ECONOMICAL MADE DISHES.
No. 147. Fillet of Beef or a small rump steak is very excellent dressed in the following new way:
Procure a piece of fillet of beef, weighing from three to four pounds, which can be purchased in any butcher’s shop, being the under part of the rump; trim it a little, taking off part of the skin, leaving a piece of fat half an inch in thickness upon each side, cut it crosswise in slices a quarter of an inch in thickness, making about six pieces, beat lightly, giving them a roundish shape; place them upon a gridiron over a sharp fire, season whilst broiling with about a saltspoonful of salt, and the half of one of black pepper, turn them once or twice whilst upon the gridiron, which process will keep the gravy in, and when done dress them immediately upon a dish, in which you have put the following simple but excellent sauce, which I usually make over an ordinary fire; put the yolks of four eggs in a stewpan or iron saucepan, with half a pound of fresh butter (rather firm) cut into slices, half a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter ditto of pepper, the juice of half a lemon, and half a tablespoonful of chopped parsley; set upon a slow fire, keep stirring quickly with a wooden spoon in every direction, until becoming rather thick, when remove it from the fire half a minute, still stirring, then again upon the fire, stirring until the butter is quite melted, but congealed with the yolks of eggs, forming a smooth thickish sauce; should it, however, be too thick, add a little milk or cream, and if requiring more seasoning add a little pepper and salt, with the juice of the other half lemon; proceed the same for rump steak, but if for a corner dish, the fillet would be preferable, as the steak would be too large, appearing clumsy. The above quantity would be sufficient for a party of ten, but a much smaller quantity might be made.
A great improvement would be to have four or five middling-sized potatoes, peeled, cut in quarters lengthwise, and afterwards into thin slices crosswise; have ready upon the fire a stewpan, containing lard or dripping, when hot (which you may perceive by the smoke arising from it, or by throwing a drop of water in, if sufficiently hot it will hiss and snap), put in the slices of potatoes, and fry about ten minutes until crisp, and a very light brown colour; care must be taken that the fat is not too hot, or the potatoes would be burnt before they were sufficiently cooked.
Another method of frying potatoes, although rather more extravagant, is very simple and excellent: put a quarter of a pound of butter in a stewpan or saucepan, and when melted put in twenty small new potatoes, if in season, or potatoes cut as before, place over a sharp fire, stirring them occasionally, until of a nice gold colour; should they absorb all the butter, add a little more, when done sprinkle a little salt over, and serve round the fillet or steak; this may be used in many instances in the kitchens of the wealthy.
No. 148. A new Steak. Procure a piece of ribs of beef containing a couple of bones, from which detach the meat, and cut three steaks lengthwise, beat lightly with the cutlet-bat, trim a little, broil one or two, seasoning them well, and serve with sauce and fried potatoes as before.
No. 149. Fillet or Steak à la Maître d’Hôtel. Cut, trim, and broil the fillet or steaks, from either the rump or ribs of beef, as before (always over a sharp fire); place them upon your dish, have ready two ounces of butter, with which you have mixed a saltspoonful of salt, a quarter ditto of white pepper, one of chopped parsley, and the juice of half a lemon, rub all over the steaks, turning them three or four times, the butter mixing with the gravy forms an admirable sauce; serve with fried potatoes round as before.
The above steaks or fillets are also very excellent broiled as above, and served with anchovy butter (page 33), instead of the butter prepared as last directed, and using one ounce instead of two.
Should any of the above steaks be required plain broiled, to give them an extra zest, sprinkle chopped eschalots in addition to the other seasoning over previous to placing them upon the gridiron; a steak cut of the ordinary size, would require ten minutes broiling over a good fire. Mutton and lamb chops, or even cotelettes, are very good dressed in the before-mentioned manners; a little glaze, if handy, is also an improvement. For mutton chops, a little Harvey sauce and Chili vinegar poured over just before taking from the gridiron renders them very beautiful eating.
No. 150. A new Mutton or Lamb Chop. Having previously and successfully introduced a new joint (the saddle-back), I thought I would also introduce a new form of mutton or lamb chops, and adopted the following one, as represented in the engraving, which is not only very novel, but the manner in which the chops are cut, by jagging the meat, causes them to eat much lighter and better, they being sawed off the saddle instead of cut from the loin; proceed as follows:
Trim a middling-sized saddle of mutton, which cut into chops, half an inch in thickness, with a saw, without at all making use of a knife; then trim to the shape represented in the drawing; season well with salt and pepper, place upon a gridiron over a sharp fire, turning them three or four times, they will require about ten minutes cooking; when done place them upon a dish, spread a small piece of fresh butter (if approved of) over each, and serve. The bone keeping the gravy in whilst cooking, is a very great advantage in having chops cut after the above method. At home, when I have a saddle of mutton, I usually cut three or four such chops from it, cook and rub maître d’hôtel butter over, and serve them with fried potatoes round, using the remainder of the saddle as a joint the next day.
The above are also excellent seasoned, dipped into eggs, and bread-crumbed previous to broiling; for lamb chops proceed precisely the same, only broiling them a few minutes less.
No. 151. Veal Cutlets. Cut four cutlets from the neck, half an inch in thickness, beat lightly with a chopper, and cut off the chine-bones, season them well; have a couple of eggs well beaten upon a plate, into which dip them, then into bread-crumbs, take out, pat gently with a knife, and broil rather more than ten minutes upon a gridiron over a good fire, turning occasionally, keening them of a very light brown colour; dress upon a dish, spreading a piece of the maître d hôtel butter over each, turning them two or three times in the dish, and serving very hot. Veal cutlets are also very good served with the new sauce as for fillets of beef or steaks, and the fried potatoes around them.
No. 152. Pork Chops. Take four chops from a loin of pork, each about half an inch in thickness, beat them lightly, trim, season well with pepper and salt, broil nearly a quarter of an hour over a good fire, and serve very hot upon a dish, with or without apple-sauce in a boat.
No. 153. Pork or Veal Chops Fried. Put one ounce of butter in a sauté or frying-pan, rub over the bottom, lay in four chops, well seasoned as in either of the last two; place the pan over a moderate fire, when the chops become coloured upon one side turn them over, they will require turning two or three times before done; when done, and of a nice colour, take them out, and place upon a dish; put a spoonful of chopped onions in the pan, which fry until becoming of a brownish colour, then take off as much of the fat as possible, add a teaspoonful of flour (mix well with a wooden spoon), and moisten with half a pint of water; stir quickly, add a bay-leaf, and when boiling season with half a saltspoonful of pepper, two of salt, one of sugar, and two spoonfuls of vinegar, stir over the fire until forming a sauce, when again lay in the chops, let simmer five minutes, dress the chops upon a dish, add two chopped gherkins to the sauce, which pour over and serve; a little brown colouring (No. 146) added to the sauce would improve their appearance.
No. 154. Hashed Beef is made from any description of roast beef. It may also be made from stewed, but roast is preferable. Cut about a pound and a half of meat into thin slices, using a small quantity of the fat; lay them upon a dish, sprinkle a spoonful of flour, a teaspoonful of salt, and a quarter ditto of pepper, place the meat in a stewpan, moisten with half a pint of water or light broth, if handy; add a little colouring (No. 146) to give a nice brown colour, place it upon the fire, allowing it to warm gently, stirring occasionally, simmering a quarter of an hour, taste if requiring more seasoning, if so add a little and serve very hot immediately. In making a hash of any description, avoid having to keep it hot as much as possible, or it would become greasy, and likewise prevent the hash boiling over the fire, which would cause the meat to eat hard and tough. If the beef has been well roasted, as described (page 639), the remainder, being underdone, makes an excellent and very nutritious hash.
To vary any description of hash, it may be served upon a large piece of buttered toast, or half a spoonful of chopped onions may be added with the flour and seasoning; chopped parsley may also be added with a spoonful of catsup, two of Harvey sauce, two of vinegar, or one of Chili vinegar; four nice green gherkins in slices may also be added at the time of serving. Some fresh mushrooms from the fields, cleaned, and stewed in the hash, is also a great improvement, a bay-leaf also added imparts a pleasant flavour. A little meat left upon the bones, well peppered and broiled, are frequently served with the hash.
No. 155. Remains of Salt Beef, although very good cold, in winter is very desirable made hot; one of the best methods of doing which is to convert it into that old-fashioned dish entitled bubble-and-squeak; the beef should be, as usual, rather underdone, and cut into slices not thicker than a five-shilling piece, then put two ounces of butter in a sauté or frying-pan, when melted lay in the beef, which place over a quick fire, frying both sides of a yellowish brown colour, when take them out upon a dish, keeping them hot; you have previously boiled six or eight greens or one Savoy cabbage, which chop fine, season with four saltspoonfuls of salt and one of black pepper, place in the same pan you fried the beef in over the fire, keep turning them over until quite hot, when dress upon a dish with the beef over, and serve. A few slices of fat ought to be fried with the beef.
Another way of warming salt beef, is to cut slices and lay in a pan with just sufficient water to cover them; place over the fire, add about an ounce of fresh butter mixed with a little flour, a little Harvey sauce, and a piece of glaze about the size of a walnut, if handy. Another way would be to lay the slices in a saute or frying-pan well buttered, place over the fire and fry a light brown colour, pour off as much of the fat as possible, add a quarter of a pint of water, and a piece of butter the size of a walnut, with which you have mixed half a teaspoonful of flour, shake round over the fire a minute or two, add two spoonfuls of piccalilly cut in slices, two ditto of the liquor, and one of the colouring (No. 146), and serve over when ready.
No. 156. Ox Tails en Currie. Have ready some ox tails dressed as described in page 273 (they will keep several days in a basin covered with their own stock), when wanted warm them in their stock, cut four onions into very thin slices, put them into a stewpan with a quarter of a pound of butter, fry over a slow fire until the onions become brown and pulpy, when add a nicely boiled mealy potato (peeled), a tablespoonful of currie-powder, and one of currie-paste, or one and a half of the powder, mix all well together, moisten with three parts of a pint of the stock from the tails; then add the tails, stirring them round gently until well covered with the sauce, set over a slow fire to stew very slowly for half an hour, moving them round occasionally, finish with a little salt and the juice of half a lemon; dress upon a dish pyramidically, pour the sauce, which must be rather thick, over, and serve with rice boiled as directed (page 51) upon a separate dish.
Another way, for a change, would be to introduce four very ripe tomatas at the same time with the potato and currie-powder, omitting the lemon-juice, and adding half a teaspoonful of sugar. A tablespoonful of currie-paste added to any description of hash would convert it into a very good currie.
No. 157. Ragout of Ox Tails. Cut two ox tails into pieces two inches in length, rub two ounces of butter over the bottom of a convenient-sized stewpan, place in the pieces of tails, with half a pound of streaked bacon cut into square pieces the size of walnuts, place over a moderate fire, stirring occasionally until nicely browned, but not in the least burnt, add two ounces of flour (mix well) and three pints of water; when boiling and half cooked add a bunch of parsley, with two bay-leaves, twenty young carrots, or pieces of old ones, and twenty button onions, season with a teaspoonful of salt, a half ditto of sugar, and a quarter ditto of pepper; let simmer until the tails and vegetables are quite tender, keeping well skimmed, when take out and dress them in pyramid upon mashed potatoes, garnish round with the vegetables, pass the sauce through a hair sieve into another stewpan, place over the fire, stir with a wooden spoon until adhering to the back, when pour over the tails, and serve very hot.
No. 158. Ox Cheeks are very delicate when well stewed, and may be purchased very cheap; they require soaking all night, and about six hours to blanch in salt water, until the flesh will detach easily from the bone, when take it out, remove the bone, place some onion, carrot, and turnip, in slices, in a large flat stewpan, with a piece of bacon, a few sprigs of thyme, parsley, and two bay-leaves, cover with a little stock (if any) or water, place the flesh from the cheek over, put in a moderate oven until very tender, when take up, dress upon a dish, and serve with a sharp sauce over.
Ox cheeks may also be served in currie, or converted into a ragout after blanching, as directed for ox tails.
Should you happen to have the remains of a fresh ox tongue, it would be very good cut in slices, warmed, and served with a sharp sauce, or hashed; the remains of a pickled one may be used in any little made dish of veal, or poultry, hereafter described; to some persons it is, however, preferable cold.
No. 159. Ox Kidneys are very good for breakfast or luncheon; cut the kidneys into thin slices, avoiding the piece in the centre, put two ounces of butter in a stewpan, with a little chopped eschalots, place over the fire; when becoming a little browned add the kidneys, which keep stirring for five minutes still over the fire, add half a tablespoonful of flour (mix well), two glasses of sherry, two of water, half a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter ditto of pepper, one of chopped parsley, and a bay-leaf, let simmer gently five minutes, not, however, to boil, or they would become hard and indigestible; should the sauce be too thin add a little butter and flour mixed together, it requires to be sufficiently thick to envelope the kidneys; when done poor out upon a dish, and serve very hot. A few raw mushrooms stewed with the kidneys is also a great improvement.
A bullock’s heart is a favorite dish with some persons; soak an hoar in lukewarm water to disgorge, dry, and stuff the interior with a good veal stuffing, roast an hour and a half before a moderate fire, and serve very hot, with a little veal sauce (see page 647) around; proceed the same for calves’ or sheep’s hearts, but of course they will require less time.
No. 160. Calf’s Head. Should you have any left from a previous dinner it may be dressed in various ways. To hash calf’s head, cut into good slices not too thin, or it would have a bad appearance; put a spoonful of chopped onions in a stewpan, with a wineglassful of vinegar, six peppercorns, a sprig of thyme, a bay-leaf, a piece of glaze the size of a walnut, and a gill of broth, reduce to half over the fire, then add the slices of calf’s head and a gill more broth, season with a little pepper and salt, when quite hot through add half an ounce of butter, with which you have mixed a tablespoonful of flour, first breaking it into four or five pieces, shake round over the fire until becoming a little thickish, add a little colouring (No. 146) to give a light brown colour; pour out upon your dish, and serve with a few slices of gherkins sprinkled over.
Calf’s head may also be cut in slices, warmed, and served with some of the sauces as directed for fillet of beef, or curried as for the ox-tails (No. 156); hashed calf’s head, with a couple of spoonfuls of currie-paste added, is also very excellent.
No. 161. Calf’s Brains and Tongue. Boil the tongue in stock or water until tender, lay the brains in lukewarm water to disgorge, then carefully take off all the skin, put about a quarter of a pound of butter in a sauté-pan, rub all over the bottom, cut the brains in slices, lay them in the pan, season with a little pepper, salt, and lemon-juice, place over a moderate fire, and when set turn them over, add about a gill of melted butter, and a little milk, if too thick, season a little more if required, shake the sauté-pan round, moving the brains from the bottom, but not breaking them, and pour upon a dish, skin and trim the tongue, cut it in halves lengthwise, glaze and serve dressed upon the brains. Sheep and lamb’s tongues and brains are dressed in precisely the same manner as the calf’s.
No. 162. Veal Cutlets, the English Method. Procure a piece of fillet of veal weighing about four pounds, from which (to the best advantage) cut eight or ten pieces of the shape and size of fillets of fowl, season lightly with a little pepper and salt, have a couple of eggs, well beaten, upon a plate, into which dip the cutlets, and afterwards into bread-crumbs, beat lightly; then cut four or five slices of streaked bacon, which fry in a sauté or frying-pan; when done take out and lay in the cutlets, which fry of a nice light brown colour, dress the bacon and cutlets alternately upon your dish, pour as much fat as possible out of the pan, into which pour a quarter of a pint of water, and the same of melted butter; boil until becoming rather thickish, when add a tablespoonful of Harvey sauce, one of catsup, a little colouring (No. 146), and a little pepper and salt, boil another second, pass through a sieve over the cutlets, and serve. Veal cutlets cut and fried as above may also be served upon some very light mashed potatoes, omitting the sauce.
No. 163. Sweetbreads. I never can procure sweetbreads at home except in the autumn or winter season of the year, so many families being then out of town, they may be procured at a very reasonable price; I usually dress them thus: lay them in water three or four hours to disgorge, blanch two minutes in boiling water, take out and put them into another stewpan, with a few slices of onions, carrot, turnip, a little parsley, thyme, bay-leaf, six peppercorns, a blade of mace, and a small piece of bacon, cover over with a little broth if any, place over the fire, and let boil about twenty minutes, then take out, dry them on a cloth, egg all over, throw into bread-crumbs, run a skewer through each, tie them to a spit and roast of a nice brown colour before a sharp fire, a quarter of an hour would be sufficient; they might also be browned in a hot oven, or fried in very hot lard or dripping ten minutes; then, however, they must be stewed rather longer; serve them with vegetable garniture of any description, if peas, merely plain boiling them, putting them in a stewpan, with a little sugar, pepper, salt, and a piece of fresh butter, toss them round over the fire until very hot, pour them into the dish, and dress the sweetbreads over, or serve with French beans dressed also in the same manner, spinach dressed as directed (page 43), or merely with the following sauce: put a gill of melted butter into a stewpan, with a spoonful of Harvey or Reading sauce, and a little catsup, boil altogether, and if too thick add a little water. If I cannot meet with heart sweetbreads, I in general satisfy myself with the throats.
No. 164. Calf’s Liver Stewed, French fashion. Procure a small delicate liver, cut twenty pieces of fat bacon, three inches in length and a quarter of an inch square, season with a little pepper, salt, and chopped parsley, then with a larding-needle run them into the liver crosswise, put two ounces of butter into a convenient-sized stewpan, with half a pound of lean uncooked ham, keep stirring over a sharp fire until the ham becomes rather brownish, then lay in the liver, cover the stewpan, stir round occasionally until the liver has become quite firm and of a brownish colour; then add half a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter of one of pepper, forty button onions, twenty young carrots (or twenty pieces of old, previously blanched), half a pint of water, a bunch of parsley, with three sprigs of thyme and two bay-leaves (tied together), four cloves, and a blade of mace, let simmer twenty minutes; then add twenty new potatoes, or old ones cut of the same size, cover the stewpan, and let stew gently until all the vegetables are done, when take out the bunch of herbs, dress the liver upon a dish, with the vegetables and ham around it, skim all the fat from the gravy in the stewpan, pour over the vegetables and serve; if any remain, it is excellent made hot the next day, or even to be eaten cold.
No. 165. Calf’s Liver Fried. Cut the liver into slices the eighth of an inch in thickness, dip them in flour, and fry them in a sauté or frying-pan, in which you have previously fried some slices of streaked bacon, fry the liver until quite browned and rather crisp, when take out and place it upon a dish with the bacon, pour as much of the fat as possible from the pan, pour in a quarter of a pint of water, when boiling add a piece of butter the size of a walnut, with which you have mixed a teaspoonful of flour, shake the pan round over the fire until becoming rather thickish, season with a little Harvey sauce, catsup, pepper, and salt, if too thick add a little more water, pour over the liver and serve. Or, for variation, after the liver is well fried, take it out and put a tablespoonful of chopped onions in the pan, set upon the fire a minute, then pour off the greater part of the fat, add a teaspoonful of flour, mix well in, and half a pint of broth or water, boil until forming a thickish sauce, season with pepper, salt, two spoonfuls of vinegar, a little sugar, and half a teaspoonful of mixed mustard, set upon the fire until quite hot, pour over the liver and serve. Or liver may be served plain fried with bacon, without any sauce whatever. Sheep or lamb’s liver may be dressed precisely in the same manner.
With the remains of a joint of veal, either roasted, boiled, or braised, I make mince, hashes, blanquettes, and even pies. For a blanquette of veal cut about a pound into thin slices of the size of half-crown-pieces, add also a few slices of cooked tongue, ham, or streaked bacon, season well with about a teaspoonful of chopped onions, half ditto of salt, and a quarter ditto of white pepper, add a gill of broth or water, warm gently, and when quite hot add a piece of butter the size of a walnut, with which you have mixed a teaspoonful of flour, shake round over the fire, when becoming thickish add half a gill of milk or cream, with which you have mixed the yolk of an egg, stir in quickly, add the juice of half a lemon, and serve (it must not boil after the egg and cream have been added) with triangular pieces of toasted or fried bread round. A blanquette of lamb made in the same manner is equally good. With the bones you may make a little stock by chopping them up into small pieces, and putting them into a stewpan, with an onion in slices, a bay-leaf, bunch of parsley, and a little raw ham, add water according to the quantity of bones, and boil rather more than half an hour, convert it into sauce by thickening with a little butter and flour, and use for hash; to make which cut the meat into small thin slices, put into a stewpan, with sufficient of the above sauce to moisten it, let simmer ten minutes, add two spoonfuls of vinegar and four gherkins in slices, season with a little white pepper and salt; pour upon your dish and serve.
No. 166. Minced Veal and Poached Eggs are also a very favorite dish; from the remains of veal cut about a pound of the lean, with a little of the fat, and two ounces of cooked ham into very small dice, put a tablespoonful of chopped onions into a stewpan, with half an ounce of butter, place over the fire, keep stirring until the onions change colour slightly, then stir in a tablespoonful of flour, moisten with half a pint of stock or milk, let boil ten minutes, add the mince, season well with white pepper and salt, when quite hot stir in a yolk of egg, mixed with two tablespoonfuls of cream or milk, do not let boil afterwards, finish with the juice of half a lemon, and pour upon your dish; have ready poached six eggs, by having a stewpan upon the fire with one quart of water, quarter of an ounce of salt, and a quarter of a gill of vinegar, when boiling break in six eggs separately, let boil from three to four minutes, draw off the fire, take them out with a colander spoon, drain a moment upon a cloth, dress upon the mince, pour a little melted butter over each, and serve with triangular pieces of fried bread round.
Minced lamb, beef, or mutton is done the same, using stock or water instead of milk, and letting the onions with the thickening become a little brown over the fire, likewise omit the yolk of egg and cream, serve with the eggs precisely the same; any kind of mince must be rather thick that the eggs may rest on it. By finishing the minced veal with the yolks of three eggs, stirring a moment over the fire until set, and pouring upon a dish until cold, you can serve it in any shaped croquettes you please, taking pieces from it of the size you may require, shaping them with a knife, dipping twice into eggs and bread-crumbs, patting them gently, frying a light brown colour in a stewpan of hot lard or dripping, and serving upon a napkin garnished with fried parsley; they may be made in oblong shapes, the size and length of small sausages, and fried as above: they are then called boudins.
Patties may also be made from cooked veal, preparing a blanquette as before described, and leaving it upon a dish until cold; line six large patty-pans very thinly with half puff paste (see page 480), lay some of the veal in the centre of each, sprinkle a little water over, and cover with sheets of the same paste of the thickness of a five-shilling piece, egg over, crimp the edges a little with a knife, place a leaf of paste upon the top of each, and bake about twenty minutes in a very hot oven until the paste is well done.
The remains of poultry, game, or any other description of meat, may also be converted into patties in the same method as above.
The remains of meat dressed as for the above patties is also very excellent for larger pies, filling the dish with it, when cold covering with paste, and baking in a rather warm oven.
No. 167. Mutton Cutlets Sautés. Cut eight cutlets from a neck of mutton, as directed (page 294), and put them into a sauté-pan, with an ounce of butter, season well with pepper and salt, place over the fire, when becoming a little browned turn them over, when firm to the touch they are done (which will take about ten minutes); take up and dress them upon your dish, pour as much of the fat as possible from the pan, add a quarter of a pint of water or broth, let boil until becoming a thin glaze, add a little sugar and a spoonful of Harvey sauce, pour over the cutlets and serve. Should you want a thick sauce you can obtain it by adding a small piece of butter, with which you have mixed a little flour, to the gravy in the sauté-pan, adding also a little colouring (No. 146).
No. 168. Mutton Cutlets Sautés, with Vegetables. Dress the cutlets as in the last, have some vegetables of all kinds (that is, carrots, turnips, artichokes, and button onions), cut up small, stew them in a little broth with a little sugar until tender, when pour them into the sauté-pan you cooked the cutlets in, reduce until the stock becomes a thin glaze, then dress the vegetables in the centre of the cutlets, sauce over, and serve.
No. 169. Mutton Cutlets, Irish Method. Cut eight or ten mutton cutlets, season well with pepper and salt, place them in a stewpan, just cover them with water, let simmer gently twenty minutes, then add forty button onions, and as many pieces of potatoes, cut with a scoop in pieces a size larger; stew until tender, dress the cutlets in a circle upon your dish, with the vegetables in the centre, skim off some of the fat from the stock in the sauté-pan, reduce a little, sauce over, and serve.
No. 170. Mutton Cutlets Broiled. Cut eight or ten cutlets, season well with pepper and salt, dip them into eggs, then into bread-crumbs, beat gently with a knife, have a little butter in a stewpan, which melt over the fire; dip each cutlet into the butter, and again into bread-crumbs, beat again lightly, place them upon a gridiron over a moderate fire; when lightly coloured upon one side turn them over; they will require about ten minutes to cook thoroughly; serve plain dressed upon your dish.
Dressed as above they may likewise be served with a maître d’hôtel sauce made thus: put half a pint of melted butter into a stewpan with a piece of glaze the size of a walnut, when boiling add two ounces of maître d’hôtel butter (see p. 33), shake the stewpan round over the fire; when quite hot pour in the dish with the cutlets, have ready some thin slices of potatoes fried as for the fillet of beef, dress in pyramid in the centre, and serve.
No. 171. Mutton Cutlets Harricoed. Cut ten cutlets from a neck of mutton, leaving them rather short, not beating them flat, and taking off some of the fat; put two ounces of butter in a stewpan, lay in the cutlets, which well season with pepper and salt; set upon a moderate fire, turning them round occasionally until of a lightish brown colour, then add a good spoonful of flour; mix well, and moisten with a quart of water, keep stirring until boiling, throw in twenty small onions, twenty small pieces of carrots, and the same of turnips (each about the size of walnuts), and a small bunch of parsley, with two bay-leaves; let simmer until the vegetables are done, skim well, take out the cutlets, which dress in crown upon a dish, place the vegetables in the centre, reduce the sauce if required, which pour over and serve. Should it be convenient, it would be as well to pass the vegetables by putting about a quarter of an ounce of powdered sugar into a stewpan; place over the fire, and when melted add two ounces of butter and the vegetables, which keep tossing over the fire until covered with a kind of glaze, when put them into the stewpan with the cutlets; it gives the harrico quite a peculiar and good flavour.
No. 172. Ragout of Mutton en Currie. Peel and slice four large onions, which put into a stewpan with two ounces of butter, place over a moderate fire, and when becoming lightly browned and pulpy lay in ten cutlets as in the last; move round occasionally until a little brown, when add a good spoonful of currie-powder and the half of one of flour; mix well, moisten with a pint of water, let simmer twenty minutes, or until the mutton is quite tender, finish with a little sugar, salt, and lemon-juice, take out the cutlets, which dress in circle upon a dish, have ready some boiled rice (p. 51) very hot, which dress in pyramid in the centre; pass the sauce through a tammie, pour over the cutlets, and serve.
No. 173. Mutton Currie. Peel and slice four large onions as in the last, fry the same, have ready two pounds of lean mutton cut into square pieces the size of walnuts, put into the stewpan with the fried onions; let remain ten minutes over the fire, stirring frequently, then add a tablespoonful of currie-powder and one of currie-paste; mix well in, let remain over a slow fire until the mutton is tender, season with a little salt and lemon-juice, pour out upon your dish, and serve with boiled rice separate.
Lamb cutlets are dressed precisely as the mutton; but when bread-crumbed and broiled they are very good served with peas or French beans, previously boiled, and placed in a stewpan with an ounce of fresh butter, a little pepper, salt, and sugar; when quite hot stir in half a gill of cream, with which you have well mixed the yolk of an egg, stir in quickly, pour out upon your dish, dress the cutlet over, and serve.
No. 174. Pork Cutlets Sautés. Cut six or eight good-sized cutlets from the neck, of the same shape as the mutton, lay them in a buttered sauté-pan, season well with pepper and salt, place over the fire; when done lay them upon a plate, pour some of the fat from the sauté-pan, add a good tablespoonful of chopped onions, pass over the fire a minute, then add a teaspoonful of flour; moisten with half a pint of broth or water, with a piece of glaze added, season a little more, add a bay-leaf and a teaspoonful of vinegar, with one of mustard, mix well, lay in the cutlets until quite hot, when dress upon a dish, sauce over, and serve. This sauce is good with any kind of cutlets, but especially pork.
No. 175. Pork Cutlets aux Cornichons. Cut six or eight cutlets from a middling-sized neck of pork, season well with pepper and salt, dip in eggs well beaten upon a plate, and then into grated crust of bread (not too brown); put two ounces of lard or butter into a sauté or frying-pan, lay in the cutlets and fry very slowly; when done place them upon a dish; keep hot, pour some of the fat from the pan, add a good teaspoonful of flour, mix well, moisten with half a pint of broth or water with a piece of glaze, add half a wineglassful of vinegar, a little salt, pepper, and six gherkins in slices, place the cutlets in the pan to warm gently in the sauce, then dress them upon a dish, sauce over, and serve.
No. 176. Pork Cutlets, Sauce demi Robert. Cut eight cutlets from a neck as before, season well with pepper and salt, sprinkle chopped onions and parsley over upon both sides, beating the cutlets lightly to make them adhere, then dip them into eggs well beaten upon a plate, and then into bread-crumbs; pat them lightly, have some clarified butter in a stewpan, into which dip the cutlets, and again into bread-crumbs, well covering them, place them upon a gridiron over a moderate fire, broiling a nice light brown colour; when done dress them upon a dish. Have ready the following sauce: cut two large onions into very small dice, put them into a stewpan with an ounce of butter, fry of a light yellow colour, add a teaspoonful of flour, mix well, moisten with half a pint of broth and two spoonfuls of vinegar, season well, let boil, skim, and reduce, until rather thick, when add a spoonful of mixed mustard, one of colouring (No. 146); sauce in the centre of the cutlets and serve.
No. 177. Hashed Pork. Put two spoonfuls of chopped onions into a stewpan with a wineglassful of vinegar, two cloves, a blade of mace, and a bay-leaf, reduce to half, take out the spice and bay-leaf, add half a pint of broth or water, cut some pork previously cooked into thin small slices, season well upon a dish with pepper and salt, shake a good teaspoonful of flour over, mix all together, and put into the stewpan; let simmer gently ten minutes, pour out upon your dish, and serve with slices of gherkins in it; a little mustard may be added if approved of, or a little piccalilly with the vinegar is excellent.
The remains of salt pork, though very palatable cold, if required hot may be cut into large thin slices, and placed in a buttered sauté or frying-pan, with a little broth, or merely fried in the butter, and served with a puree of winter peas, made by boiling half a pint of peas until tender (tied up in a cloth); when done put them into a stewpan with two ounces of butter; season with pepper and salt, add a gill of milk or cream, pour into the dish, and dress the pork over.
No. 178. Pig’s Liver. Procure a nice pig’s liver with the caul, cut the liver into good-sized slices of the shape of hearts, season with a little pepper, salt, and cayenne, sprinkle chopped eschalots and dried sage over, and fold each piece of liver in a piece of the caul; put some butter in a sauté or frying-pan, lay them in, place over the fire, let fry rather quickly, not too dry; when done it will be a beautiful colour; take out and dress in circle upon your dish; have ready the following sauce: put six spoonfuls of melted butter in a stewpan, with one of catsup, and two of Harvey or Worcestershire sauce; when boiling pour over the liver and serve.
To plain fry it, cut in slices, season with pepper and salt, dip in flour, or eggs and bread-crumbs, fry a light brown in butter or lard, dress in a circle upon your dish, pour a gill of water into the pan, add a little Harvey sauce and a piece of butter the size of a walnut, with which you have mixed half a teaspoonful of flour; let boil a minute, add a little pepper and salt, sauce over and serve.
No. 179. Pigs’ Kidneys. Cut them open lengthwise, season well with pepper and salt, egg over with a paste-brush, dip into bread-crumbs, with which you have mixed some chopped parsley and eschalot, run a skewer through to keep them open, and broil for about a quarter of an hour over a good fire; when done place them upon a dish, have ready an ounce of butter, with which you have mixed the juice of a lemon, a little pepper and salt, and a teaspoonful of French or common mustard, place a piece upon each of the kidneys, place in the oven for one minute and serve. Pigs’ kidneys may also be sautéd as directed for ox kidneys (No. 159).
No. 180. Black Puddings. Very few people take the trouble to do them at home, it being part of the business of the pork butcher to prepare such delicacies. I shall, however, here describe a very simple method for making them more palatable than those purchased in England, which have so much spice in them as to entirely destroy their delicate flavour. Cut into rather small dice twenty large onions, having cut off the roots, being hard, put them into a stewpan with half a pound of lard or butter, let stew gently, cut three pounds of pig’s flead, free from skin, into small dice, have ready boiled six heads of endive chopped fine, and put into the stewpan with the onions, add two ounces of salt, a saltspoonful of pepper, half a nutmeg, grated, and four spoonfuls of parsley, chopped with a little thyme and bay-leaf; then add six pints of pig’s blood, mix well, leaving no lumps; if too thin add a few handfuls of bread-crumbs, or half a pound of well-boiled rice; have ready the small intestines, which well scrape and wash in salt and water, tie one end upon a tin funnel, having a piece a yard in length, closing it at the other end, fill with the above preparation by pressing through a funnel; take off the funnel, tie up the end, and put them into a stewpan of nearly boiling water, let simmer twenty minutes, pricking them occasionally with a pin; when no blood oozes out they are done; take up and place them upon a dish until cold; when ready to serve cut into pieces four inches in length, cut through the skin at different places, broil ten minutes over a sharp fire, serve plain, but very hot.
These puddings are best made whilst the blood is still warm from the pig, which if killed at home, the other ingredients may be prepared previously. The endive may be omitted, but for a real epicure procure it if possible; they are served in France on the best of tables, and are quite worthy of that honour. Many kinds of black puddings are also made in Scotland, where they more frequently use sheep’s blood, using the interior of the sheep, fat and all, in the same proportions as if made of a pig, adding oatmeal, omitting part of the onions, and using the larger entrails.
It being usual in this country to introduce leeks, you must then omit the bread-crumbs and rice, or part of the onions. To prevent the blood curdling, it must be salted, by adding a handful of salt, and whisking well for ten minutes as soon as you obtain it from the pig.
Rice well boiled in broth but not too much so, is an excellent addition to black puddings (half a pound for the above quantity being quite sufficient), or grated bread; leeks also may be used instead of endive, or both may be omitted. I have mentioned these different articles, that if one cannot be procured, another might be used instead, fill also very even, mixing fat and all well together, carefully avoid letting any air get in, or they would burst in boiling.
No. 181. Excellent Sausage Cakes. Chop some lean pork very fine, having previously detached all the skin and bone, and to every pound of meat add three quarters of a pound of fat bacon, half an ounce of salt, a saltspoonful of pepper, the quarter of a nutmeg grated, six young green chopped onions, and a little chopped parsley; when the whole is well chopped put into a mortar and pound well, finishing with three eggs; then have ready a pig’s caul, which cut into pieces large enough to fold a piece of the above preparation the size of an egg, which wrap up, keeping the shape of an egg, but rather flattened, and broil very gently over a moderate fire.
No. 182. Pigs’ Feet. Procure six pigs’ feet, nicely salted, which boil in water, to which you have added a few vegetables, until well done, cut each one in halves, take out the long bone, have some sausage meat as in the last, and a pig’s caul, which cut into pieces each large enough to fold half a foot, well surrounded with sausage-meat, when well wrapped up broil slowly half an hour over a moderate fire, and serve. Or, when the pigs’ feet are well boiled, egg over, and throw them into some grated crust of bread, with which you have mixed a little parsley; broil a nice colour and serve with a little plain gravy.