No. 20.—Receipts for the Frying-pan.
Those who are fortunate enough to possess a frying-pan will find the following receipts very useful:—Cut in small dice half a pound of solid meat, keeping the bones for soup; put your pan, which should be quite clean, on the fire; when hot through, add an ounce of fat, melt it and put in the meat, season with half a teaspoonful of salt; fry for ten minutes, stirring now and then; add a teaspoonful of flour, mix all well, put in half a pint of water, let simmer for fifteen minutes, pour over a biscuit previously soaked, and serve.
The addition of a little pepper and sugar, if handy, is an improvement, as is also a pinch of cayenne, curry-powder, or spice; sauces and pickles used in small quantities would be very relishing; these are articles which will keep for any length of time. As fresh meat is not easily obtained, any of the cold salt meat may be dressed as above, omitting the salt, and only requires warming; or, for a change, boil the meat plainly, or with greens, or cabbage, or dumplings, as for beef; then the next day cut what is left in small dice—say four ounces—put in a pan an ounce of fat; when very hot, pour in the following:—Mix in a basin a tablespoonful of flour, moisten with water to form the consistency of thick melted butter, then pour it in the pan, letting it remain for one or two minutes, or until set; put in the meat, shake the pan to loosen it, turn it over, let it remain a few minutes longer, and serve.
To cook bacon, chops, steaks, slices of any kind of meat, salt or fresh sausages, black puddings, &c. Make the pan very hot, having wiped it clean, add in fat, dripping, butter, or oil, about an ounce of either; put in the meat, turn three or four times, and season with salt and pepper. A few minutes will do it. If the meat is salt, it must be well soaked previously.
No. 21.—Suet Dumplings.
Take half a pound of flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter teaspoonful of pepper, a quarter of a pound of chopped fat pork or beef suet, eight tablespoonfuls of water, mixed well together. It will form a thick paste, and when formed, divide it into six or eight pieces, which roll in flour, and boil with the meat for twenty minutes to half an hour. Little chopped onion or aromatic herbs will give it a flavour.
A plainer way, when Fat is not to be obtained.—Put the same quantity of flour and seasoning in a little more water, and make it softer, and divide it into sixteen pieces; boil about ten minutes. Serve round the meat.
One plain pudding may be made of the above, also peas and rice pudding thus:—One pound of peas well tied in a cloth, or rice ditto with the beef. It will form a good pudding. The following ingredients may be added: a little salt, sugar, pepper, chopped onions, aromatic herbs, and two ounces of chopped fat will make these puddings palatable and delicate.
BILL OF FARE FOR LONDON SUPPERS.
In introducing the subjoined Bill of Fare, applicable to the London suppers, I must here repeat that which I have previously mentioned, that my idea is far from replacing the dishes now so much in vogue both at the “Albion,” Simpson’s in the Strand, Evans’ Cider Cellars, and such-like places; but now and then a couple of dishes taken from these receipts cannot fail to prove agreeable to the partakers, without much interfering with the regular routine of the nightly business of such establishments.