STEWED PRUNES. Stew some prunes gently in a little water, till the stones will slip out easily, but they must not be boiled too much. These are useful in fevers, or in any complaint where fruit is proper; and when fruit more acid would not agree.
STEWED RABBIT. Divide them into quarters, flour and fry them in butter; then put them into a stewpan, with some good gravy, and a glass of white wine. Season with salt, pepper, and a sprig of sweet herbs. Cover them close, and let them stew till they become tender. Strain off the sauce, thicken it with flour and butter, and pour it over them.
STEWED RED CABBAGE. Slice a small red cabbage, or half a large one, and wash it clean. Put it into a saucepan with pepper, salt, and butter, but no water except what hangs about the cabbage. Stew it tender, and when ready to serve, add two or three spoonfuls of vinegar, and give it one boil over the fire. It may be eaten with cold meat, or with sausages laid upon it.—Another way. Shred the cabbage, and wash it. Put it into a saucepan with pepper, salt, some slices of onion; and a little plain gravy. When it is boiled quite tender, add a bit of butter rubbed with flour, a few minutes before serving, with two or three spoonfuls of vinegar, and boil it up.—Another. Cut the cabbage very thin, put it into a stewpan with a small slice of ham, and half an ounce of butter at the bottom. Put in half a pint of broth, and a gill of vinegar, and let it stew three hours covered down. When it is very tender, add a little more broth, salt, pepper, and a table-spoonful of pounded sugar. Mix these well, and boil it till the liquor is wasted. Then put it into the dish, and lay fried sausages upon it.
STEWED RUMP OF BEEF. Wash it well, and season it high with pepper, cayenne, salt, allspice, three cloves, and a blade of mace, all in fine powder. Bind it up tight, and lay it into a pot that will just hold it. Fry three large onions sliced, and put them to it, with three carrots, two turnips, one shalot, four cloves, a blade of mace, and some celery. Cover the meat with good beef broth, or weak gravy. Simmer it as gently as possible for several hours, till quite tender. Clear off the fat, and add to the gravy half a pint of port wine, a glass of vinegar, and a large spoonful of ketchup; half a pint of beer may be added. Simmer for half an hour, and serve in a deep dish. The herbs to be used should be burnet, tarragon, parsley, thyme, basil, savoury, marjoram, pennyroyal, knotted marjoram, and some chives; a good handful all together. But observe to proportion the quantities to the pungency of the several sorts. Garnish with carrots, turnips, or truffles and morels, or pickles of different colours, cut small, and laid in little heaps separate. Chopped parsley, chives, and beet root may be added. If there is too much gravy for the dish, take only a part to season for serving, the less the better; and to increase the richness, add a few beef bones and shanks of mutton in stewing. A spoonful or two of made mustard is a great improvement to the gravy.—Another way. Half roast the rump, then put it into a large pot with three pints of water, one of small beer, one of port vine, some salt, three or four spoonfuls of vinegar, and two of ketchup. Add a bunch of sweet herbs, consisting of burnet, tarragon, parsley, thyme, basil, savoury, pennyroyal, marjoram, knotted marjoram, and a leaf or two of sage; also some onions, cloves, and cayenne. Cover it close, and simmer it for two or three hours, till quite tender. When done lay it into a deep dish, set it over some hot water, and cover it close. Skim the gravy, put in a few pickled mushrooms, truffles, morels, and oysters if agreeable, but it is very good without. Thicken the gravy with flour and butter, heat it with the above, and pour it over the beef. Forcemeat balls of veal, anchovies, bacon, suet, herbs, spice, bread, and eggs to bind, are a great improvement. A rump of beef is excellent roasted; but in the country it is generally sold whole with the edge-bone, or cut across instead of lengthways as in London, where one piece is for boiling, and the rump for stewing or roasting. This must be attended to, the whole being too large to dress together.—Another way. Raise the lean next the chump-end; cut that bone off, but leave the chine-bone, then with two skewers fasten the meat as if the bone was not taken away: Put it into a pot with a little more water than will cover it: Add parsley, thyme, two or three large onions, a handful of salt, whole pepper half an ounce, half a quarter of an ounce of cloves, the same quantity of mace; cover it close down, and stew it over a slow fire for three hours, till your beef is very tender. To make your sauce, take two pounds of gravy beef, cut it in pretty thick slices, and flour them well; put a piece of butter into your stewpan, over a stove, or a quick fire. When that is brown, put in the slices of beef, and fry them brown, as quick as you can; then add water as much as you think will be sufficient to make a very strong gravy; cut an onion cross with parsley, thyme, pepper, and salt, two or three cloves, and a blade of mace; let this stew till your gravy is very rich, then strain it off, and thicken it up with a piece of butter rolled in flour.
STEWED SAVOYS. These may be done in the same manner as red cabbage; but the better way is to boil the savoy in water till about half done, and then stew it. This takes off the strong flavour, and makes it much more agreeable.
STEWED SCALLOPS. Boil them very well in salt and water; take out the fish, stew them in some of their liquor, with a little white wine, two or three blades of mace, a little nutmeg, and a good piece of butter rolled in flour; let them be thoroughly stewed, then pour in a little cream, shake your pan round, and squeeze in the juice of a Seville orange. Send them to table garnished with baked sippets and orange.
STEWED SOLES. Half fry them in butter, take out the fish, and put a quart of water or gravy into the pan, two anchovies, and a sliced onion. When they have boiled slowly for a quarter of an hour, put the fish in again, and stew them gently about twenty minutes. Take them out, thicken the liquor with butter and flour, boil it gently, strain it over the fish, and serve it with oyster, cockle, or shrimp sauce.
STEWED SORREL. Wash it clean, and put it into a silver vessel, or stone jar, with no more water than hangs to the leaves. Simmer it as slowly as possible; and when done enough, beat it up with a piece of butter. This is very fine with a fricandeau, with roast meat, mackarel, or any thing usually eaten with an acid sauce. The same thickening may be added, as for spinach and sorrel. It is as well prepared in a stone jar set before the fire, only it requires a longer time.
STEWED SPINACH WITH CREAM. Boil the spinach till nearly done enough, then squeeze all the water from it, and put it into a stewpan, with a piece of butter and some salt. Stir it over the fire till the butter is well mixed in with it, and add as much cream as will make it of a moderate thickness. Shake it for a minute or two over the fire, and serve it up with sippets of bread, either fried or toasted.
STEWED SPINACH WITH GRAVY. Pick the spinach nicely, then wash it well, and put it into a stewpan, with a few spoonfuls of water, and a little salt. Stew this till quite tender, shaking the pan very often to prevent its burning. When done enough, put it into a sieve to drain, and give it a slight squeeze. Beat the spinach well, then return it to the stewpan with some gravy, pepper, salt, and a piece of butter. Let it stew about a quarter of an hour, stirring it frequently. Serve it up either in a dish by itself, or with poached eggs upon it, according to the occasion for which it is wanted.