323. Leg of Mutton stewed with Vegetables.—Have a good leg, beat it a little with a rolling-pin, make an incision in the knuckle, in which put two cloves of garlic, then put it into a stewpan, with a pound of lean bacon cut in eight pieces, set over a moderate fire half an hour, moving it now and then until becoming a light brown color, season with pepper and salt, add twenty pieces of carrots of the same size as the bacon, fifteen middling-sized onions, and when done add two bay-leaves, two cloves, and two quarts of water, replace it upon a moderate fire, moving round occasionally, stew nearly three hours, dress upon your dish with the carrots and onions dressed tastefully around, take off as much of the fat from the gravy as possible, take out the bay-leaves and pour the garniture round the mutton, which serve very hot. It can be braised like No. 289. A few drops of browning may be required.
324. Neck of Mutton.—This is a very recherché dish, if off a good-sized sheep, and well hung; it must be nicely trimmed, sawing the bones at the tips of the ribs, which detach from the meat, folding the flap over; saw off the chine-bone, and carefully detach the remainder of the bone from the fillet; detach the skin from the upper part, fix the flap under with a couple of skewers, run a flat lark-spit from end to end, fix it to a larger one, cover it with buttered paper, and roast like the haunch; if of five pounds, nearly three-quarters of an hour to one hour. It should be served very hot, the plates and dish the same, and not one minute before it is wanted: serve gravy under.
325. Boiled Neck of Mutton.—Take one with little fat upon it, divide the chops, taking care not to cut the fillet, put it into a pan with cold water sufficient to cover it, place in it one ounce of salt, one onion, and a small bunch of parsley, boil it gently; when done, dish it up, and serve it with either parsley and butter made from the liquor in which it was boiled, caper or onion sauce, mashed turnips separate. Proceed as under receipt with the broth.
326. Sheep’s Head.—Though this may be seen in every part of London inhabited by the working classes, and may be procured ready-cooked, I prefer always to prepare it at home, and very good it is. I choose a fine one, as fat as possible, and put it into a gallon of water to disgorge for two hours; wash it well, saw it in two from the top, take out the brain, cut away part of the uncovered part of the skull, and also the ends of the jaws, wash it well, put it into the stewpan, with two onions, one carrot, two turnips cut in slices, a little celery, four cloves, a bouquet of four sprigs of thyme, a bay-leaf, one ounce of salt, a quarter of an ounce of pepper, three quarts of water, set on the fire; when near boiling, add half a teacupful of pearl or Scotch barley; let it simmer for three hours, or till tender, which try with a fork; take out vegetables, cut in dice, remove bouquet, skim off the fat, and pour all into tureen. Or, lay the head on a dish, and serve with either onion sauce over, parsley and butter, or any sharp sauce; or egg and bread-crumb it over, put it in an oven for half an hour till getting a nice yellow color, and serve with sharp sauce under. Or, with the brain, thus: having boiled it for ten minutes in a little vinegar, salt, and water, cut it in pieces, warm it in parsley and butter, season it a little, and put it under the head and serve.
327. Sheep’s Head and Liver.—Boil half a sheep’s liver for thirty minutes in a quart of water, cut it into small dice, put two ounces of butter in the stewpan, and set it on the fire, then add a tablespoonful of chopped onions, cook it a few minutes, add the liver, season with salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, a spoonful of flour, half-pint of broth, stir when boiling, simmer for a few minutes, lay on dish, and put the head over just as it is out of the broth, or bread-crumb it, and put it in the oven.
LAMB.—The same rules for cutting up should be observed as in the sheep. The fore-quarter consists of a shoulder, neck, and breast together; if cut up, the shoulder and ribs. The hind-quarter is the leg and loin. The head and pluck consist of the liver, lights, heart, nut and melt, as also the fry, which is the sweetbread, bits and skirts, and part of the liver. The fore-quarter should be fresh, the hind-quarter should hang, it should be of a pale color and fat. The vein in the fore-quarter ought to be bluish and firm; if yellow or green, it is very stale. To ascertain if the hind-quarter is fresh, pass your finger under the kidney, and if there is a faint smell it is not fresh. If there is but little flesh on the shoulder it is not fine lamb; those that have short wool I have found to be the best flavored. Nothing differs so much in flavor and goodness as this: much depends upon the kind of pasture on which the ewe is fed; that which is obtained when it is the dearest has but little flavor, and requires the addition of lemon and cayenne to make it palatable.