634. Panada for Forcemeats.—Put two thirds of half a pint of water into a stewpan holding a quart, with nearly an ounce of butter; when boiling, stir in a quarter of a pound of flour; keep it moving over the fire until it forms a smooth and toughish paste; take it out of the stewpan, and when cold use it where directed.
635. Forcemeats of Fish.—These are much in use in France and other Catholic countries, especially in Lent, but they are a very excellent garnish for entrées of fish; they may be made of the flesh of almost all kinds of fish, more particularly the pike, salmon, trout, sole, haddock, and the whiting, which last is the most delicate.
636. Forcemeat of Whitings.—Take the fillets of three whitings, take off all the skin, and pound them well, then take them from the mortar, and form them into a ball; have a piece of panada (No. 634) one third the size of the ball, put the panada into the mortar, pound it well, then add two ounces of fresh butter, which mix well with the panada, then add the fish, season with pepper, salt, and a little grated nutmeg; mix all well together, then add by degrees three whole eggs and the yolks of two, try it in a little boiling water as directed for the forcemeat of veal. These are served generally as a meagre dish with a fish sauce, in Catholic families, especially in Lent time.
637. Stuffing for Veal.—Chop up half a pound of beef suet very fine, put it in a basin, with eight ounces of bread-crumbs, four ounces of chopped parsley, a tablespoonful of equal quantities of powdered thyme and marjoram, and a bay-leaf, the rind of a lemon grated, and the juice of half one; season with pepper and salt, and one quarter of a nutmeg; mix the whole with three whole eggs; this will do also to stuff turkey or baked fish, adding some more chopped parsley.
[VEGETABLES.]
IN describing to you the different ways these may be dressed, I beg of you to make a constant use of them at your own table, as you will find they will be much better than partaking of half-raw greens, cabbage, turnip-tops, spinach, &c., and are less inviting in flavor, and, consequently, do not get consumed so much as they ought, which causes more meat to be eaten, and instead of refreshing the blood, as all vegetables will do in their season, only irritate it. Do not misunderstand me respecting our English way of partaking of plain boiled vegetables; I do not wish you to give them up entirely, but by adopting both plans, you will find it a great advantage in our domestic cookery. For my part, I do not object to our plain boiled vegetables, but merely to the neglectful way they are cooked and served up, often swimming in water. In France, no family in the middle station of life ever dines without a dish of dressed vegetables, upon which as much care has been bestowed in cooking as upon the principal dish of the dinner, and is often eaten alone.