No. 224. Jugged Hare. Put nearly half a pound of butter into a good-sized stewpan with ten ounces of flour, making rather a thinnish roux by continually turning over a slow fire until becoming of a yellowish tinge, then add a pound of good streaked bacon, previously cut into good-sized square pieces; keep stirring a few minutes longer over the fire; you have previously cut the hare into nice pieces, throw them into the stewpan, and stir over the fire until becoming firm, when moisten with four glasses of port wine, and sufficient water to cover them; when beginning to boil, skim well, season in proportion to the size of your hare, let simmer, add two bay-leaves, four cloves, and, when about half done, forty button onions, or ten large ones, cut into slices; let simmer until the whole is well done, the sauce requiring to be rather thick; dress the pieces as high as possible upon your dish, sauce over, and serve. The remains are excellent either cold or warmed up again in the stewpan. If cheap and in season, a few small new potatoes are excellent stewed with it.
No. 225. Another and more simple Method. Put a quarter of a pound of butter with a pound of bacon, cut into dice, and the hare, cut into pieces, in a stewpan set upon a moderate fire until the pieces of hare are becoming firm, when add six ounces of flour, mix well and moisten with sufficient water to cover it, add two glasses of any kind of wine and one of vinegar, season as above, let simmer until tender, keeping well skimmed: when done, and the sauce becoming quite thick, dress upon your dish, and serve as before.
MEAT PIES AND PUDDINGS.
No. 226. Rump Steak Pie. Procure two pounds of rump-steak, which cut into thinnish slices, season well with pepper and salt, dip each piece into flour, and lay them in a small pie-dish, finishing the top in form of a dome; add a wineglassful of water, and cover with three quarters of a pound of half puff paste (page 480), egg over with a paste-brush, and bake rather better than an hour in a moderate oven; serve either hot or cold.
No. 227. Mutton Pie. Procure the chumps from three loins of mutton, which cut into moderate slices, put a layer of them at the bottom of your dish, season well with pepper, salt, chopped parsley, and eschalot, over which put a layer of thin slices of raw potatoes, then the meat, and seasoning again, proceeding thus, finishing in a dome; add a wineglassful of water, cover with paste, and bake as in the last.
No. 228. Lamb Pie. Cut a small loin of lamb into thin chops, which lightly season, lay them in your dish with a few slices of new potatoes, building them up in the form of a dome; moisten with water, cover with paste, and bake as before.
The proper way to cover these pies is to wet the edge of the dish, round which put a band of common paste, pressing it lightly on, wetting the top, and joining the paste with which the pie is covered to it.
Pies, as I have previously observed, may also be made from the remains of any joints, first hashing the meat from them, which cut into large slices and well season; when quite cold, fill your pie-dish, building it in a dome, two inches above the rim of your dish; place a bay-leaf over, cover with paste, not, however, too thickly, and bake in a hot oven.
Any kind of meat, game, or poultry remaining may be hashed and converted into a pie, as above, without much trouble, thus making a very excellent dish to serve to table. Or the remains of any description of meats may be thus dressed: lay a few slices of streaked uncooked bacon at the bottom of a pie-dish, over which put layers of the meat, seasoning well between, leaving a space between the meat and the dish all round, and not building it above the edge of the dish; then have some potatoes prepared as follows: put about a quarter of a pound of potatoes, well mashed, into a basin, to which add three eggs, a spoonful of chopped parsley, a little grated nutmeg, pepper, salt, and half a pint of milk; mix well, strain through a colander, pour over the meat in the dish, bake half an hour in a warm oven, and serve very hot.
No. 229. Beef Steak Pudding. At home I can frequently make a very excellent dinner from a meat pudding, made as follows: