403. Minced Beef.—Cut a pound and a half of lean cooked beef into very small dice, which put upon a plate; in a stewpan put a good teaspoonful of finely-chopped onions, with a piece of butter of the size of a walnut, which stir over the fire until the onions become lightly browned, when stir in half a tablespoonful of flour, with which mix by degrees half a pint of broth (or water) to which you have added a few drops of browning and a teaspoonful of vinegar; let it boil five minutes, stirring it the whole time; then throw in the meat, season rather highly with a little pepper and salt, and, when hot, pour it into a deep dish, and serve with sippets of toasted bread round, or poached eggs on it.
404. Croquettes of Beef.—Proceed precisely as in the last, but omitting the vinegar; when done, stir in two yolks of eggs quickly, stir another minute over the fire, then pour it upon a dish until cold; have a couple of eggs well beaten upon a plate, also some bread-crumbs in a separate dish, then divide the preparation into about a dozen pieces, which roll up into round balls, or any other shape, and throw them into the bread-crumbs, move them over until well covered, then roll them into the egg, then the bread-crumbs again, from which take them gently, patting the surface lightly with a knife, put them into very hot lard or fat to fry of a yellowish-brown color, being careful not to break them whilst frying; when done drain them upon a cloth, and serve either upon a napkin or with fried parsley.
405. A Family French Salad for the Summer.—I can assure you that, when in France during the hot weather, I used to enjoy the following salads immensely, having them usually twice a week for my dinner; they are not only wholesome, but cheap and quickly done. Cut up a pound of cold beef into thin slices, which put into a salad-bowl with about half a pound of white fresh lettuce, cut into pieces similar to the beef, season over with a good teaspoonful of salt, half that quantity of pepper, two spoonfuls of vinegar, and four of good salad oil, stir all together lightly with a fork and spoon, and when well mixed it is ready to serve.
For a change, cabbage-lettuce may be used, or, if in season, a little endive (well washed), or a little celery, or a few gherkins; also, to vary the seasoning, a little chopped tarragon and chervil, chopped eschalots, or a little scraped garlic, if approved of, but all in proportion, and used with moderation. White haricot beans are also excellent with it.
406. Potatoes and Meat Salad.—Proceed as in the last, but omitting the lettuce; if any cold potatoes remain from a previous dinner, peel and cut them in halves if small, but in quarters if large, and then into pieces the size of a shilling but four times the thickness; put them into a salad-bowl with the meat, seasoning as before, but using more oil and vinegar, and adding a teaspoonful of chopped parsley. A small quantity of any description of pickles might be added to this salad, as also some anchovies or olives. The remains of any fowls, turkey, cold veal, lamb, or even mutton, may be mixed in salads, but, according to our habits, many persons would fancy they were not nutritious; of that I can assure them to the contrary.[7]
407. Ox-Kidneys.—Cut a nice fresh ox-kidney into slices, each being about the size of a half-crown piece, but double the thickness (avoiding the white part, or root, which is tough and indigestible), then put a quarter of a pound of butter into a stewpan upon the fire, and when very hot but not black, put in the pieces of kidney, stirring them round with a wooden spoon three minutes over a brisk fire; then add, for each pound weight of kidney, half a tablespoonful of flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, half the quantity of pepper, and a little sugar, moisten with a gill of water and half a glass of sherry, add a little browning if handy, and let simmer gently for five minutes, stirring them round occasionally; if too thick, add a few drops more of water, the same should be sufficiently thick to adhere to the back of the spoon, pour them out upon your dish, and serve very hot. Broth might be used instead of water if convenient, but then the seasoning should be a little diminished, a little chopped eschalot, parsley, or a few mushrooms, would be an improvement.