a cork, and draw
the stalk half way from the top through the needles several times and
lay in the refrigerator to curl and crisp.
RADISHES.
All the varieties are generally served in the same manner, by scraping
and placing on the table in glasses containing some cold water to keep
them fresh looking.
PEPPERGRASS AND CRESS.
These are used mostly as an appetizer, served simply with salt.
Cresses are occasionally used in making salad.
HORSE-RADISH.
Horse-radish is an agreeable relish, and has a particularly fresh
taste in the spring; is scraped fine or grated, and set on the table
in a small covered cup; much that is bottled and sold as horse-radish
is adulterated with grated turnip.
LETTUCE.
Wash each leaf separately, breaking them from the head; crisp in
ice-water and serve the leaves whole, to be prepared at table,
providing hard-boiled eggs cut in halves or slices, oil and other
ingredients, to be mixed at table to individual taste.
CATSUPS.
TOMATO CATSUP. No. 1.
Put into two quarts of tomato pulp (or two cans of canned tomatoes)
one onion, cut fine, two tablespoonfuls of salt and three
tablespoonfuls of brown sugar. Boil until quite thick; then take from
the fire and strain it through a sieve, working it until it is all
through but the seeds. Put it back on the stove, and add two
tablespoonfuls of mustard, one of allspice, one of black pepper and
one of cinnamon, one teaspoonful of ground cloves, half a teaspoonful
of cayenne pepper, one grated nutmeg, one pint of good vinegar; boil
it until it will just run from the mouth of a bottle. It should be
watched, stirred often, that it does not burn. If sealed tight while
_hot_, in large-mouthed bottles, it will keep good for years.
TOMATO CATSUP. No. 2.
Cook one gallon of choice ripe tomatoes; strain them, and cook again
until they become quite thick. About fifteen minutes before taking up
put into them a small level teaspoonful of cayenne pepper, one
tablespoonful of mustard seed, half a tablespoonful of whole cloves,
one tablespoonful of whole allspice, all tied in a thin muslin bag. At
the same time, add one heaping tablespoonful of sugar, and one
teacupful of best vinegar and salt to suit the taste. Seal up
air-tight, either in bottles or jugs. This is a valuable Southern
recipe.
GREEN TOMATO CATSUP.
One peck of green tomatoes and two large onions sliced. Place them in
layers, sprinkling salt between; let them stand twenty-four hours and
then drain them. Add a quarter of a pound of mustard seed, one ounce
allspice, one ounce cloves, one ounce ground mustard, one ounce ground
ginger, two tablespoonfuls black pepper, two teaspoonfuls celery seed,
a quarter of a pound of brown sugar. Put all in preserving-pan, cover
with vinegar and boil two hours; then strain through a sieve and
bottle for use.
WALNUT CATSUP.
One hundred walnuts, six ounces of shallots, one head of garlic, half
a pound of salt, two quarts of vinegar, two ounces of anchovies, two
ounces of pepper, a quarter of an ounce of mace, half an ounce of
cloves; beat in a large mortar a hundred green walnuts until they are
thoroughly broken; then put them into a jar with six ounces of
shallots cut into pieces, a head of garlic, two quarts of vinegar and
the half pound of salt; let them stand for a fortnight, stirring them
twice a day. Strain off the liquor, put into a stewpan with the
anchovies, whole pepper, half an ounce of cloves and a quarter of an
ounce of mace; boil it half an hour, skimming it well. Strain it off,
and, when cold, pour it clear from any sediment into small bottles,
cork it down closely and store it in a dry place. The sediment can be
used for flavoring sauces.
OYSTER CATSUP.
One pint of oyster meats, one teacupful of sherry, a tablespoonful of
salt, a teaspoonful of cayenne pepper, the same of powdered mace, a
gill of cider vinegar.
Procure the oysters very fresh and open sufficient to fill a pint
measure; save the liquor and scald the oysters in it with the sherry;
strain the oysters and chop them fine with the salt, cayenne and mace,
until reduced to a pulp; then add it to the liquor in which they were
scalded; boil it again five minutes and skim well; rub the whole
through a sieve, and, when cold, bottle and cork closely. The corks
should be sealed.
MUSHROOM CATSUP.
Use the larger kind known as umbrellas or "flaps." They must be very
fresh and not gathered in very wet weather, or the catsup will be less
apt to keep. Wash and cut them in two to four pieces, and place them
in a wide, flat jar or crock in layers, sprinkling each layer with
salt, and let them stand for twenty-four hours; take them out and
press out the juice, when bottle and cork; put the mushrooms back
again, and in another twenty-four hours press them again; bottle and
cork; repeat this for the third time, and then mix together all the
juice extracted; add to it pepper, allspice, one or more cloves
according to quantity, pounded together; boil the whole, and skim as
long as any scum rises; bottle when cool; put in each bottle two
cloves and a pepper-corn. Cork and seal, put in a dry place, and it
will keep for years.
GOOSEBERRY CATSUP.
Ten pounds of fruit gathered just before ripening, five pounds of
sugar, one quart of vinegar, two tablespoonfuls each of ground black
pepper, allspice and cinnamon. Boil the fruit in vinegar until reduced
to a pulp, then add sugar and the other seasoning. Seal it hot.
Grape catsup is made in the same manner.
CUCUMBER CATSUP.
Take cucumbers suitable for the table; peel and grate them, salt a
little, and put in a bag to drain over night; in the morning season to
taste with salt, pepper and vinegar, put in small jars and seal tight
for fall or winter use.
CURRANT CATSUP.
Four pounds of currants, two pounds of sugar, one pint of vinegar, one
teaspoonful of cloves, a tablespoonful of cinnamon, pepper and
allspice. Boil in a porcelain saucepan until thoroughly cooked. Strain
through a sieve all but the skins; boil down until just thick enough
to run freely from the mouth of a bottle when cold. Cork and set
aside.
APPLE CATSUP.
Peel and quarter a dozen sound, tart apples; stew them until soft in
as little water as possible, then pass them through a sieve. To a
quart of the sifted apple, add a teacupful of sugar, one teaspoonful
of pepper, one of cloves, one of mustard, two of cinnamon, and two
medium-sized onions, chopped _very_ fine. Stir all together, adding a
tablespoonful of salt and a pint of vinegar. Place over the fire and
boil one hour, and bottle while hot; seal very tight. It should be
about as thick as tomato catsup, so that it will just run from the
bottle.
CELERY VINEGAR.
A quart of fresh celery, chopped fine, or a quarter of a pound of
celery seed; one quart of best vinegar; one tablespoonful of salt, and
one of white sugar. Put the celery or seed into a jar, heat the
vinegar, sugar and salt; pour it boiling hot over the celery, let it
cool, cover it tightly and set away. In two weeks strain and bottle.
SPICED VINEGAR.
Take one quart of cider vinegar, put into it half an ounce of celery
seed, one-third of an ounce of dried mint, one-third of an ounce of
dried parsley, one garlic, three small onions, three whole cloves, a
teaspoonful of whole pepper-corns, a teaspoonful of grated nutmeg,
salt to taste and a tablespoonful of sugar; add a tablespoonful of
good brandy. Put all into a jar, and cover it well; let it stand for
three weeks, then strain and bottle it well. Useful for flavoring
salad and other dishes.
PICKLES.
Pickles should never be put into vessels of brass, copper or tin, as
the action of the acid on such metals often results in poisoning the
pickles. Porcelain or granite-ware is the best for such purposes.
Vinegar that is used for pickling should be the best cider or
white-wine, and should never be boiled more than five or six minutes,
as it reduces its strength. In putting away pickles, use stone or
glass jars; the glazing on common earthenware is rendered injurious by
the action of the vinegar. When the jar is nearly filled with the
pickles, the vinegar should completely cover them, and if there is any
appearance of their not doing well, turn off the vinegar, cover with
fresh vinegar and spices. Alum in small quantities is useful in
making them firm and crisp. In using ground spices, tie them up in
muslin bags.
To green pickles, put green grape-vine leaves or green cabbage leaves
between them when heating. Another way is to heat them in strong
ginger tea. Pickles should be kept closely covered, put into glass
jars and sealed tightly.
"Turmeric" is India saffron, and is used very much in pickling as a
coloring.
A piece of horse-radish put into a jar of pickles will keep the
vinegar from losing its strength, and the pickles will keep sound much
longer, especially tomato pickles.
CUCUMBER PICKLES.
Select the medium, small-sized cucumbers. For one bushel make a brine
that will bear up an egg; heat it boiling hot and pour it over the
cucumbers; let them stand twenty-four hours, then wipe them dry; heat
some vinegar boiling hot and pour over them, standing again
twenty-four hours. Now change the vinegar, putting on fresh vinegar,
adding one quart of brown sugar, a pint of white mustard seed, a small
handful of whole cloves, the same of cinnamon sticks, a piece of alum
the size of an egg, half a cup of celery seed; heat it all boiling hot
and pour over the cucumbers.
SLICED CUCUMBER PICKLE.
Take one gallon of medium-sized cucumbers, put them into a jar or
pail. Put into enough _boiling_ water to cover them a small handful of
salt, turn it over them and cover closely; repeat this three mornings,
and the fourth morning scald enough cider vinegar to cover them,
putting into it a piece of alum as large as a walnut, a teacup of
horse-radish root cut up fine; then tie up in a small muslin bag, one
teaspoonful of mustard, one of ground cloves, and one of cinnamon.
Slice up the cucumbers half of an inch thick, place them in glass jars
and pour the scalding vinegar over them. Seal tight and they will keep
good a year or more.
_Mrs. Lydia C. Wright, South Vernon, Vermont._
CUCUMBER PICKLES. (For Winter Use.)
A good way to put down cucumbers, a few at a time:--
When gathered from the vines, wash, and put in a firkin or half barrel
layers or cucumbers and rock-salt alternately, enough salt to make
sufficient brine to cover them, no water; cover with a cloth; keep
them under the brine with a heavy board; take off the cloth, and rinse
it every time you put in fresh cucumbers, as a scum will rise and
settle upon it. Use plenty of salt and it will keep a year. To prepare
pickles for use, soak in hot water, and keep in a warm place until
they are fresh enough, then pour spiced vinegar over them and let them
stand over night, then pour that off and put on fresh.
GREEN TOMATO PICKLES. (Sweet.)
One peck of green tomatoes, sliced the day before you are ready for
pickling, sprinkling them through and through with salt, not _too_
heavily; in the morning drain off the liquor that will drain from
them. Have a dozen good-sized onions rather coarsely sliced; take a
suitable kettle and put in a layer of the sliced tomatoes, then of
onions, and between each layer sprinkle the following spices: Six
_red_ peppers chopped coarsely, one cup of sugar, one tablespoonful of
ground allspice, one tablespoonful of ground cinnamon, a teaspoonful
of cloves, one tablespoonful of mustard. Turn over three pints of good
vinegar, or enough to completely cover them; boil until tender. This
is a choice recipe.
If the flavor of onions is objectionable, the pickle is equally as
good without them.
GREEN TOMATO PICKLES. (Sour.)
Wash and slice, without peeling, one peck of sound green tomatoes, put
them into a jar in layers with a slight sprinkling of salt between.
This may be done over night; in the morning drain off the liquor that
has accumulated. Have two dozen medium-sized onions peeled and sliced,
also six red peppers chopped fine. Make some spiced vinegar by boiling
for half an hour a quart of cider vinegar with whole spices in it. Now
take a porcelain kettle and place in it some of the sliced tomatoes,
then some of the sliced onions; shake in some black pepper and some of
the chopped red peppers; pour over some of the spiced vinegar; then
repeat with the tomatoes, onions, etc., until the kettle is full;
cover with cold, pure cider vinegar and cook until tender, but not too
soft. Turn into a jar well covered and set in a cool place.
PICKLED MUSHROOMS.
Sufficient vinegar to cover the mushrooms; to each quart of mushrooms
two blades pounded mace, one ounce ground pepper, salt to taste.
Choose some nice young button mushrooms for pickling and rub off the
skin with a piece of flannel and salt, and cut off the stalks; if very
large, take out the red inside, and reject the black ones, as they are
too old. Put them in a stewpan, sprinkle salt over them, with pounded
mace and pepper in the above proportion; shake them well over a clear
fire until the liquor flows and keep them there until it is all dried
up again; then add as much vinegar as will cover them; just let it
simmer for one minute and store it away in stone jars for use. When
cold tie down with bladder and keep in a dry place; they will remain
good for a length of time, and are generally considered excellent for
flavoring stews and other dishes.
PICKLED CABBAGE. (Purple.)
Cut a sound cabbage into quarters, spread it on a large flat platter
or dish and sprinkle thickly with salt; set it in a cool place for
twenty-four hours; then drain off the brine, wipe it dry and lay it in
the sun two hours, and cover with cold vinegar for twelve hours.
Prepare a pickle by seasoning enough vinegar to cover the cabbage with
equal quantities of mace, allspice, cinnamon and black pepper, a cup
of sugar to every gallon of vinegar, and a teaspoonful of celery seed
to every pint. Pack the cabbage in a stone jar; boil the vinegar and
spices five minutes and pour on hot. Cover and set away in a cool, dry
place. It will be good in a month. A few slices of beetroot improves
the color.
PICKLED WHITE CABBAGE.
This recipe recommends itself as of a delightful flavor yet easily
made, and a convenient substitute for the old-fashioned, tedious
method of pickling the same vegetable. Take a peck of quartered
cabbage, put a layer of cabbage and one of salt, let it remain over
night; in the morning squeeze them and put them on the fire, with four
chopped onions covered with vinegar; boil for half an hour, then add
one ounce of turmeric, one gill of black pepper, one gill of celery
seed, a few cloves, one tablespoonful of allspice, a few pieces of
ginger, half an ounce of mace, and two pounds of brown sugar. Let it
boil half an hour longer, and when cold it is fit for use. Four
tablespoonfuls of made mustard should be added with the other
ingredients.
PICKLED CAULIFLOWER.
Break the heads into small pieces and boil ten or fifteen minutes in
salt and water; remove from the water and drain carefully. When cold,
place in a jar, and pour over it hot vinegar, in which has been
scalded a liberal supply of whole cloves, pepper, allspice and white
mustard. Tie the spices in a bag, and, on removing the vinegar from
the fire, stir into each quart of it two teaspoonfuls of French
mustard, and half a cup of white sugar. Cover tightly and be sure to
have the vinegar cover the pickle.
PICKLED GREEN PEPPERS.
Take two dozen large, green, bell peppers, extract the seeds by
cutting a slit in the side (so as to leave them whole). Make a strong
brine and pour over them; let them stand twenty-four hours. Take them
out of the brine, and soak them in water for a day and a night; now
turn off this water and scald some vinegar, in which put a small piece
of alum, and pour over them, letting them stand three days. Prepare a
stuffing of two hard heads of white cabbage, chopped fine, seasoned
slightly with salt and a cup of white mustard seed; mix it well and
stuff the peppers hard and full; stitch up, place them in a stone jar,
and pour over spiced vinegar scalding hot. Cover tightly.
GREEN PEPPER MANGOES.
Select firm, sound, green peppers, and add a few red ones as they are
ornamental and look well upon the table. With a sharp knife remove the
top, take out the seed, soak over night in salt water, then fill with
chopped cabbage and green tomatoes, seasoned with salt, mustard seed
and ground cloves. Sew on the top. Boil vinegar sufficient to cover
them, with a cup of brown sugar, and pour over the mangoes. Do this
three mornings, then seal.
CHOWCHOW. (Superior English Recipe.)
This excellent pickle is seldom made at home, as we can get the
imported article so much better than it can be made from the usual
recipes. This we vouch for being as near the genuine article as can
be made: One quart of young, tiny cucumbers, not over two inches
long, two quarts of _very_ small white onions, two quarts of tender
string beans, each one cut in halves, three quarts of green tomatoes,
sliced and chopped very coarsely, two fresh heads of cauliflower, cut
into small pieces, or two heads of white, hard cabbage.
After preparing these articles, put them in a stone jar, mix them
together, sprinkling salt between them sparingly. Let them stand
twenty-four hours, then drain off _all_ the brine that has
accumulated. Now put these vegetables in a preserving kettle over the
fire, sprinkling through them an ounce of turmeric for coloring, six
red peppers, chopped coarsely, four tablespoonfuls of mustard seed,
two of celery seed, two of whole allspice, two of whole cloves, a
coffee cup of sugar, and two-thirds of a teacup of best ground mixed
mustard. Pour on enough of the best cider vinegar to cover the whole
well; cover tightly and simmer all well until it is cooked all through
and seems tender, watching and stirring it often. Put in bottles or
glass jars. It grows better as it grows older, especially if sealed
when hot.
PICKLED ONIONS.
Peel small onions until they are white. Scald them in salt and water
until tender, then take them up, put them into wide-mouthed bottles,
and pour over them hot spiced vinegar; when cold cork them close. Keep
in a dry, dark place. A tablespoonful of sweet oil may be put in the
bottles before the cork. The best sort of onions for pickling are the
small white buttons.
PICKLED MANGOES.
Let the mangoes, or young musk-melons, lie in salt water, strong
enough to bear an egg, for two weeks; then soak them in pure water for
two days, changing the water two or three times; then remove the seeds
and put the mangoes in a kettle, first a layer of grape leaves, then
mangoes, and so on until all are in, covering the top with leaves; add
a lump of alum the size of a hickory nut; pour vinegar over them and
boil them ten or fifteen minutes; remove the leaves and let the
pickles stand in this vinegar for a week; then stuff them with the
following mixture: One pound of ginger soaked in brine for a day or
two, and cut in slices, one ounce of black pepper, one of mace, one of
allspice, one of turmeric, half a pound of garlic, soaked for a day
or two in brine and then dried; one pint grated horse-radish, one of
black mustard seed and one of white mustard seed; bruise all the
spices and mix with a teacup of pure olive oil; to each mango add one
teaspoonful of brown sugar; cut one solid head of cabbage fine; add
one pint of small onions, a few small cucumbers and green tomatoes;
lay them in brine a day and a night, then drain them well and add the
imperfect mangoes chopped fine and the spices; mix thoroughly, stuff
the mangoes and tie them; put them in a stone jar and pour over them
the best cider vinegar; set them in a bright, dry place until they are
canned. In a month add three pounds of brown sugar; if this is not
sufficient, add more until agreeable to taste. This is for four dozen
mangoes.
PICKLE OF RIPE CUCUMBERS.
This is a French recipe and is the most excellent of all the
high-flavored condiments; it is made by _sun-drying_ thirty _old_,
full grown cucumbers, which have first been pared and split, had the
seeds taken out, been salted and let stand twenty-four hours. The sun
should be permitted to _dry_, not simply drain them. When they are
moderately dry, wash them with vinegar and place them in layers in a
jar, alternating them with a layer of horse-radish, mustard seed,
garlic and onions for each layer of cucumbers. Boil in one quart of
vinegar, one ounce of race ginger, half an ounce of allspice and the
same of turmeric; when cool pour this over the cucumbers, tie up
tightly and set away. This pickle requires several months to mature
it, but is delicious when old, keeps admirably, and only a little is
needed as a relish.
PICKLED OYSTERS.
One gallon of oysters; wash them well in their own liquor; carefully
clear away the particles of shell, then put them into a kettle, strain
the liquor over them, add salt to your taste, let them just come to
the boiling point, or until the edges curl up; then skim them out and
lay in a dish to cool; put a sprig of mace and a little cold pepper
and allow the liquor to boil some time, skimming it now and then so
long as any skum rises. Pour it into a pan and let it cool. When
perfectly cool, add a half pint of strong vinegar, place the oysters
in a jar and pour the liquor over them.
RIPE CUCUMBER PICKLES. (Sweet.)
Pare and seed ripe cucumbers. Slice each cucumber lengthwise into four
pieces, or cut it into fancy shapes, as preferred. Let them stand
twenty-four hours covered with cold vinegar. Drain them; then put them
into fresh vinegar, with two pounds of sugar and one ounce of cassia
buds to one quart of vinegar, and a tablespoonful of salt. Boil all
together twenty minutes. Cover them closely in a jar.
PICCALILLI.
One peck of green tomatoes; eight large onions chopped fine, with one
cup of salt well stirred in. Let it stand over night; in the morning
drain off all the liquor. Now take two quarts of water and one of
vinegar, boil all together twenty minutes. Drain all through a sieve
or colander. Put it back into the kettle again; turn over it two
quarts of vinegar, one pound of sugar, half a pound of white mustard
seed, two tablespoonfuls of ground pepper, two of cinnamon, one of
cloves, two of ginger, one of allspice, and half a teaspoonful of
cayenne pepper. Boil all together fifteen minutes or until tender.
Stir it often to prevent scorching. Seal in glass jars.
A most delicious accompaniment for any kind of meat or fish.
_Mrs. St. Johns._
PICKLED EGGS.
Pickled eggs are very easily prepared and most excellent as an
accompaniment for cold meats. Boil quite hard three dozen eggs, drop
in cold water and remove the shells, and pack them when entirely cold
in a wide-mouthed jar, large enough to let them in or out without
breaking. Take as much vinegar as you think will cover them entirely
and boil it in white pepper, allspice, a little root ginger; pack them
in stone or wide-mouthed glass jars, occasionally putting in a
tablespoonful of white and black mustard seed mixed, a small piece of
race ginger, garlic, if liked, horse-radish ungrated, whole cloves,
and a very little allspice. Slice two of three green peppers, and add
in very small quantities. They will be fit for use in eight or ten
days.
AN ORNAMENTAL PICKLE.
Boil fresh eggs half an hour, then put them in cold water. Boil red
beets until tender, peel and cut in dice form, and cover with vinegar,
spiced; shell the eggs and drop into the pickle jar.
EAST INDIA PICKLE.
Lay in strong brine for two weeks, or until convenient to use them,
small cucumbers, very small common white onions, snap beans, gherkins,
hard white cabbage quartered, plums, peaches, pears, lemons, green
tomatoes and anything else you may wish. When ready, take them out of
the brine and simmer in pure water until tender enough to stick a
straw through--if still too salt, soak in clear water; drain
thoroughly and lay them in vinegar in which is dissolved one ounce of
turmeric to the gallon. For five gallons of pickle, take two ounces of
mace, two of cloves, two of cinnamon, two of allspice, two of celery
seed, a quarter of a pound of white race ginger, cracked fine, half a
pound of white mustard seed, half a pint of small red peppers, quarter
of a pound of grated horse-radish, half a pint of flour mustard, two
ounces of turmeric, half a pint of garlic, if you like; soak in two
gallons of cider vinegar for two weeks, stirring daily. After the
pickles have lain in the turmeric vinegar for a week, take them out
and put in jars or casks, one layer of pickle and one of spice out of
the vinegar, till all is used. If the turmeric vinegar is still good
and strong, add it and the spiced vinegar. If the turmeric vinegar be
much diluted do not use it, but add enough fresh to the spiced to
cover the pickles; put it on the fire with a pound of brown sugar to
each gallon; when boiling, pour over the pickle. Repeat this two or
three times as your taste may direct.
MIXED PICKLES.
Scald in salt water until tender cauliflower heads, small onions,
peppers, cucumbers cut in dice, nasturtiums and green beans; then
drain until dry and pack into wide-mouthed bottles. Boil in each pint
of cider vinegar one tablespoonful of sugar, half a teaspoonful of
salt and two tablespoonfuls of mustard; pour over the pickle and seal
carefully. Other spices may be added if liked.
BLUEBERRY PICKLES.
For blueberry pickles, old jars which have lost their covers, or whose
edges have been broken so that the covers will not fit tightly, serve
an excellent purpose as these pickles _must not_ be kept air-tight.
Pick over your berries, using only sound ones; fill your jars or
wide-mouthed bottles to within an inch of the top, then pour in
molasses enough to settle down into _all_ the spaces; this cannot be
done in a moment, as molasses does not _run_ very freely. Only lazy
people will feel obliged to stand by and watch its progress. As it
settles, pour in more until the berries are covered. Then tie over the
top a piece of cotton cloth to keep the flies and other insects out
and set away in the preserve closet. Cheap molasses is good enough,
and your pickles will soon be "sharp." Wild grapes may be pickled in
the same manner.
PICKLED BUTTERNUTS AND WALNUTS.
These nuts are in the best state for pickling when the outside shell
can be penetrated by the head of a pin. Scald them and rub off the
outside skin, put them in a strong brine for six days, changing the
water every other day, keeping them closely covered from the air. Then
drain and wipe them (piercing each nut through in several places with
a large needle) and prepare the pickle as follows: For a hundred large
nuts, take of black pepper and ginger root each an ounce; and of
cloves, mace and nutmeg, each a half ounce. Pound all the spices to
powder and mix them well together, adding two large spoonfuls of
mustard seed. Put the nuts into jars (having first stuck each of them
through in several places with a large needle), strewing the powdered
seasoning between every layer of nuts. Boil for five minutes a gallon
of the very best cider vinegar and pour it boiling hot upon the nuts.
Secure the jars closely with corks. You may begin to eat the nuts in a
fortnight.
WATERMELON PICKLE.
Ten pounds of watermelon rind boiled in pure water until tender; drain
the water off, and make a syrup of two pounds of white sugar, one
quart of vinegar, half an ounce of cloves, one ounce of cinnamon. The
syrup to be poured over the rind boiling hot three days in succession.
SWEET PICKLE FOR FRUIT.
Most of the recipes for making a sweet pickle for fruit, such as
cling-stone peaches, damsons, plums, cherries, apricots, etc., are so
similar, that we give that which is most successfully used.
To every quart of fruit, allow a cup of white sugar and a large pint
of good cider vinegar, adding half an ounce of _stick_ cinnamon, one
tablespoonful of _whole_ cloves, the same of whole allspice. Let it
come to a boil, and pour it hot over the fruit; repeat this two or
three days in succession; then seal hot in glass jars if you wish to
keep it for a long time.
The _fruit_, not the liquor, is to be eaten, and used the same as any
pickle. Some confound this with "Spiced Fruit," which is not treated
the same, one being a pickle, the other a spiced preserve boiled down
thick.
Damsons and plums should be pricked with a needle, and peaches washed
with a weak lye, and then rubbed with a coarse cloth to remove the
fur.
PEAR PICKLE.
Select small, sound ones, remove the blossom end, stick them with a
fork, allow to each quart of pears one pint of cider vinegar and one
cup of sugar, put in a teaspoonful allspice, cinnamon and cloves to
boil with the vinegar; then add the pears and boil, and seal in jars.
SPICED CURRANTS.
Seven pounds of fruit, four pounds of sugar, one pint of good cider
vinegar, one tablespoonful of ground cinnamon, one teaspoonful of
cloves. Put into a kettle and boil until the fruit is soft; then skim
out the fruit, putting it on dishes until the syrup is boiled down
thick. Turn the fruit back into the syrup again, so as to heat it all
through; then seal it hot in glass jars, and set it in a cool, dark
place.
Any tart fruit may be put up in this way, and is considered a very
good embellishment for cold meats.
SPICED PLUMS.
Seven pounds of plums, one pint of _cider_ vinegar, four pounds of
sugar, two tablespoonfuls of broken cinnamon bark, half as much of
whole cloves and the same of broken nutmeg; place these in a muslin
bag and simmer them in a little vinegar and water for half an hour;
then add it all to the vinegar and sugar, and bring to a boil; add the
plums and boil carefully until they are cooked tender. Before cooking
the plums they should be pierced with a darning needle several times;
this will prevent the skins bursting while cooking.
SPICED GRAPES.
Take the pulp from the grapes, preserving the skins. Boil the pulp and
rub through a colander to get out the seeds; then add the skins to the
strained pulp and boil with the sugar, vinegar and spices. To every
seven pounds of grapes use four and one-half pounds of sugar, one pint
of good vinegar. Spice quite highly with ground cloves and allspice,
with a little cinnamon.
PICKLED CHERRIES.
Select sound, large cherries, as large as you can get them; to every
quart of cherries allow a large cupful of vinegar, two tablespoonfuls
of sugar, a dozen whole cloves, and half a dozen blades of mace; put
the vinegar and sugar on to heat with the spices; boil five minutes,
turn out into a covered stoneware vessel; cover and let it get
perfectly cold; pack the cherries into jars, and pour the vinegar over
them when cold; cork tightly and set away; they are fit for use almost
immediately.
VEGETABLES.
Vegetables of all kinds should be thoroughly picked over, throwing out
all decayed or unripe parts, then well washed in several waters. Most
vegetables, when peeled, are better when laid in cold water a short
time before cooking. When partly cooked a little salt should be thrown
into the water in which they are boiled, and they should cook steadily
after they are put on, not allowed to stop boiling or simmering until
they are thoroughly done. Every sort of culinary vegetable is much
better when freshly gathered and cooked as soon as possible, and, when
done, thoroughly drained, and served immediately while hot.
Onions, cabbage, carrots and turnips should be cooked in a great deal
of water, boiled only long enough to sufficiently cook them, and
immediately drained. Longer boiling makes them insipid in taste, and
with _too little_ water they turn a dark color.
Potatoes rank first in importance in the vegetable line, and
consequently should be properly served. It requires some little
intelligence to cook even so simple and common a dish as boiled
potatoes. In the first place, all defective or green ones should be
cast out; a bad one will flavor a whole dish. If they are not uniform
in size, they should be made so by cutting after they are peeled. The
best part of a potato, or the most nutritious, is next to the skin,
therefore they should be pared very thinly, if at all; then, if old,
the cores should be cut out, thrown into _cold_ water salted a little,
and boiled until soft enough for a fork to pierce through easily;
drain immediately, and replace the kettle on the fire with the cover
partly removed, until they are completely dried. New potatoes should
be put into boiling water, and when partly done salted a little. They
should be prepared just in time for cooking by scraping off the thin
outside skin. They require about twenty minutes to boil.
TO BOIL NEW POTATOES.
Do not have the potatoes dug long before they are dressed, as they are
never good when they have been out of the ground for some time. Well
wash them, rub off the skins with a coarse cloth, and put them in
_boiling_ water salted. Let them boil until tender; try them with a
fork, and when done pour the water away from them; let them stand by
the side of the fire with the lid of the saucepan partly removed, and
when the potatoes are thoroughly dry, put them in a hot vegetable
dish, with a piece of butter the size of a walnut; pile the potatoes
over this and serve. If the potatoes are too old to have the skins
rubbed off; boil them in their jackets; drain, peel and serve them as
above, with a piece of butter placed in the midst of them. They
require twenty to thirty minutes to cook. Serve them hot and plain, or
with melted butter over them.
MASHED POTATOES.
Take the quantity needed, pare off the skins and lay them in cold
water half an hour; then put them into a saucepan with a little salt;
cover with water and boil them until done. Drain off the water and
mash them fine with a potato masher. Have ready a piece of butter the
size of an egg, melted in half a cup of boiling hot milk and a good
pinch of salt; mix it well with the mashed potatoes until they are a
smooth paste, taking care that they are not too wet. Put them into a
vegetable dish, heaping them up and smooth over the top, put a small
piece of butter on the top in the centre, and have dots of pepper here
and there on the surface as large as a half dime.
Some prefer using a heavy fork or wire beater, instead of a potato
masher, beating the potatoes quite light and heaping them up in the
dish without smoothing over the top.
BROWNED POTATOES.
Mash them the same as the above, put them into a dish that they are to
be served in, smooth over the top and brush over with the yolk of an
egg, or spread on a bountiful supply of butter and dust well with
flour. Set in the oven to brown; it will brown in fifteen minutes with
a quick fire.
MASHED POTATOES. (Warmed Over.)
To two cupfuls of cold mashed potatoes add a half cupful of milk, a
pinch of salt, a tablespoonful of butter, two tablespoonfuls of flour
and two eggs beaten to a froth. Mix the whole until thoroughly light;
then put into a pudding or vegetable dish, spread a little butter over
the top and bake a golden brown. The quality depends upon very
thoroughly beating the eggs before adding them, so that the potato
will remain light and porous after baking, similar to sponge cake.
POTATO PUFFS.
Prepare the potatoes as directed for mashed potato. While _hot_, shape
in balls about the size of an egg. Have a tin sheet well buttered, and
place the balls on it. As soon as all are done, brush over with beaten
egg. Brown in the oven. When done, slip a knife under them and slide
them upon a hot platter. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
POTATOES A LA CREME.
Heat a cupful of milk; stir in a heaping tablespoonful of butter cut
up in as much flour. Stir until smooth and thick; pepper and salt, and
add two cupfuls of cold boiled potatoes, sliced, and a little very
finely chopped parsley. Shake over the fire until the potatoes are hot
all through, and pour into a deep dish.
NEW POTATOES AND CREAM.
Wash and rub new potatoes with a coarse cloth or scrubbing-brush; drop
into boiling water and boil briskly until done, and no more; press a
potato against the side of the kettle with a fork; if done, it will
yield to a gentle pressure; in a saucepan have ready some butter and
cream, hot, but not boiling, a little green parsley, pepper and salt;
drain the potatoes, add the mixture, put over hot water for a minute
or two, and serve.
SARATOGA CHIPS.
Peel good-sized potatoes, and slice them as evenly as possible. Drop
them into ice-water; have a kettle of very hot lard, as for cakes; put
a few at a time into a towel and shake, to dry the moisture out of
them, and then drop them into the boiling lard. Stir them
occasionally, and when of a light brown take them out with a skimmer,
and they will be crisp and not greasy. Sprinkle salt over them while
hot.
FRIED RAW POTATOES.
Peel half a dozen medium-sized potatoes very evenly, cut them in
slices as thin as an egg-shell, and be sure to cut them from the
_breadth_, not the length, of the potato. Put a tablespoonful each of
butter and sweet lard into the frying pan, and as soon as it boils add
the sliced potatoes, sprinkling over them salt and pepper to season
them. Cover them with a tight-fitting lid, and let the steam partly
cook them; then remove it, and let them fry a bright gold color,
shaking and turning them carefully, so as to brown equally. Serve very
hot.
Fried, cold cooked potatoes may be fried by the same recipe, only
slice them a little thicker.
_Remark_.--Boiled or steamed potatoes chopped up or sliced while they
are yet warm never fry so successfully as when cold.
SCALLOPED POTATOES. (Kentucky Style.)
Peel and slice raw potatoes thin, the same as for frying. Butter an
earthen dish, put in a layer of potatoes, and season with salt,
pepper, butter, a bit of onion chopped fine, if liked; sprinkle a
little flour. Now put another layer of potatoes and the seasoning.
Continue in this way till the dish is filled. Just before putting into
the oven, pour a quart of hot milk over. Bake three-quarters of an
hour.
Cold boiled potatoes may be cooked the same. It requires less time to
bake them; they are delicious either way. If the onion is disliked it
can be omitted.
STEAMED POTATOES.
This mode of cooking potatoes is now much in vogue, particularly where
they are wanted on a large scale, it being so very convenient. Pare
the potatoes, throw them into cold water as they are peeled, then put
them in a steamer. Place the steamer over a saucepan of boiling water,
and steam the potatoes from twenty to forty minutes, according to the
size and sort. When the fork goes easily through them, they are done;
then take them up, dish and serve very quickly.
POTATO SNOW.
Choose some mealy potatoes that will boil exceedingly white; pare them
and cook them well, but not so as to be watery; drain them, and mash
and season them well. Put in the saucepan in which they were dressed,
so as to keep them as hot as possible; then press them through a wire
sieve into the dish in which they are to be served; strew a little
fine salt upon them previous to sending them to table. French cooks
also add a small quantity of pounded loaf sugar while they are being
mashed.
HASTY COOKED POTATOES.
Wash and peel some potatoes; cut them into slices of about a quarter
of an inch in thickness; throw them into _boiling_ salted water, and,
if of good quality, they will be done in about ten minutes.
Strain off the water, put the potatoes into a hot dish, chop them
slightly, add pepper, salt, and a few small pieces of fresh butter,
and serve without loss of time.
FAVORITE WARMED POTATOES.
The potatoes should be boiled _whole with the skins on_ in plenty of
water, well _salted_, and are much better for being boiled the day
before needed. Care should be taken that they are not over cooked.
Strip off the skins (not pare them with a knife) and slice them nearly
a quarter of an inch thick. Place them in a chopping-bowl and sprinkle
over them sufficient salt and pepper to season them well; chop them
all one way, then turn the chopping-bowl half way around and chop
across them, cutting them into little square pieces the shape of dice.
About twenty-five minutes before serving time, place on the stove a
saucepan (or any suitable dish) containing a piece of butter the size
of an egg; when it begins to melt and run over the bottom of the dish,
put in a cup of rich sweet milk. When this boils up put in the chopped
potatoes; there should be about a quart of them; stir them a little so
that they become moistened through with the milk; then cover and place
them on the back of the stove, or in a moderate oven, where they will
heat through gradually. When heated through, stir carefully from the
bottom with a spoon and cover tightly again. Keep hot until ready to
serve. Baked potatoes are very good warmed in this manner.
CRISP POTATOES.
Cut cold raw potatoes into shavings, cubes, or any small shape; throw
them, a few at a time, into boiling fat and toss them about with a
knife until they are a uniform light brown; drain and season with salt
and pepper. Fat is never hot enough while bubbling--when it is ready
it is still and smoking, but should never burn.
LYONNAISE POTATOES.
Take eight or ten good-sized cold boiled potatoes, slice them
end-wise, then crosswise, making them like dice in small squares. When
you are ready to cook them, heat some butter or good drippings in a
frying pan; fry in it one small onion (chopped fine) until it begins
to change color and look yellow. Now put in your potatoes, sprinkle
well with salt and pepper, stir well and cook about five minutes,
taking care that you do not break them. _They must not brown._ Just
before taking up stir in a tablespoonful of minced parsley. Drain dry
by shaking in a heated colander. Serve _very hot_.
_Delmonico_
POTATO FILLETS.
Pare and slice the potatoes thin; cut them if you like in small
fillets about a quarter of an inch square, and as long as the potato
will admit; keep them in cold water until wanted, then drop them into
boiling lard; when nearly done, take them out with a skimmer and drain
them, boil up the lard again, drop the potatoes back and fry till
done; this operation causes the fillets to swell up and puff.
POTATO CROQUETTES. No. 1.
Wash, peel and put four large potatoes in cold water, with a pinch of
salt, and set them over a brisk fire; when they are done pour off all
the water and mash them. Take another saucepan, and put in it ten
tablespoonfuls of milk and a lump of butter half the size of an egg;
put it over a brisk fire; as soon as the milk comes to a boil, pour
the potatoes into it, and stir them very fast with a wooden spoon;
when thoroughly mixed, take them from the fire and put them on a dish.
Take a tablespoonful and roll it in a clean towel, making it oval in
shape; dip it in a well-beaten egg, and then in bread crumbs, and drop
it in hot drippings or lard. Proceed in this manner till all the
potato is used, four potatoes making six croquettes. Fry them a light
brown all over, turning them gently as may be necessary. When they are
done, lay them on brown paper or a hair sieve, to drain off all fat;
then serve on a napkin.
POTATO CROQUETTES. No. 2.
Take two cups of cold mashed potatoes, season with a pinch of salt,
pepper and a tablespoonful of butter. Beat up the whites of two eggs,
and work all together thoroughly; make it into small balls slightly
flattened, dip them in the beaten yolks of the eggs, then roll either
in flour or cracker crumbs; fry the same as fish-balls.
_Delmonico's._
POTATOES A LA DELMONICO.
Cut the potatoes with a vegetable cutter into small balls about the
size of a marble; put them into a stewpan with plenty of butter and a
good sprinkling of salt; keep the saucepan covered, and shake
occasionally until they are quite done, which will be in about an
hour.
FRIED POTATOES WITH EGGS.
Slice cold boiled potatoes and fry in good butter until brown; beat up
one or two eggs, and stir into them just as you dish them for the
table; do not leave them a moment on the fire after the eggs are in,
for if they harden they are not half so nice; one egg is enough for
three or four persons, unless they are very fond of potatoes; if they
are, have plenty and put in two.
BAKED POTATOES.
Potatoes are either baked in their jackets or peeled; in either case
they should not be exposed to a fierce heat, which is wasteful,
inasmuch as thereby a great deal of vegetable is scorched and rendered
uneatable. They should be frequently turned while being baked and kept
from touching each other in the oven or dish. When done in their
skins, be particular to wash and brush them before baking them. If
convenient, they may be baked in wood-ashes, or in a Dutch oven in
front of the fire. When pared they should be baked in a dish and fat
of some kind added to prevent their outsides from becoming burnt; they
are ordinarily baked thus as an accessory to baked meat.
Never serve potatoes, boiled or baked whole, in a closely covered
dish. They become sodden and clammy. Cover with a folded napkin that
allows the steam to escape, or absorbs the moisture. They should be
served promptly when done and require about three-quarters of an hour
to one hour to bake them, if of a good size.
BROWNED POTATOES WITH A ROAST. No. 1.
About three-quarters of an hour before taking up your roasts, peel
middling-sized potatoes, boil them until partly done, then arrange
them in the roasting-pan around the roast, basting them with the
drippings at the same time you do the meat, browning them evenly.
Serve hot with the meat. Many cooks partly boil the potatoes before
putting around the roast. New potatoes are very good cooked around a
roast.
BROWNED POTATOES WITH A ROAST. No. 2.
Peel, cook and mash the required quantity, adding while hot a little
chopped onion, pepper and salt; form it into small oval balls and
dredge them with flour; then place around the meat about twenty
minutes before it is taken from the oven. When nicely browned, drain
dry and serve hot with the meat.
SWEET POTATOES.
Boiled, steamed and baked the same as Irish potatoes; generally cooked
with their jackets on. Cold sweet potatoes may be cut in slices across
or lengthwise, and fried as common potatoes; or may be cut in half and
served cold.
Boiled sweet potatoes are very nice. Boil until partly done, peel them
and bake brown, basting them with butter or beef drippings several
times. Served hot. They should be a nice brown.
BAKED SWEET POTATOES.
Wash and scrape them, split them lengthwise. Steam or boil them until
nearly done. Drain, and put them in a baking dish, placing over them
lumps of butter, pepper and salt; sprinkle thickly with sugar, and
bake in the oven to a nice brown.
Hubbard squash is nice cooked in the same manner.
ONIONS BOILED.
The white silver-skins are the best species. To boil them peel off the
outside, cut off the ends, put them into cold water, and into a
stewpan and let them scald two minutes; then turn off that water, pour
on cold water salted a little, and boil slowly till tender, which will
be in thirty or forty minutes, according to their size; when done
drain them quite dry, pour a little melted butter over them, sprinkle
them with pepper and salt and serve hot.
An excellent way to peel onions so as not to affect the eyes is to
take a pan _full_ of water and hold and peel them under the water.
ONIONS STEWED.
Cook the same as boiled onions, and, when quite done, turn off all the
water; add a teacupful of milk, a piece of butter the size of an egg,
pepper and salt to taste, a tablespoonful of flour stirred to a cream;
let all boil up once and serve in a vegetable dish hot.
ONIONS BAKED.
Use the large Spanish onion, as best for this purpose; wash them
clean, but do not peel, and put into a saucepan with slightly salted
water; boil an hour, replacing the water with more boiling hot as it
evaporates; turn off the water and lay the onions on a cloth to dry
them well; roll each one in a piece of buttered tissue paper, twisting
it at the top to keep it on, and bake in a slow oven about an hour, or
until tender all through; peel them; place in a deep dish and brown
slightly, basting well with butter for fifteen minutes; season with
salt and pepper and pour some melted butter over them.
FRIED ONIONS.
Peel, slice and fry them brown in equal quantities of butter and lard
or nice drippings; cover until partly soft, remove the cover and brown
them; salt and pepper.
SCALLOPED ONIONS.
Take eight or ten onions of good size, slice them and boil until
tender. Lay them in a baking-dish, put in bread crumbs, butter in
small bits, pepper and salt, between each layer until the dish is
full, putting bread crumbs last; add milk or cream until full. Bake
twenty minutes or half an hour.
A little onion is not an injurious article of food, as many believe. A
judicious use of plants of the onion family is quite as important a
factor in successful cookery as salt and pepper. When carefully
concealed by manipulation in food, it affords zest and enjoyment to
many who could not otherwise taste of it were its presence known. A
great many successful compounds derive their excellence from the
partly concealed flavor of the onion, which imparts a delicate
appetizing aroma highly prized by epicures.
CAULIFLOWER.
When cleaned and washed, drop them into boiling water, into which you
have put salt and a teaspoonful of flour, or a slice of bread; boil
till tender; take off, drain and dish them; serve with a sauce spread
over and made with melted butter, salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, chopped
parsley and vinegar.
Another way is to make a white sauce (see SAUCES) and when the
cauliflowers are dished as above, turn the white sauce over, and serve
warm. They may also be served in the same way with a milk, cream, or
tomato sauce, or with brown butter.
It is a very good plan to loosen the leaves of a head of cauliflower
and let lie, the top downward, in a pan of cold salt water, to remove
any insects that might be hidden between them.
FRIED CAULIFLOWER.
Boil the cauliflower till about half done. Mix two tablespoonfuls of
flour with two yolks of eggs, then add water enough to make a rather
thin paste; add salt to taste; the two whites are beaten till stiff,
and then mixed with the yolks, flour and water. Dip each branch of the
cauliflower into the mixture, and fry them in hot fat. When done, take
them off with a skimmer, turn into a colander, dust salt all over and
serve warm. Asparagus, celery, egg-plant, oyster plant are all fine
when fried in this manner.
CABBAGE BOILED.
Great care is requisite in cleaning a cabbage for boiling, as it
frequently harbors numerous insects. The large drumhead cabbage
requires an hour to boil; the green savory cabbage will boil in twenty
minutes. Add considerable salt to the water when boiling. Do not let a
cabbage boil too long--by a long boiling it becomes watery. Remove it
from the water into a colander to drain and serve with drawn butter,
or butter poured over it.
Red cabbage is used for slaw, as is also the white winter cabbage. For
directions to prepare these varieties, see articles SLAW and
SOURCROUT.
CABBAGE WITH CREAM.
Remove the outer leaves from a solid, small-sized head of cabbage, and
cut the remainder as fine as for slaw. Have on the fire a spider or
deep skillet, and when it is hot put in the cut cabbage, pouring over
it right away a pint of boiling water. Cover closely and allow it to
cook rapidly for ten minutes. Drain off the water and add half a pint
of new milk, or part milk and cream; when it boils, stir in a large
teaspoonful of either wheat or rice flour moistened with milk; add
salt and pepper, and as soon as it comes to a boil, serve. Those who
find slaw and other dishes prepared from cabbage indigestible will not
complain of this.
STEAMED CABBAGE.
Take a sound, solid cabbage, and with a large sharp knife shave it
_very fine_. Put it in a saucepan, pour in half a teacupful of water,
or just enough to keep it from burning; cover it very tightly, so as
to confine the steam; watch it closely, add a little water now and
then, until it begins to be tender; then put into it a large
tablespoonful of butter; salt and pepper to taste, dish it hot. If you
prefer to give it a tart taste, just before taking from the fire add a
third of a cup of good vinegar.
LADIES' CABBAGE.
Boil a firm white cabbage fifteen minutes, changing the water then for
more from the boiling tea-kettle. When tender, drain and set aside
until perfectly cold. Chop fine and add two beaten eggs, a
tablespoonful of butter, pepper, salt, three tablespoonfuls of rich
milk or cream. Stir all well together, and bake in a buttered
pudding-dish until brown. Serve very hot. This dish resembles
cauliflower and is very digestible and palatable.
FRIED CABBAGE.
Place in a frying pan an ounce of butter and heat it boiling hot. Then
take cold boiled cabbage chopped fine, or cabbage hot, cooked the same
as steamed cabbage, put it into the hot butter and fry a light brown,
adding two tablespoonfuls of vinegar. Very good.
FRENCH WAY OF COOKING CABBAGE.
Chop cold boiled white cabbage and let it drain till perfectly dry:
stir in some melted butter to taste; pepper, salt and four
tablespoonfuls of cream; after it is heated through add two
well-beaten eggs; then turn the mixture into a buttered frying pan,
stirring until it is very hot and becomes a delicate brown on the
under side. Place a hot dish over the pan, which must be reversed
when turned out to be served.
SOURCROUT.
Barrels having held wine or vinegar are used to prepare sourcrout in.
It is better, however, to have a special barrel for the purpose.
Strasburg, as well as all Alsace, has a well-acquired fame for
preparing the cabbages. They slice very white and firm cabbages in
fine shreds with a machine made for the purpose. At the bottom of a
small barrel they place a layer of coarse salt and alternately layers
of cabbage and salt, being careful to have one of salt on the top. As
each layer of cabbage is added, it must be pressed down by a large and
heavy pestle and fresh layers are added as soon as the juice floats on
the surface. The cabbage must be seasoned with a few grains of
coriander, juniper berries, etc. When the barrel is full it must be
put in a dry cellar, covered with a cloth, under a plank, and on this
heavy weights are placed. At the end of a few days it will begin to
ferment, during which time the pickle must be drawn off and replaced
by fresh, until the liquor becomes clear. This should be done every
day. Renew the cloth and wash the cover, put the weights back and let
stand for a month. By that time the sourcrout will be ready for use.
Care must be taken to let the least possible air enter the sourcrout
and to have the cover perfectly clean. Each time the barrel has to be
opened it must be properly closed again. These precautions must not be
neglected.
This is often fried in the same manner as fried cabbage, excepting it
is first boiled until soft in just water enough to cook it, then fry
and add vinegar.
TO BOIL RICE.
Pick over the rice carefully, wash it in warm water, rubbing it
between the hands, rinsing it in several waters, then let it remain in
cold water until ready to be cooked. Have a saucepan of water slightly
salted; when it is boiling hard, pour off the cold water from the
rice, and sprinkle it in the boiling water by degrees, so as to keep
the particles separated. Boil it steadily for twenty minutes, then
take it off from the fire and drain off all the water. Place the
saucepan with the lid partly off, on the back part of the stove, where
it is only moderately warm, to allow the rice to dry. The moisture
will pass off and each grain of rice will be separated, so that if
shaken the grains will fall apart. This is the true way of serving
rice as a vegetable and is the mode of cooking it in the Southern
States where it is raised.
PARSNIPS, BOILED.
Wash, scrape and split them. Put them into a pot of boiling water; add
a little salt, and boil them till quite tender, which will be in from
two to three hours, according to their size. Dry them in a cloth when
done and pour melted butter or white sauce (see SAUCES) over them in
the dish. Serve them up with any sort of boiled meat or with salt cod.
Parsnips are very good baked or stewed with meat.
FRIED PARSNIPS.
Boil tender in a little hot water salted; scrape, cut into long
slices, dredge with flour; fry in hot lard or dripping, or in butter
and lard mixed; fry quite brown. Drain off fat and serve.
Parsnips may be boiled and mashed the same as potatoes.
STEWED PARSNIPS.
After washing and scraping the parsnips slice them about half of an
inch thick. Put them in a saucepan of boiling water containing just
enough to barely cook them; add a tablespoonful of butter, season with
salt and pepper, then cover closely. Stew them until the water has
cooked away, watching carefully and stirring often to prevent burning,
until they are soft. When they are done they will be of a creamy light
straw color and deliciously sweet, retaining all the goodness of the
vegetable.
PARSNIP FRITTERS.
Boil four or five parsnips; when tender take off the skin and mash
them fine; add to them a teaspoonful of wheat flour and a beaten egg;
put a tablespoonful of lard or beef drippings in a frying pan over the
fire, add to it a saltspoonful of salt; when boiling hot put in the
parsnips; make it in small cakes with a spoon; when one side is a
delicate brown turn the other; when both are done take them on a dish,
put a very little of the fat in which they were fried over and serve
hot. These resemble very nearly the taste of the salsify or oyster
plant, and will generally be preferred.
CREAMED PARSNIPS.
Boil tender, scrape and slice lengthwise. Put over the fire with two
tablespoonfuls of butter, pepper and salt and a little minced parsley.
Shake until the mixture boils. Dish the parsnips, add to the sauce
three tablespoonfuls of cream or milk in which has been stirred a
quarter of a spoonful of flour. Boil once and pour over the parsnips.
STEWED TOMATOES.
Pour boiling water over a dozen sound ripe tomatoes; let them remain
for a few moments; then peel off the skins, slice them and put them
over the fire in a well-lined tin or granite-ware saucepan. Stew them
about twenty minutes, then add a tablespoonful of butter, salt and
pepper to taste; let them stew fifteen minutes longer and serve hot.
Some prefer to thicken tomatoes with a little grated bread, adding a
teaspoonful of sugar; and others who like the flavor of onion chop up
one and add while stewing; then again, some add as much green corn as
there are tomatoes.
TO PEEL TOMATOES.
Put the tomatoes into a frying basket and plunge them into hot water
for three or four minutes. Drain and peel. Another way is to place
them in a flat baking-tin and set them in a hot oven about five
minutes; this loosens the skins so that they readily slip off.
SCALLOPED TOMATOES.
Butter the sides and bottom of a pudding-dish. Put a layer of bread
crumbs in the bottom; on them put a layer of sliced tomatoes; sprinkle
with salt, pepper and some bits of butter, and a very _little_ white
sugar. Then repeat with another layer of crumbs, another of tomato and
seasoning until full, having the top layer of slices of tomato, with
bits of butter on each. Bake covered until well cooked through; remove
the cover and brown quickly.
STUFFED BAKED TOMATOES.
From the blossom end of a dozen tomatoes--smooth, ripe and solid--cut
a thin slice and with a small spoon scoop out the pulp without
breaking the rind surrounding it; chop a small head of cabbage and a
good-sized onion fine and mix with them fine bread crumbs and the
pulp; season with pepper, salt and sugar and add a cup of sweet cream;
when all is well mixed, fill the tomato shells, replace the slices and
place the tomatoes in a buttered baking-dish, cut ends up and put in
the pan just enough water to keep from burning; drop a small lump of
butter on each tomato and bake half an hour or so, till well done;
place another bit of butter on each and serve in same dish. Very fine.
Another stuffing which is considered quite fine. Cut a slice from the
stem of each and scoop out the soft pulp. Mince one small onion and
fry it slightly; add a gill of hot water, the tomato pulp and two
ounces of cold veal or chicken chopped fine, simmer slowly and season
with salt and pepper. Stir into the pan cracker dust or bread crumbs
enough to absorb the moisture; take off from the fire and let it cool;
stuff the tomatoes with this mass, sprinkle dry crumbs over the top;
add a small piece of butter to the top of each and bake until slightly
browned on top.
BAKED TOMATOES. (Plain.)
Peel and slice quarter of an inch thick; place in layers in a
pudding-dish, seasoning each layer with salt, pepper, butter and a
very little white sugar. Cover with a lid or large plate and bake half
an hour. Remove the lid and brown for fifteen minutes. Just before
taking from the oven pour over the top three or four tablespoonfuls of
whipped cream with melted butter.
TO PREPARE TOMATOES. (Raw.)
Carefully remove the peelings. Only perfectly ripe tomatoes should
ever be eaten raw and if ripe the skins easily peel off. Scalding
injures the flavor. Slice them and sprinkle generously with salt, more
sparingly with black pepper, and to a dish holding one quart, add a
light tablespoonful of sugar to give a piquant zest to the whole.
Lastly, add a gill of best cider vinegar; although, if you would have
a dish yet better suited to please an epicurean palate, you may add a
teaspoonful of made mustard and two tablespoonfuls of rich sweet
cream.
FRIED AND BROILED TOMATOES.
Cut firm, large, ripe tomatoes into thick slices, rather more than a
quarter of an inch thick. Season with salt and pepper, dredge well
with flour, or roll in egg and crumbs, and fry them brown on both
sides evenly, in hot butter and lard mixed. Or, prepare them the same
as for frying, broiling on a well-greased gridiron, seasoning
afterward the same as beefsteak. A good accompaniment to steak. Or,
having prepared the following sauce, a pint of milk, a tablespoonful
of flour and one beaten egg, salt, pepper and a very little mace;
cream an ounce of butter, whisk into it the milk and let it simmer
until it thickens; pour the sauce on a hot side-dish and arrange the
tomatoes in the centre.
SCRAMBLED TOMATOES.
Remove the skins from a dozen tomatoes; cut them up in a saucepan; add
a little butter, pepper and salt; when sufficiently boiled, beat up
five or six eggs and just before you serve turn them into the saucepan
with the tomatoes, and stir one way for two minutes, allowing them
time to be done thoroughly.
CUCUMBER A LA CREME.
Peel and cut into slices (lengthwise) some fine cucumbers. Boil them
until soft; salt to taste, and serve with delicate cream sauce. For
Tomato Salad, see SALADS, also for Raw Cucumbers.
FRIED CUCUMBERS.
Pare them and cut lengthwise in very thick slices; wipe them dry with
a cloth; sprinkle with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, and fry in
lard and butter, a tablespoonful of each mixed. Brown both sides and
serve warm.
GREEN CORN, BOILED.
This should be cooked on the same day it is gathered; it loses its
sweetness in a few hours and must be artificially supplied. Strip off
the husks, pick out all the silk and put it in boiling water; if not
entirely fresh, add a tablespoonful of sugar to the water, but _no
salt_; boil twenty minutes, fast, and serve; or you may cut it from
the cob, put in plenty of butter and a little salt, and serve in a
covered vegetable dish. The corn is much sweeter when cooked with the
husks on, but requires longer time to boil. Will generally boil in
twenty minutes.
Green corn left over from dinner makes a nice breakfast dish,
prepared as follows: Cut the corn from the cob, and put into a bowl
with a cup of milk to every cup of corn, a half cup of flour, one egg,
a pinch of salt, and a little butter. Mix well into a thick batter,
and fry in small cakes in very hot butter. Serve with plenty of butter
and powdered sugar.
[Illustration: THE FAMOUS EAST ROOM.]
[Illustration: THE RED ROOM.]
[Illustration: THE BLUE ROOM.]
CORN PUDDING.
This is a Virginia dish. Scrape the substance out of twelve ears of
tender, green, uncooked corn (it is better scraped than grated, as you
do not get those husky particles which you cannot avoid with a
grater); add yolks and whites, beaten separately, of four eggs, a
teaspoonful of sugar, the same of flour mixed in a tablespoonful of
butter, a small quantity of salt and pepper, and one pint of milk.
Bake about half or three-quarters of an hour.
STEWED CORN.
Take a dozen ears of green sweet corn, very tender and juicy; cut off
the kernels, cutting with a large sharp knife from the top of the cob
down; then scrape the cob. Put the corn in a saucepan over the fire
with just enough water to make it cook without burning; boil about
twenty minutes, then add a teacupful of milk or cream, a tablespoonful
of cold butter, and season with pepper and salt. Boil ten minutes
longer and dish up hot in a vegetable dish. The corn would be much
sweeter if the scraped cobs were boiled first in the water that the
corn is cooked in.
Many like corn cooked in this manner, putting half corn and half
tomatoes; either way is very good.
FRIED CORN.
Cut the corn off the cob, taking care not to bring off any of the husk
with it and to have the grains as separate as possible. Fry in a
little butter--just enough to keep it from sticking to the pan; stir
very often. When nicely browned, add salt and pepper and a little rich
cream. Do not set it near the stove after the cream is added, as it
will be apt to turn. This makes a nice dinner or breakfast dish.
ROASTED GREEN CORN.
Strip off all the husk from green corn and roast it on a gridiron over
a bright fire of coals, turning it as one side is done. Or, if a wood
fire is used, make a place clean in front of the fire, lay the corn
down, turn it when one side is done; serve with salt and butter.
SUCCOTASH.
Take a pint of fresh shelled Lima beans, or any large fresh beans, put
them in a pot with cold water, rather more than will cover them.
Scrape the kernels from twelve ears of young sweet corn; put the cobs
in with the beans, boiling from half to three-quarters of an hour. Now
take out the cobs and put in the scraped corn; boil again fifteen
minutes, then season with salt and pepper to taste, a piece of butter
the size of an egg and half a cup of cream. Serve hot.
FRIED EGG-PLANT.
Take fresh, purple egg-plants of a middling size; cut them in slices a
quarter of an inch thick, and soak them for half an hour in cold
water, with a teaspoonful of salt in it. Have ready some cracker or
bread crumbs and one beaten egg; drain off the water from the slices,
lay them on a napkin, dip them in the crumbs and then in the egg, put
another coat of crumbs on them and fry them in butter to a light
brown. The frying pan must be hot before the slices are put in--they
will fry in ten minutes.
You may pare them before you put them into the frying pan, or you may
pull off the skins when you take them up. You must not remove them
from the water until you are ready to cook them, as the air will turn
them black.
STUFFED EGG-PLANT.
Cut the egg-plant in two; scrape out all the inside and put it in a
saucepan with a little minced ham; cover with water and boil until
soft; drain off the water; add two tablespoonfuls of grated crumbs, a
tablespoonful of butter, half a minced onion, salt and pepper; stuff
each half of the hull with the mixture; add a small lump of butter to
each and bake fifteen minutes. Minced veal or chicken in the place of
ham, is equally as good and many prefer it.
STRING BEANS.
Break off the end that grew to the vine, drawing off at the same time
the string upon the edge; repeat the same process from the other end;
cut them with a sharp knife into pieces half an inch long, and boil
them in _just enough_ water to _cover_ them. They usually require one
hour's boiling; but this depends upon their age and freshness. After
they have boiled until tender and the water _boiled nearly out_, add
pepper and salt, a tablespoonful of butter and a half a cup of cream;
if you have not the cream add more butter.
Many prefer to drain them before adding the seasoning; in that case
they lose the real goodness of the vegetable.
LIMA AND KIDNEY BEANS.
These beans should be put into boiling water, a little more than
enough to cover them, and boiled till tender--from half an hour to two
hours; serve with butter and salt upon them.
These beans are in season from the last of July to the last of
September. There are several other varieties of beans used as summer
vegetables, which are cooked as above.
For Baked Beans, see PORK AND BEANS.
CELERY.
This is stewed the same as green corn, by boiling, adding cream,
butter, salt and pepper.
STEWED SALSIFY OR OYSTER-PLANT.
Wash the roots and scrape off their skins, throwing them, as you do
so, into cold water, for exposure to the air causes them to
immediately turn dark. Then cut crosswise into little thin slices;
throw into fresh water, enough to cover; add a little salt and stew in
a covered vessel until tender, or about one hour. Pour off a little of
the water, add a small lump of butter, a little pepper, and a gill of
sweet cream and a teaspoonful of flour stirred to a paste. Boil up and
serve hot.
Salsify may be simply boiled and melted butter turned over them.
FRIED SALSIFY.
Stew the salsify as usual till very tender; then with the back of a
spoon or a potato jammer mash it very fine. Beat up an egg, add a
teacupful of milk, a little flour, butter and seasoning of pepper and
salt. Make into little cakes, and fry a light brown in boiling lard.
BEETS BOILED.
Select small-sized, smooth roots. They should be carefully washed, but
not cut before boiling, as the juice will escape and the sweetness of
the vegetable be impaired, leaving it white and hard. Put them into
boiling water, and boil them until tender, which requires often from
one to two hours. Do not probe them, but press them with the finger to
ascertain if they are sufficiently done. When satisfied of this, take
them up, and put them into a pan of cold water, and slip off the
outside. Cut them into thin slices, and while hot season with butter,
salt, a little pepper and very sharp vinegar.
BAKED BEETS.
Beets retain their sugary, delicate flavor to perfection if they are
baked instead of boiled. Turn them frequently while in the oven, using
a knife, as the fork allows the juice to run out. When done remove the
skin, and serve with butter, salt and pepper on the slices.
STEWED BEETS.
Boil them first and then scrape and slice them. Put them into a
stewpan with a piece of butter rolled in flour, some boiled onion and
parsley chopped fine, and a little vinegar, salt and pepper. Set the
pan on the fire, and let the beets stew for a quarter of an hour.
OKRA.
This grows in the shape of pods, and is of a gelatinous character,
much used for soup, and is also pickled; it may be boiled as follows:
Put the young and tender pods of long white okra in salted boiling
water in granite, porcelain or a tin-lined saucepan--as contact with
Iron will discolor it; boil fifteen minutes; remove the stems, and
serve with butter, pepper, salt and vinegar if preferred.
ASPARAGUS.
Scrape the stems of the asparagus lightly, but very clean; throw them
into cold water and when they are all scraped and very clean, tie them
in bunches of equal size; cut the large ends evenly, that the stems
may be all of the same length, and put the asparagus into plenty of
boiling water, well salted. While it is boiling, cut several slices of
bread half an inch thick, pare off the crust and toast it a delicate
brown on both sides. When the stalks of the asparagus are tender (it
will usually cook in twenty to forty minutes) lift it out directly, or
it will lose both its color and flavor and will also be liable to
break; dip the toast quickly into the liquor in which it was boiled
and dish the vegetable upon it, the heads all lying one way. Pour over
white sauce, or melted butter.
ASPARAGUS WITH EGGS.
Boil a bunch of asparagus twenty minutes; cut off the tender tops and
lay them in a deep-pie plate, buttering, salting and peppering well.
Beat up four eggs, the yolks and whites separately to a stiff froth;
add two tablespoonfuls of milk or cream, a tablespoonful of warm
butter, pepper and salt to taste. Pour evenly over the asparagus
mixture. Bake eight minutes or until the eggs are set. Very good.
GREEN PEAS.
Shell the peas and wash in cold water. Put in boiling water just
enough to cover them well and keep them from burning; boil from twenty
minutes to half an hour, when the liquor should be nearly boiled out;
season with pepper and salt and a good allowance of butter; serve very
hot.
This is a very much better way than cooking in a larger quantity of
water and draining off the liquor, as that diminishes the sweetness,
and much of the fine flavor of the peas is lost. The salt should never
be put in the peas before they are tender, unless very young, as it
tends to harden them.
STEWED GREEN PEAS.
Into a saucepan of boiling water put two or three pints of young green
peas and when nearly done and tender drain in a colander dry; then
melt two ounces of butter in two of flour; stir well and boil five
minutes longer; should the pods be quite clean and fresh boil them
first in the water, remove and put in the peas. The Germans prepare a
very palatable dish of sweet young pods alone by simply stirring in a
little butter with some savory herbs.
SQUASHES, OR CYMBLINGS.
The green or summer squash is best when the outside is beginning to
turn yellow, as it is then less watery and insipid than when younger.
Wash them, cut them into pieces and take out the seeds. Boil them
about three-quarters of an hour, or till quite tender. When done,
drain and squeeze them well till you have pressed out all the water;
mash them with a little butter, pepper and salt. Then put the squash
thus prepared into a stewpan, set it on hot coals and stir it very
frequently till it becomes dry. Take care not to let it burn.
Summer squash is very nice steamed, then prepared the same as boiled.
BOILED WINTER SQUASH.
This is much finer than the summer squash. It is fit to eat in August,
and, in a dry warm place, can be kept well all winter. The color is a
very bright yellow. Pare it, take out the seeds, cut it in pieces, and
stew it slowly till quite soft in a very little water. Afterwards
drain, squeeze and press it well; then mash it with a very little
butter, pepper and salt. They will boil in from twenty to forty
minutes.
BAKED WINTER SQUASH.
Cut open the squash, take out the seeds and without paring cut it up
into large pieces; put the pieces on tins or in a dripping-pan, place
in a moderately hot oven and bake about an hour. When done, peel and
mash like mashed potatoes, or serve the pieces hot on a dish, to be
eaten warm with butter like sweet potatoes. It retains its sweetness
much better baked this way than when boiled.
VEGETABLE HASH.
Chop rather coarsely the remains of vegetables left from a boiled
dinner, such as cabbage, parsnips, potatoes, etc.; sprinkle over them
a little pepper, place in a saucepan or frying pan over the fire; put
in a piece of butter the size of a hickory nut; when it begins to
melt, tip the dish so as to oil the bottom and around the sides; then
put in the chopped vegetables, pour in a spoonful or two of hot water
from the tea-kettle, cover quickly so as to keep in the steam. When
heated thoroughly take off the cover and stir occasionally until well
cooked. Serve hot. Persons fond of vegetables will relish this dish
very much.
SPINACH.
It should be cooked so as to retain its bright green color and not
sent to table, as it so often is, of a dull brown or olive color; to
retain its fresh appearance, do not cover the vessel while it is
cooking.
Spinach requires dose examination and picking, as insects are
frequently found among it and it is often gritty. Wash it through
three or four waters. Then drain it and put it in boiling water.
Fifteen to twenty minutes is generally sufficient time to boil
spinach. Be careful to remove the scum. When it is quite tender, take
it up, and drain and squeeze it well. Chop it fine, and put it into a
saucepan with a piece of butter and a little pepper and salt. Set it
on the fire and let it stew five minutes, stirring it all the time,
until quite dry. Turn it into a vegetable dish, shape it into a mound,
slice some hard-boiled eggs and lay around the top.
GREENS.
About a peck of greens are enough for a mess for a family of six, such
as dandelions, cowslips, burdock, chicory and other greens. All greens
should be carefully examined, the tough ones thrown out, then be
thoroughly washed through several waters until they are entirely free
from sand. The addition of a handful of salt to each pan of water used
in washing the greens will free them from insects and worms,
especially if after the last watering they are allowed to stand in
salted water for a half hour or longer. When ready to boil the greens,
put them into a large pot half full of boiling water, with a handful
of salt, and boil them steadily until the stalks are tender; this will
be in from five to twenty minutes, according to the maturity of the
greens; but remember that long-continued boiling wastes the tender
substances of the leaves, and so diminishes both the bulk and the
nourishment of the dish; for this reason it is best to cut away any
tough stalks before beginning to cook the greens. As soon as they are
tender drain them in a colander, chop them a little and return them to
the fire long enough to season them with salt, pepper and butter;
vinegar may be added if it is liked; the greens should be served as
soon as they are hot.
All kinds of greens can be cooked in this manner.
STEWED CARROTS.
Wash and scrape the carrots and divide them into strips; put them into
a stewpan with water enough to cover them; add a spoonful of salt and
let them boil slowly until tender; then drain and replace them in the
pan, with two tablespoons of butter rolled in flour, shake over a
little pepper and salt, then add enough cream or milk to moisten the
whole; let it come to a boil and serve hot.
CARROTS MASHED.
Scrape and wash them; cook them tender in boiling water salted
slightly. Drain well and mash them. Work in a good piece of butter and
season with pepper and salt. Heap up on a vegetable dish and serve
hot.
Carrots are also good simply boiled in salted water and dished up hot
with melted butter over them.
TURNIPS.
Turnips are boiled plain with or without meat, also mashed like
potatoes and stewed like parsnips. They should always be served hot.
They require from forty minutes to an hour to cook.
STEWED PUMPKINS.
See stewed pumpkin for pie. Cook the same, then after stewing season
the same as mashed potatoes. Pumpkin is good baked in the same manner
as baked winter squash.
STEWED ENDIVE.
_Ingredients._--Six heads of endive, salt and water, one pint of
broth, thickening of butter and flour, one tablespoonful of lemon
juice, a small lump of sugar.
_Mode._--Wash and free the endive thoroughly from insects, remove the
green part of the leaves, and put it into boiling water, slightly
salted. Let it remain for ten minutes; then take it out, drain it till
there is no water remaining and chop it very fine. Put it into a
stewpan with the broth, add a little salt and a lump of sugar, and
boil until the endive is perfectly tender. When done, which may be
ascertained by squeezing a piece between the thumb and finger, add a
thickening of butter and flour and the lemon juice; let the sauce boil
up and serve.
_Time._--Ten minutes to boil, five minutes to simmer in the broth.
BAKED MUSHROOMS.
Prepare them the same as for stewing. Place them in a baking-pan in a
moderate oven. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice and chopped
parsley. Cook in the oven fifteen minutes, baste with butter. Arrange
on a dish and pour the gravy over them. Serve with sauce made by
heating a cup of cream, two ounces of butter, a tablespoonful of
chopped parsley, a little cayenne pepper, salt, a tablespoonful of
white sauce and two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice. Put in a saucepan
and set on the fire. Stir until thick, but do not let boil. Mushrooms
are very nice placed on slices of well-buttered toast when set into
the oven to bake. They cook in about fifteen minutes.
STEWED MUSHROOMS.
Time, twenty-one minutes. Button mushrooms, salt to taste, a little
butter rolled in flour, two tablespoonfuls of cream or the yolk of one
egg. Choose buttons of uniform size. Wipe them clean and white with a
wet flannel; put them in a stewpan with a little water and let them
stew very gently for a quarter of an hour. Add salt to taste, work in
a little flour and butter, to make the liquor about as thick as cream,
and let it boil for five minutes. When you are ready to dish it up,
stir in two tablespoonfuls of cream or the yolk of an egg; stir it
over the fire for a minute, but do not let it boil, and serve. Stewed
button mushrooms are very nice, either in fish stews or ragouts, or
served apart to eat with fish. Another way of doing them is to stew
them in milk and water (after they are rubbed white), add to them a
little veal gravy, mace and salt and thicken the gravy with cream or
the yolks of eggs.
Mushrooms can be cooked in the same manner as the recipes for oysters,
either stewed, fried, broiled, or as a soup. They are also used to
flavor sauces, catsups, meat gravies, game and soups.
CANNED MUSHROOMS.
Canned mushrooms may be served with good effect with game and even
with beefsteak if prepared in this way: Open the can and pour off
every drop of the liquid found there; let the mushrooms drain, then
put them in a saucepan with a little cream and butter, pepper and
salt; let them simmer gently for from five to ten minutes, and when
the meat is on the platter pour the mushrooms over it. If served with
steak, that should be very tender and be broiled, never in any case
fried.
MUSHROOMS FOR WINTER USE.
Wash and wipe free from grit the small fresh button mushrooms. Put
into a frying pan a quarter of a pound of the very best butter. Add to
it two whole cloves, a saltspoonful of salt and a tablespoonful of
lemon juice. When hot add a quart of the small mushrooms, toss them
about in the butter for a moment only, then put them in jars; fill the
top of each jar with an inch or two of the butter and let it cool.
Keep the jars in a cool place, and when the butter is quite firm add a
top layer of salt. Cover to keep out dust.
The best mushrooms grow on uplands or in high open fields, where the
air is pure.
TRUFFLES.
The truffle belongs to the family of the mushrooms; they are used
principally in this country as a condiment for boned turkey and
chicken, scrambled eggs, fillets of beef, game and fish. When mixed in
due proportion, they add a peculiar zest and flavor to sauces that
cannot be found in any other plant in the vegetable kingdom.
ITALIAN STYLE OF DRESSING TRUFFLES.
Ten truffles, a quarter of a pint of salad oil, pepper and salt to
taste, one tablespoonful of minced parsley, a very little finely
minced garlic, two blades of pounded mace, one tablespoonful of lemon
juice.
After cleansing and brushing the truffles, cut them into thin slices
and put them in a baking-dish, on a seasoning of oil or butter,
pepper, salt, parsley, garlic and mace in the above proportion. Bake
them for nearly an hour, and just before serving add the lemon juice
and send them to the table very hot.
TRUFFLES AU NATUREL.
Select some fine truffles; cleanse them by washing them in several
waters with a brush until not a particle of sand or grit remains on
them; wrap each truffle in buttered paper and bake in a hot oven for
quite an hour; take off the paper; wipe the truffles and serve them in
a hot napkin.
MACARONI.
MACARONI A LA ITALIENNE.
Divide a quarter of a pound of macaroni into four-inch pieces. Simmer
fifteen minutes in plenty of boiling water, salted. Drain. Put the
macaroni into a saucepan and turn over it a strong soup stock, enough
to prevent burning. Strew over it an ounce of grated cheese; when the
cheese is melted, dish. Put alternate layers of macaroni and cheese,
then turn over the soup stock and bake half an hour.
MACARONI AND CHEESE.
Break half a pound of macaroni into pieces an inch or two long; cook
it in boiling water, enough to cover it well; put in a good
teaspoonful of salt; let it boil about twenty minutes. Drain it well
and then put a layer in the bottom of a well-buttered pudding-dish;
upon this some grated cheese and small pieces of butter, a bit of
salt, then more macaroni, and so on, filling the dish; sprinkle the
top layer with a thick layer of cracker crumbs. Pour over the whole a
teacupful of cream or milk. Set it in the oven and bake half an hour.
It should be nicely browned on top. Serve in the same dish in which it
was baked with a clean napkin pinned around it.
TIMBALE OF MACARONI.
Break in very short lengths small macaroni (vermicelli, spaghetti,
tagliarini). Let it be rather overdone; dress it with butter and
grated cheese; then work into it one or two eggs, according to
quantity. Butter and bread crumb a plain mold, and when the macaroni
is nearly cold fill the mold with it, pressing it well down and
leaving a hollow in the centre, into which place a well-flavored mince
of meat, poultry or game; then fill up the mold with more macaroni,
pressed well down. Bake in a moderately heated oven, turn out and
serve.
MACARONI A LA CREME.
Boil one-quarter of a pound of macaroni in plenty of hot water,
salted, until tender; put half a pint of milk in a double boiler, and
when it boils stir into it a mixture of two tablespoonfuls of butter
and one of flour. Add two tablespoonfuls of cream, a little white and
cayenne pepper; salt to taste, and from one-quarter to one-half a
pound of grated cheese, according to taste. Drain and dish the
macaroni; pour the boiling sauce over it and serve immediately.
MACARONI AND TOMATO SAUCE.
Divide half a pound of macaroni into four-inch pieces, put it into
boiling salted water enough to cover it; boil from fifteen to twenty
minutes then drain; arrange it neatly on a hot dish and pour tomato
sauce over it, and serve immediately while hot. See SAUCES for tomato
sauce.
[Illustration]
BUTTER AND CHEESE
TO MAKE BUTTER.
Thoroughly scald the churn, then cool well with ice or spring water.
Now pour in the thick cream; churn fast at first, then, as the butter
forms, more slowly; always with perfect regularity; in warm weather,
pour a little cold water into the churn, should the butter form
slowly; in the winter, if the cream is too cold, add a little warm
water to bring it to the proper temperature. When the butter has
"come", rinse the sides of the churn down with cold water and take the
butter up with a perforated dasher or a wooden ladle, turning it
dexterously just below the surface of the buttermilk to catch every
stray bit; have ready some very cold water in a deep wooden tray; and
into this plunge the dasher when you draw it from the churn; the
butter will float off, leaving the dasher free. When you have
collected all the butter, gather behind a wooden butter ladle and
drain off the water, squeezing and pressing the butter with the ladle;
then pour on more cold water and work the butter with the ladle to get
the milk out, drain off the water, sprinkle salt over the butter--a
tablespoonful to a pound; work it in a little and set in a cool place
for an hour to harden, then work and knead it until not another drop
of water exudes, and the butter is perfectly smooth, and close in
texture and polish; then with the ladle make up into rolls, little
balls, stamped pats, etc.
The churn, dasher, tray and ladle should be well scalded before using,
so that the butter will not stick to them, and then cooled with very
cold water.
When you skim cream into your cream jar, stir it well into what is
already there, so that it may all sour alike; and no _fresh cream
should be put with it_ within twelve hours before churning, or the
butter will not come quickly; and perhaps, not at all.
Butter is indispensable in almost all culinary preparations. Good
fresh butter, used in moderation, is easily digested; it is softening,
nutritious and fattening, and is far more easily digested than any
other of the oleaginous substances sometimes used in its place.
TO MAKE BUTTER QUICKLY.
Immediately after the cow is milked, strain the milk into clean pans,
and set it over a moderate fire until it is scalding hot; do not let
it boil; then set it aside; when it is cold, skim off the cream; the
milk will still be fit for any ordinary use; when you have enough
cream put it into a clean earthen basin; beat it with a wooden spoon
until the butter is made, which will not be long; then take it from
the milk and work it with a little cold water, until it is free from
milk; then drain off the water, put a small tablespoonful of fine salt
to each pound of butter and work it in. A small teaspoonful of fine
white sugar, worked in with the salt, will be found an
improvement--sugar is a great preservative. Make the butter in a roll;
cover it with a bit of muslin and keep it in a cool place. A reliable
recipe.
A BRINE TO PRESERVE BUTTER.
First work your butter into small rolls, wrapping each one carefully
in a clean muslin cloth, tying them up with a string. Make a brine,
say three gallons, having it strong enough of salt to bear up an egg;
add half a teacupful of pure, white sugar, and one tablespoonful of
saltpetre; boil the brine, and when cold strain it carefully. Pour it
over the rolls so as to more than cover them, as this excludes the
air. Place a weight over all to keep the rolls under the surface.
PUTTING UP BUTTER TO KEEP.
Take of the best pure common salt two quarts, one ounce of white sugar
and one of saltpetre; pulverize them together completely. Work the
butter well, then thoroughly work in an ounce of this mixture to every
pound of butter. The butter is to be made into half-pound rolls, and
put into the following brine--to three gallons of brine strong enough
to bear an egg, add a quarter of a pound of white sugar.
_Orange Co., N. Y. Style_
CURDS AND CREAM.
One gallon of milk will make a moderate dish. Put one spoonful of
prepared rennet to each quart of milk, and when you find that it has
become curd, tie it loosely in a thin cloth and hang it to drain; do
not wring or press the cloth; when drained, put the curd into a mug
and set in cool water, which must be frequently changed (a
refrigerator saves this trouble). When you dish it, if there is whey
in the mug, lie it gently out without pressing the curd; lay it on a
deep dish, and pour fresh cream over it; have powdered loaf-sugar to
eat with it; also hand the nutmeg grater.
Prepared rennet can be had at almost any druggist's, and at a
reasonable price.
NEW JERSEY CREAM CHEESE.
First scald the quantity of milk desired; let it cool a little, then
add the rennet; the directions for quantity are given on the packages
of "Prepared Rennet." When the curd is formed, take it out on a ladle
without breaking it; lay it on a thin cloth held by two persons; dash
a ladleful of water over each ladleful of curd, to separate the curd;
hang it up to drain the water off, and then put it under a light press
for one hour; cut the curd with a thread into small pieces; lay a
cloth between each two, and press for an hour; take them out, rub them
with fine salt, let them lie on a board for an hour, and wash them in
cold water; let them lie to drain, and in a day or two the skin will
look dry; put some sweet grass under and over them, and they will soon
ripen.
COTTAGE CHEESE.
Put a pan of sour or loppered milk on the stove or range where it is
not too hot; let it scald until the whey rises to the top (be careful
that it does not boil, or the curd will become hard and tough). Place
a clean doth or towel over a sieve and pour this whey and curd into
it, living it covered to drain two or three hours; then put it into a
dish and chop it fine with a spoon, adding a teaspoonful of salt, a
tablespoonful of butter and enough sweet cream to make the cheese the
consistency of putty. With your hands make it into little balls
flattened. Keep it in a cool place. Many like it made rather thin with
cream, serving it in a deep dish. You may make this cheese of sweet
milk by forming the curd with prepared rennet.
SLIP.
Slip is bonny-clabber without its acidity, and so delicate is its
flavor that many persons like it just as well as ice cream. It is
prepared thus:--Make a quart of milk moderately warm; then stir into
it one large spoonful of the preparation called rennet; set it by, and
when cool again it will be as stiff as jelly. It should be made only a
few hours before it is to be used, or it will be tough and watery; in
summer set the dish on ice after it has jellied. It must be served
with powdered sugar, nutmeg and cream.
CHEESE FONDU.
Melt an ounce of butter and whisk into it a pint of boiled milk.
Dissolve two tablespoonfuls of flour in a gill of cold milk, add it to
the boiled milk and let it cool. Beat the yolks of four eggs with a
heaping teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper and five
ounces of grated cheese. Whip the whites of the eggs and add them,
pour the mixture into a deep tin lined with buttered paper, and allow
for the rising, say four inches. Bake twenty minutes and serve the
moment it leaves the oven.
CHEESE SOUFFLE.
Melt an ounce of butter in a saucepan; mix smoothly with it one ounce
of flour, a pinch of salt and cayenne and a quarter of a pint of milk;
simmer the mixture gently over the fire, stirring it all the time,
till it is as thick as melted butter, stir into it about three ounces
of finely-grated parmesan, or any good cheese. Turn it into a basin
and mix with it the yolks of two well-beaten eggs. Whisk three whites
to a solid froth, and just before the souffle is baked put them into
it, and pour the mixture into a small round tin. It should be only
half filled, as the fondu will rise very high. Pin a napkin around the
dish in which it is baked, and serve the moment it is baked. It would
be well to have a metal cover strongly heated. Time twenty minutes.
Sufficient for six persons.
SCALLOPED CHEESE.
Any person who is fond of cheese could not fail to favor this recipe.
Take three slices of bread well-buttered, first cutting off the brown
outside crust. Grate fine a quarter of a pound of any kind of good
cheese; lay the bread in layers in a buttered baking-dish, sprinkle
over it the grated cheese, some salt and pepper to taste. Mix four
well-beaten eggs with three cups of milk; pour it over the bread and
cheese. Bake it in a hot oven as you would cook a bread pudding. This
makes an ample dish for four people.
PASTRY RAMAKINS.
Take the remains or odd pieces of any light puff paste left from pies
or tarts; gather up the pieces of paste, roll it out evenly, and
sprinkle it with grated cheese of a nice flavor. Fold the paste in
three, roll it out again, and sprinkle more cheese over; fold the
paste, roll it out, and with a paste-cutter shape it in any way that
may be desired. Bake the ramakins in a brisk oven from ten to fifteen
minutes; dish them on a hot napkin and serve quickly. The appearance
of this dish may be very much improved by brushing the ramakins over
with yolk of egg before they are placed in the oven. Where expense is
not objected to, parmesan is the best kind of cheese to use for making
this dish.
Very nice with a cup of coffee for a lunch.
CAYENNE CHEESE STRAWS.
A quarter of a pound of flour, two ounces butter, two ounces grated
parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt and a few grains of cayenne pepper.
Mix into a paste with the yolk of an egg. Roll out to the thickness of
a silver quarter, about four or five inches long; cut into strips
about a third of an inch wide, twist them as you would a paper spill
and lay them on a baking-sheet slightly floured. Bake in a moderate
oven until crisp, but they must not be the least brown. If put away in
a tin these straws will keep a long time. Serve cold, piled tastefully
on a glass dish. You can make the straws of remnants of puff pastry,
rolling in the grated cheese.
CHEESE CREAM TOAST.
Stale bread may be served as follows: Toast the slices and cover them
slightly with grated cheese; make a cream for ten slices out of a pint
of milk and two tablespoonfuls of plain flour. The milk should be
boiling, and the flour mixed in a little cold water before stirring
in. When the cream is nicely cooked, season with salt and butter; set
the toast and cheese in the oven for three or four minutes and then
pour the cream over them.
WELSH RAREBIT.
Grate three ounces of dry cheese and mix it with the yolks of two
eggs, put four ounces of grated bread and three of butter; beat the
whole together in a mortar with a dessertspoonful of made mustard, a
little salt and some pepper; toast some slices of bread, cut off the
outside crust, cut it in shapes and spread the paste thick upon them,
and put them in the oven, let them become hot and slightly browned,
serve hot as possible.
EGGS AND OMELETS.
There are so many ways of cooking and dressing eggs, that it seems
unnecessary for the ordinary family to use those that are not the most
practical.
To ascertain the freshness of an egg, hold it between your thumb and
forefinger in a horizontal position, with a strong light in front of
you. The fresh egg will have a clear appearance, both upper and lower
sides being the same. The stale egg will have a clear appearance at
the lower side, while the upper side will exhibit a dark or cloudy
appearance.
Another test is to put them in a pan of cold water; those that are the
first to sink are the freshest; the stale will rise and float on top;
or, if the large end turns up in the water, they are not fresh. The
best time for preserving eggs is from July to September.
TO PRESERVE EGGS.
There are several recipes for preserving eggs and we give first one
which we know to be effectual, keeping them fresh from August until
Spring. Take a piece of quick-lime as large as a good-sized lemon and
two teacupfuls of salt; put it into a large vessel and slack it with a
gallon of boiling water. It will boil and bubble until thick as cream;
when it is cold, pour off the top, which will be perfectly clear.
Drain off this liquor, and pour it over your eggs; see that the liquor
more than covers them. A stone jar is the most convenient--one that
holds about six quarts.
Another manner of preserving eggs is to pack them in a jar with layers
of salt between, the large end of the egg downward, with a thick layer
of salt at the top; cover tightly and set in a cool place.
Some put them in a wire basket or a piece of mosquito net and dip them
in boiling water half a minute; then pack in sawdust. Still another
manner is to dissolve a cheap article of gum arabic, about as thin as
muscilage, and brush over each egg with it; then pack in powdered
charcoal; set in a cool, dark place.
Eggs can be kept for some time by smearing the shells with butter or
lard; then packed in plenty of bran or sawdust, the eggs not allowed
to touch one another; or coat the eggs with melted paraffine.
BOILED EGGS.
Eggs for boiling cannot be too fresh, or boiled too soon after they
are laid; but rather a longer time should be allowed for boiling a
new-laid egg than for one that is three or four days old. Have ready a
saucepan of boiling water; put the eggs into it gently with a spoon,
letting the spoon touch the bottom of the saucepan before it is
withdrawn, that the egg may not fall and consequently crack. For those
who like eggs lightly boiled, three minutes will be found sufficient;
three and three-quarters to four minutes will be ample time to set the
white nicely; and if liked hard, six or seven minutes will not be
found too long. Should the eggs be unusually large, as those of black
Spanish fowls sometimes are, allow an extra half minute for them. Eggs
for salad should be boiled for ten or fifteen minutes, and should be
placed in a basin of cold water for a few minutes to shrink the meat
from the shell; they should then be rolled on the table with the hand
and the shell will peel off easily.
SOFT BOILED EGGS.
When properly cooked eggs are done evenly through, like any other
food. This result may be obtained by putting the eggs into a dish with
a cover, or a tin pail, and then pouring upon them _boiling_
water--two quarts or more to a dozen of eggs--and cover and set them
away where they will keep _hot_ and _not_ boil for ten to twelve
minutes. The heat of the water cooks the eggs slowly, evenly and
sufficiently, leaving the centre or yolk harder than the white, and
the egg tastes as much richer and nicer as a fresh egg is nicer than a
stale egg.
SCALLOPED EGGS.
Hard-boil twelve eggs; slice them thin in rings; in the bottom of a
large well-buttered baking-dish place a layer of grated bread crumbs,
then one of eggs; cover with bits of butter and sprinkle with pepper
and salt. Continue thus to blend these ingredients until the dish is
full; be sure, though, that the crumbs cover the eggs upon top. Over
the whole pour a large teacupful of sweet cream or milk and brown
nicely in a moderately heated oven.
SHIRRED EGGS.
Set into the oven until quite hot a common white dish large enough to
hold the number of eggs to be cooked, allowing plenty of room for
each. Melt in it a small piece of butter, and breaking the eggs
carefully in a saucer, one at a time, slip them into the hot dish;
sprinkle over them a small quantity of pepper and salt and allow them
to cook four or five minutes. Adding a tablespoonful of cream for
every two eggs, when the eggs are first slipped in, is a great
improvement.
This is far more delicate than fried eggs.
Or prepare the eggs the same and set them in a steamer over boiling
water.
They are usually served in hotels baked in individual dishes, about
two in a dish, and in the same dish they were baked in.
SCRAMBLED EGGS.
Put a tablespoonful of butter into a hot frying pan; tip around so
that it will touch all sides of the pan. Having ready half a dozen
eggs broken in a dish, salted and peppered, turn them (without
beating) into the hot butter; stir them one way briskly for five or
six minutes or until they are mixed. Be careful that they do not get
too hard. Turn over toast or dish up without.
POACHED OR DROPPED EGGS.
Have one quart of _boiling_ water a |
