Fast-Day Cookery; or, Meals without Meat

by Grace Johnson

7. Skate Stew (Brown).

Cut up an onion into thin rings, chop two beads of garlic, and fry, in three ounces of butter with one tablespoon of flour and twelve cloves, a nice brown, quite a rich colour, then add half a pint of water, a blade of mace, a stick of cinnamon, the grated rind of half a lemon, three bay-leaves; stir, and let it thicken well, then add two tablespoons of mushroom ketchup, Nepaul pepper and salt to taste; let it simmer very gently for half an hour; strain, put it back in the pan, and add one pound of nicely crimped skate to the sauce; let the fish cook very gently until done, which will take from twenty minutes to half an hour. Serve with sippets of fried bread and parsley round the dish.